Vol. XVI. No. iOl. 



THE AGRICULTURAL JTEWS. 



287 



complaint, and the lack of material for building up full heaps 

 of compost was dwelt upon. 



With the scarcity of potash and ,^mmonia, farmyard 

 manure becomes increasingly important,i.but apart from this, 

 it is distinctly advantageous to create out of the estate itself 

 the means of renewing ihe fertility of the soil. We have 

 no doubt as to the choice of planters between rich farmyard 

 manure in sufficient quantity and artificial fertilizers. With 

 one voice they would bear testimony to the more enduring 

 effect of farm manure. The best efforts should be put forth 

 to raise the largest amount of this manure, and the resources 

 of an estate in this direction should be developed to the 

 highest degree. 



In general the young cane crop continues to develop 

 satisfactorily. In the black soil, particularly, the bunches 

 of plant canes are full and luxuriant, and we have also 

 observed some very satisfactory fields of first ratoons. In 

 the red soil, the ratoons are doing well, and, in general, fair 

 progress is being made by the plant canes. The plant canes 

 in some fields still, however, show a certain amount of hard- 

 ness, the result of the severe weather during the planting 

 ■season of last year and the earlier months of this year. In 

 the red soil, cane holes are necessarily very deep, and we 

 think that it would be a good plan if priming with manure 

 could be done. It has been proved that this is productive 

 of very satisfactory results. 



The crisis in connexion with the extreme shortage of 

 ground provisions is beginning to pass. We do not mean 

 that there will be immediate abundance, but both potatoes 

 and corn are gradually becoming more plentiful Potatoes, 

 xrhich not long ago were sold at 8.s. per 100 lb., can now be 

 purchised at 6s. Indian corn flour is being hawked at 

 5c. per pint, and trays of green corn are not an unfamiliar 

 sight. Greens are also increasing fairly rapidly in quantity, 

 and I he breadfruit trees are doing their 'bit' to relieve the 

 tension of the food supply. It is a pity that these most 

 valuable trees are not systematically cared for both by tillage 

 and by an occasimal manuring, where they are not favour- 

 ably situated. (Agricultural .fle/^w-^er, August 25, 1917.) 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



DRUGS AND SPICES ON THE LONDON 

 MARKET. 



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

 lowing report on the London drug and spice market 

 for the month of July 1917: — 



The condition of the drug and spice markets throughout 

 the month of July has shown but little or no change since 

 our last report for June, either in bulk of business transacted 

 or in price.s obtained. Purchasers generally do not go beyond 

 that which is sufficient to meet their immediate wants. The 

 following are some of the principal details. 



GINGER. 



At the first auction on the -tlh of the month, ginger was 

 in fairly good supply, 375 bags of Jamaica being offered, 

 a few only finding purchasers at 9-").«. per cwt. for good 

 ordinary small, and .Sns. for common dark small. As many 

 as 720 bags of rough washed Cochin were also offered, and 

 bought in at 72.s., and rough brown at 70s. Again on the 

 18th of the month ginger was in good supply but in poor 

 demand, being representeil by 5''S bags of Cochin and 

 Calicut and i268 bags of .Japanese; a few only of the latter 



found buyers at 40s. for fair, but slightly wormy, and 30s. for 

 very wormy. 



SAESArAEILLA. 



Sarsaparilla was in small supply, and in little demand 

 in the early part of the month, but it was reported that .some 

 small sales of red native Jamaica and Mexican had been 

 effected at Is. llrf. and Is .jd, respectively. A week later 

 some small arrivals of Lima Jamaica and Honduras were 

 quoted at 3s. 3c?. per Bb. for the former and 2s. id. for the 

 latter. Again on the 25th of the month, the offerings at 

 auction were small, consisting only of 2 bales of native 

 Jamaica and 30 bales of Mexican. The former were both 

 sold at 2s. 3d per lb. for dull yellow; 5 bales only of 

 the Mexican were sold privately, the remainder being held 

 at Is. bd. 



CITRIC ACID, LIME OIL, PIMENTO, ANNATTO SEED, CASHEW 

 NUT.S, CASSIA FISTULA, KOLA, AND TAMARINDS. 



Citric acid has remained at a firm and even price of 

 from 3s. Zhd. to 3s. id. throughout the month. Oil of 

 lime has been firm at 8s. 6d per B). for West Indian distilled, 

 and 16s fo- hand-pressed. Pimento has been but little in 

 demand at 31d per Bb. Annatto seed was in large supply 

 at. auction on the 26th of the month, when 79 packages were 

 offered but none sold. At the same auction cashew nuts 

 and Cassii Fistula pods were represented by 12 packages of 

 the former and 34 packages of the latter, none of which 

 found buyers. Kola, however, at the same sale, was in fair 

 demand, 125 packages being sold out of 165 offared, good 

 sound slightly dark Java fetching 6|f/. per tti., and part 

 wormy bd ; good sound African quarters fetched 9d, and 

 small slighty wormy i\d. For 3 bags from St. Lucia fair, 

 part whole 6d to 6|d par tt>. was paid. At the end of the 

 month 25 barrels of new crop Barbados tamarinds were 

 offered, and sold at 3-5s. per cwt. in bond. 



Regulation of the Sale of Fertilizers in South 



Africa. — The Union Gazette E.rtraordinary, of March 19, 

 1917, contains the copy of a Bill to regulate the sale of 

 fertilizers, farm foods, seeds, and pest remedies in the L^nion. 

 The provisions of the Bill, as summarized by The Bojrd of 

 Trade Journal of .May 24, 1917, are as follows : — 



\o person shall sell in the Union as a fertilizer any 

 article which does not contain in a form or combinatioa 

 available as p'.ant food, nitrogen, or phosphoric oxide, or 

 potash, or lime. 



The Governor-General is empowered to make regulations 

 with respect to the marking, labelling, or branding of sacks, 

 parcels, etc., containing fertilizers, farm foods, and past 

 remedies, and for the registration of such articles. 



From and after the commencement of the .\ct, all 

 fertilizers imported as merchandise at any port in the Unioa 

 may be detained for purposes of analysis or examination by 

 officers appointed in that behalf, and any such article found, 

 upon analysis or examination, to bj otherwise than required 

 by the Act, or not marked or labellrd as required, may be 

 dispose 1 of as the Department of Agriculture may direct. 

 It is also provided that no person shall sell seeds unless 

 there is attached to the package a written label giving the 

 name of the seeds and their country of origin. The label is 

 to imply a guarantee to the seller that the seeds are not below 

 the standard of purity and germinating capacity prescribed 

 by regulation. 



Everv person who sells any fertilizer or food shall pro- 

 vide at "the time of purchase, an invoice stating '^ the 

 quantity sold, the name and brand under \vhich they are 

 registered and also their chemical constituents which hivQ 

 betn registered as required by regulation. 



