Vol. XVI. Xo. 393. 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS, 



159 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



DRUGS AND 



SPICES ON 

 MARKET. 



THE LONDON 



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

 lowing report on the London drug and spice market, 

 for the month of March 1017: — 



Though there was a distinct declineHn the amount of 

 business transacted in the produce market at the beginning 

 of the month (March), prices generally were firm, and in 

 many instances were advanced from those prevailing in 

 February. These remarks refer specially to ginger, nutmegs, 

 pimento and citric acid. Later on in the month there was 

 a slight improvement in the number of purchases which, 

 however, continues very restricted, the quantities purchased 

 being only sufficient for current needs. The following are 

 some of the principal details. 



lilNGER. 



At the first spice auction, .Jamaica was quoted at 8.5s. to 

 105s. per cwt., washed Cochin at froiij 60s. to 65s. and 

 African at 45s A week later the quotations had risen to 

 -90s. to 95s. for common to good common Jamaica, and 100s. 

 to 110s. for medium to good, while 65s. to 67s. 6cf. wa.^ asked 

 i'or washed Cochin. At the sale on the 14th of the month 

 some 337 bags of rough washed Cochin were brought forward 

 -and 173 sold at increased rates, partly yyormy fetching 6 Is. 

 per cwt. Some 80 bags of limed Japanese, slightly wormy, 

 ■were also offered and bought in at 50s. per cwt. (.^uite at 

 the end of the month it was reported thai these prices were 

 being maintained or even exceeded at po;ts of arrival. 



NUTMEGS AND MACg. 



Nutmegs were in good supply at the spice auction on the 

 :21st when 224 packages of ^Vest Indian were offered and sold 

 at steady rates: 45 packages of West Indian mace were also 

 ■offered and sold at an advance on previous rates of from 

 Id. to '2d. per Bf)., good bold fetching 2s. to 2s. 'Id. per ft)., 

 fair Is. 9(?. to Is. llrf., ordinary Is. Id. to Is. f^d., and 

 broken Is. to Is. '2d. 



SAKSAl'AlULLA.f 



There has been very little business in this drug during 

 the month. At the first auction on the 8th of the month 

 sarsaparilla was represented by 13 bales of native Jamaica, 

 7 of Lima, and 50 of Mexican: only 7 bales of the first 

 ■were sold, and none of the other two. Of the first named Is. id. 

 per ft), was paid for 5 bales of red and yellow mi.xed, and 

 Is. 2>d. for 3 bales of yellow. At the end of the month it 

 ■was reported that there was a great scarcity of this drug 

 from all sources, and consequently much wanted. 



■CITRIC ACID, PIMENTO, ANNATTO, CASSIA FISTULA, KOLA, 

 LIME JUICE, LI.ME OIL, AND Ca'sHEW NUT.S. 



At the beginning of the month citric acid was (fuoted up 

 t(i 3s. 4d. per ft>., a price that prevailed up to nearly the end, 

 ■when it advanced 3s. 5cZ. Pimento advanced at the beginning 

 •of the month from 4|rf.to5(i. peril),, but declined again to wards 

 the close to 4,',d. At auction on the 8th of the month some 

 20 bags of annatto seed from Jamaica were offered, but 

 failed to find buyers, 9d. to \ikl. per B). being asked. At the 

 same auction 58 baskets of fair Java Cassia Fistula pods were 

 ■offered, hut also failed to find buyers; 50s. per cwt. was 

 Asked. Kola was well represented at the first auction by 

 221 packajjes, all of which were dinpo.sed of at %d. per lb. 



for fair .Java halve.?, 5 Jrf. being paid for fair West Indian halves 

 and whole. Later on in the month some smaller ([uantitiea 

 were received from West Africa, which were disposed of at 

 from id. to 4|(/. per ft). At the first auction on the 8th of the 

 month a puncheon of brown West Indian lime juice was sold 

 without reserve at 9rf. per Itj. Towards the end of the month 

 it was stated that good West Indian was plentiful, with 

 a quiet demand at 2s. 9(i. per gallon. Lime oil at the first; 

 auction was represented by 12 ca.ses, all of which were 

 disposed of: West Indian distilled fetched 8s., at which price 

 it remained at the end of the month. Cashew nuts were 

 in good supply at the first auction in the month when 196 

 packages were offered but none were .sold. Later on it was 

 reported that there was a good demand at 75s. per cwt. 



GALL PATCHES OP ANTIGUA SOILS. 



In a paper published in the recently issued number of 

 the West Indian. Bullelin(\o\. XVI, No. 2), Dr. H. A Tem- 

 pany explains the origin of these curious areas in the lime- 

 stone district of Antigua which are incapable of producing 

 satisfactory crops of sugar-cane. 



The question has already been considered in a paper hy 

 Dr. Tempany on the soils of Antigua, in which it has beea 

 shown that the effect in question is due to physical abnor- 

 malities or to the presence of excessive amounts of calciuiit 

 carbonate in the soil. Chemical analyses of such soils show- 

 that they contain large amounts of alkali soluble in hydro- 

 chloric acid. The suggestion put forward is that the result is 

 probably due to the presence of sodium carbonate in the soiL 



Further investigations have fully confirmed this view. 

 These investigations have comprised examinations of the 

 water extract from gall patch soils; the cultivation of canes ia 

 tubs containing gall patch soils, which in the one case wa.* 

 untreated, and in the other had been thoroughly washed out; 

 with rain-water; the e.xamination of the leaves of etiolated 

 cane plants growing on gall patches in comparison with 

 leaves from healthy canes; and the investigation of certain 

 biological activities of gall patch soils. 



The results indicate clearly, that the effect in question is 

 due to the presence of sodium carbonate in the soil. The 

 origin of this sodium carbonate is attributed to interaction 

 between the calcium carbonate and the .sodium chloride 

 dissolved in soil water, and brought up from saliniferous 

 deposits at deeper levels. 



The illustration (A) in the Wtst Indian Bulletin shows 

 the growth of sugarcane in a sample of 'gall patch' soil 

 washed out with successive floodings of rain-water for a week; 

 and (B) cane growing in untreated gall patch .soil. 



Diminishing Freight Facilities in the West 



Indies. — The strong probability that there will shortly 

 be a serious reduction in the number of steamers running 

 regularly between the West Indies and North America, 

 makes it desirable to bear in mind the importance of 

 producing as much food as possible locally in these islands. 

 The matter has been brought before the public for some 

 months now in most of the colonies, both officially and by the 

 Press; articles have freijuently appe-ired in this Journal, and 

 those planters who have hitherto ignored the mat'er would 

 be well advised to give it their earnest consideration whila 

 there is yet time to act with deliberation and effect. 



