Vol. XVI. No. 398. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



227 



Coming nearer home, we have before us an example 

 of what excellent results can be gained by voluntary 

 association in the work of the Antigua and Montserrat 

 Growers' Associations, and it would be well worthy of the 

 consideration of the Dominica lime srrowers whether the 

 principle could not, with advantage, be applied to their 

 industry in order to eliminate, to a great extent, that 

 undesirable feature, the speculative element that 

 attends every transaction, and to prevent inferior fruit 

 being delivered when there is reason to expect excel- 

 lence. The local Government., of course, could be of 

 assistance by protecting from infringement the brands 

 registered as trade marks, and in all other reasonable 

 ways. 



PRACTICAL HINTS FOR PACKING. 



In connexion with the subject of grading and [lacking 

 limes dealt with in the editorial of this issue, an article 

 written in the West Indian Bulletin, Vol. XI, p. 153, by the 

 Agricultural Sui)erintendent of St. Vincent, Mr. W. N. 

 Sands, after a visit to New York, paid at the suggestion of 

 the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture to ascertain the 

 conditions of that market in regard to West Indian lime?, 

 will be of great interest. 



It was pointed out by those intiniaioly connected with 

 the lime trade that if the l!mes were packed in half-barrels 

 they would arrive in better condition It was not recom- 

 mended that this fruit should be packed and shii)ped in 

 cases, as oranges and other fruit, even though this admits of 

 closer storagi", the reason being that such packages are only 

 suitable for limes where there is cold storage The demand 

 on the part of the fruit dealers was for sound, thin-skinned, 

 clean and bright limes, of medium size. The chief com- 

 plaints were in regard to the smallness of some of the limes 

 shipped, the largeness of others, the coarseness of the lind, 

 the discoloration by dirt, black blight and scile insects. 

 The packages, too, should be made from imported shooks, 

 for they would have a clean and ntat appearance in marked 

 contiast with the dirty-looking Hour barrels of various 

 sizes in which the limes were frequently shipped from the 

 West Indies. All packages should be provided with holes 

 in perijendicular lines for ventilation and tightly packed to 

 prevent the limes being bruised. Each separate lime should 

 be wrapped in brown wrapping-paper which was found to 

 be superior to rice paper or tissue paper, because it absorbed 

 the products of decay to a certain extent. In the packages 

 the limes should be arranged in definite layers. 



The article concludes by summarizing the recommenda- 

 tions it contains as follows: 'In order to obtain the best 

 results growers and shippers must give close attention 

 to the following matters: (a) the fruit should be carefully 

 picked, cured and graded, so that only perfectly sound and 

 clean limes will be shipped; (b) limes, discoloured with 

 earth, scale insects or black blight, should be sponged 

 or brushed, after the fruits have been cured for a day or two, 

 care being taken not to injure the skin in any way; (c) the 

 fruit should be allowed to dry thoroughly after being cleaned, 

 and then wrapped in brown wrapping-paper: (d) in selecting 

 the fruit it would appear that a lime measuring from 1 ij to 1 1 

 inchf s in diameter is the size desired by buyers, and grading 

 to this size should be adopted; and (e) the fruit should be 

 packed closely, in layers, in well ventilated barrels of 



standard size." The writer of the article expresses the opinion 

 that, if growers and shippers select, grade and pack the limes 

 according to the methods this described, and keep in close- 

 touch with the requirements of the buyers, there is no reisoa 

 why Briti-h West Indian limes should not continue to control 

 the New \ork market and realize remunerative prices. 



The Antigua and Montserrat Onion Growers' A' sociatioa 

 have wisely been instrumental in bringing about, by careful 

 grading, an increased export of their crops. To meet the 

 popular demand which varies in the different markets, small 

 onions being preferred in the West Indies and British Guiana 

 and large ones in the Canadian and New York markets, 

 onions are now arranged into four grades according to size, 

 as follows: — 



1 Onions 2i to .3 inches in diameter. 



2 ,, over 3 inches in diameter. 



3 ,, 2 inches to 2i inches in diameter. 



4 „ under 2 inches. 



The device employed in urading onions is very simpler 

 and consists of a board with holes cut in it corresponding 

 in size to the limits of the various grades, the grader being 

 raised on legs of sufficient height to permit baskets being 

 placed under it. The operation of grading consists ia 

 ascertaining which of the various holes is the .smallest through, 

 which any onion will pass. 



Exportation of Molasses from the West 



Indies. — AUImugli the ex]iortation of molas.ses from the 

 West Indies to any country not within the British Empire 

 has been prohibited, it has been found expedient, as is 

 announced in the OjHdal Gn-ette of Barbados, .July 5, 1917, 

 for the Governor-in-Executive Committee to make an Order 

 granting licences for ilie shipping of a limited quantity of 

 mola.sses to the United States on condition that no molasses 

 so exported are to be re-exported to any country except the 

 Dominion of Canada. For the purpose of enforcing this 

 condition, .shippers of molasses from Barbados to the United 

 States shall on every shipment make a statement setting 

 forth the quantity shipped, the name of the ship and the 

 name and address of the purchaser and consignee, and, shall, 

 within a reasonable time, produce to the Comptroller a 

 certificate from the consignee, showing that he has received 

 the molasses and giving an undertaking that none will be 

 shipped to any country but Canada. 



Ground Nuts in the United States.— In the 



eight years between 1908 and 1916 the value of the yield of 

 ground nuts in the United States increased, according to 

 Agricidttire of March 1917, from $ I 2,000,000 to §.56,000,000. 

 the reason for this enormous increase being that ground nuts 

 are being largely planted in the place of cotton, which it is 

 impossible to cultivate on account of the boll weevil. It has 

 been found that by slight adjustments of mashinery cotton-seed 

 mills can be turned into ground-nut oil factories. It appears 

 that there is little likelihood of the markets being glutted 

 with ground-nut oil and cake because the food value is 

 such as to make a universal market for the product. Experi- 

 ments are being made by the United States Government to 

 discover the best use for the ground nut and to popularize it 

 with American kitchens, and the Chemistry Bureau of the 

 Department of Agriculture recently began researches that 

 are expected to produce from ground-nut meal a bread equal 

 in value for food and tastefulness to wheat bread. 



