Vol. X. No. 250 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



383 



upon their larger roots. This baric is easily removed, and has 

 a peculiar frayed appearance. The disease in Montserrat and 

 Antigua was associated with the occurrence of fructifications 

 of Fomes lucidus (Leys.) Fr., on a large number of dead and 

 dying trees, and consequently the hypothesis was put forward 

 in a recent number of this publication that the fungus named 

 above might be responsible for this form of root disease in 

 Montserrat and Antigua. (See Ac/ricultural News, Vol. X, 

 p. 270.) It has not, however, been established as yet what 

 is the true cause of this form of lime root sickness, nor how 

 far it is different from other forms of disease. This and 

 a few other points will receive further investigation. 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



DRUGS AND SPICES ON THE LONDON 



MARKET. 



Mr. J. R.Jackson, A.LS., has forwarded the fol- 

 lowing report on the London drug and spice mai'ket, 

 for the month of October : — 



The general character of the drug and spice markets 

 throughout October has lieen satisfactory, especially with 

 regard to drugs, which may lie said to have commanded an 

 active trade, that might have been accelerated by a more 

 ready supply, chiefly, however, of eastern rather than western 

 products The trouble in China, for instance, is already 

 having a marked effect on many importa.nt articles of com- 

 merce, and this, with Turkish and even with Italian products, 

 is having its influence on buyers. Like most other products 

 at the present time, drugs and chemicals are apparently ad- 

 vancing in price above the normal standard. 



The following are the detailed notes affecting West 

 Indian products: — 



GINGER. 



At the first spice auction on the 4th of the month, ginger 

 attracted little or no attantion, but on the 11th it was report- 

 ed that a fair business was done in washed rough Cochin, at 

 from i^)s. to 46<:. per cvvt. The ofierings at the sale amounted 

 to 179 bags of washed Cochin, all of which was bought in at 

 50s. per cwt. At the last auction on the 2.5th, 324 bags of 

 rough washed Cochin were offered, 16.5 of which sold at 

 44s. &d. to 45s. Some packages of slightly wormy were also 

 disposed of at 44s. Qd. per cwt. Xo Jamaica has been offered. 



NUTMEGS, MACE AND PIMENTO. 



At auction on the 11th of the month 320 packages of 

 West Indian nutmegs were ottered and disposed of at the 

 following rates; 58's Is., 62's to 67's 9c/. to lie/., 69's to 74's 

 Ghd. to 8d, 79's 6d, 89's to 97's ohd. to 6d., 122's to 132's 

 od. to old. and 140's to 142's 5|. to Ghd These prices 

 were a slight advance on previous rates, and were maintained 

 at the two succeeding auctions, at the last of which, on the 

 25th, the offerings amounted to 21 packages of West Indian 

 and a few packages of eastern, all of which were disposed of. 

 Mace was represented at auction on the 11 th by 70 packages of 

 West Indian; fine bold fetching 2s. 8d. per ft)., good 2s. bd. 

 to 2s. 6d., ordinary to fair 2s. id. to 2s. id., and broken 

 Is. Ud. to 2.S. 2(/. On the 18th of the month, 71 packages 

 of West Indian sold at 2s. id. to 2s id., and broken at 2s. to 

 2s. Ic/. per B). Pimento has been in slow demand; at auction 



on the 18th, 140 bags were brought forward and partly sold 

 at 2 id per ft). 



SARSAPARILLA. 



This article was represented at the drug auction on the 

 19th by 17 bales of grey Jamaica, 12 of Lima-Jamaica and 

 1 1 of native Jamaica. The whole of the grey Jamaica and 

 Lima-Jamaica was sold, as were 7 bales of the native Jamaica; 

 l.s. 6d. to Is. 10'/. per lb. was paid for fair grey Jamaica, 

 and Is. id. for mouldy and sea-damaged. Fair Lima 

 •Jamaica, part chumpy, fetched ]s. 1(/. to Is. 2d. and good 

 red and yellow native Is. If/., 9d. to l\d. being paid for 

 a few lots of yellow. At the early part of the month 

 Mexican was quoted at 7|rf. and fair Honduras at Is. -id. 

 per ft). 



CANELLA BARK, Oil. OF LIME, TAMARINDS, KOLA, AND 



ANNATTO SEEDS. 



At the first auction in the month 3 bales of Canella alba 

 bark were offered and realized 50s. per cwt. for fair palish, 

 part country, damaged. At the .same sale, 20 bottles of hand- 

 pressed West Indian oil of limes were sold at 5s od. to 5s. 6d. 

 per ft). Some distilled oil in tins was also offered but held 

 at Is. 3c/. per 11). Some further sales of hand-pressed were 

 made later in the month at the same rate as the former 

 namely 5s. 6c/. per ft). Tamariinls were represented early in the 

 month by 7 barrels of darkish juicy Barbados, which sold at 

 16s. per cwt , while for 22 packages of dry and palish, from 

 St. Thomas, 12s. was paid; 10 birrels of dry Antigua met 

 with purchasers and were bought in at lis. per cwt. A week 

 later, 12 packages of dry Antigua were disposed of at 10s. per 

 cwt. At auction on the 18th, 8 barrels of good West 

 Indian kola were sold at S'pL per lb., while one package of 

 whole nuts fetched 4|c/., and two cases of ordinary green 

 realized only 2d. per ft). In the same week, 2 bags of West 

 Indian Cassia Fistula pods were sold at 18s. 6c/. per cwt. 

 As many as 39 packages of annatto seeds, both West and East 

 Indian, were ottered, but no sales were effected, the whole being 

 withdrawn at 2ld. to 3c/. per lb. 



DRYING RUBBER ON PLANTATIONS. 



In view of the attention now being paid to detailed and 

 scientific .systems of drying rubber on Eastern estates by 

 means of vacuum and other driers, it is desirable to draw 

 the attention of managers to simpler means for young 

 estates. It is not ad visible to spend huge sums of 

 money or go to the trouble and risk of erecting compli- 

 cated machinery when estates are just beginning to yield; 

 the experience gained on a small scale, even if it is limit- 

 ed to mouldiness and tackines.s, is of considerable value 

 when large crops are anticipated. Managers having about 

 1,000 ft), of rubber per month can easily deal with 

 their produce in a corrugated iron factory, supplied with 

 wooden reapers stretching across the width of the 

 building. Strips of wood li inches by i-inch are quite ser- 

 viceable. It is not absolutely necessary that a fan or 

 heating apparatus be provided; it is, however, necessary 

 to provide such a chamber with an ample supply of fresh 

 air. Under these circumstances, it .should be possible to turn 

 out dry rubber within a week if the air is maintained at 

 a little over 90° F. — a by no means exces.sive temperature for 

 iron-roofed buildings in the I'kst. (From the India- HuMer 

 .Journal, October 21, 1911, p. 21.) 



