THE AGRICULTURAL ^'EWS. 



January 6, 1906. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



PINE-APPLES IN THE BAHAMAS. 



The t'oUowiiig information relative to tlie pine- 

 apple industi-y in the Bahamas is extracted from the 

 Annual Report on the colony for 1904-5 : — 



The piiie-apple crop this year is good, and the fruit of 

 good size, but there has been a falling off in recent years 

 which has caused anxiety, and it is universally acknowledged 

 that sonictliing must be done to improve the cultivation of 

 the fruit and methods of planting, and to ascertain wliat 

 fertilizers are most wanted. 



Great hopes are entertained that the pine-3,piile industry 

 may be saved with the aid of scientific methods, especially 

 since the canning industry has so largely superseded the 

 export of raw fruit, and the fruit is reckoned superior to that 

 of other countries for the purpose of packing and tinning. 



Pine-apple canning is taking the place of the export of 

 fruit, and the Nassau factory of the J. S. Johnson Co. 

 exported 47,973 cases, consuming 15,329 dozen pine-ainiles, 

 and giving employment to 300 persons weekly. At Governor's 

 Harbour, Eleuthera, the canning factory worked for forty 

 days, and filled 22,4.50 cases, consuming 10,000 dozen pine; 

 apples, and giving employment to 1-50 persons daily. 



WEST INDIAN LIMES. 



The following note appeared in the West Indhi 

 Committee Circular, of December 8, 1905 : — 



A feature of the exhibition of colonial fruit's, to which 

 reference is made on another page, was the display of West 

 Indian limes, and cards bearing the following inscription in 

 bold type were placed about the West Indian section : — 



' For all purposes for which lemons are now used. West 

 Indian limes are infinitely sui)erior. The delicacy of flavour, 

 aroma, and juiciness of West Indian limes are such as to 

 make them instantly preferred by those who have used limes 

 and lemons. Moreover, AVest Indian liines come from our 

 colonies and the bulk of the lemons now in this country 

 - come from foreign parts. Support the colonies and give 

 West Indian limes a fair trial.' 



' "The rind is so thin, and the pips so few and small, that 

 the lime is practically a globe of juice, yielding more for its 

 size and weight than the lemon, while the Mavour is 

 delicious." The Grocer, August 19,' 1905.' 



It will be of interest to our readers to know that we 

 are continuing to receive many inquiries regarding this 

 luscious fruit. As a result of the Colonial Exliibition we 

 were successful in placing them in many of the largest 

 hotels and restaurants in London, and repeat orders for 

 from five to ten boxes continue to be received almost daily. 



Too much stress cannot be laid up(.)n the fact that only 

 carefullj' selected, evenly graded and well-packed fruit should 

 be sent, as the market requires most careful nursing, and the 

 despatch of badly packed and poor fruit is liable to give it 

 a set-back. There i.s no doulit that the taste for West Indian 

 limes is increasing and tjiat it is capable of immen.se 

 development. The chief ditHculty so far experienced is with 

 the greengrocers who have tried to sell the fruit without 

 explaining where it comes from, what it is, and what })urpose 

 it serves, and it is lio|ied that the notice above referred to 

 will prove helpful in this connexion. 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S 

 SHOW OF COLONIAL FRUIT. 



The following is an extract from the report in the 

 Oil rilcrirrx' Clirniilcle, of December 9, 1905, on the 

 Royal Horticultural Society's Show of Colonial Fruit, 

 held in London on December 5 and 6 : — 



The West Indian Section of the Exhibition was organ- 

 ized by the West India Committee, which utilized many of 

 the exhibits that formed part of the display lately .shown at 

 the Crystal Palace. The collective exhibits occupied the 

 whole of the west side of the hall facing the entrance. 

 Messrs. James Philip it Co., 4, Fenchurch liuildings, E.C., 

 disi)Iayed a group of miscellaneous product.s, ranging from 

 cigars to pickles. They had West Indian fruits in dried, 

 crystallized, bottled, and sweet-meat form. We noticed 

 yams, oranges, limes, ^ugar, cordials, wines, pickles, sauces, 

 mangos, shaddocks, a)id a ho.st of other such like things, the 

 majority of which are rarely seen in our grocers' shops. 

 (Silver Gilt Knightian Medal.) 



The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company showed a 

 number of fresh fruits — bananas (including the claret-coloured 

 variety) avocado pears, limes, papaw, citrons, also bottled 

 si)ecimens of sour .sop, guava.s, christophines, pepper.s, etc. 

 (Silver Gilt Knightian Medal.) 



The ISritish West Indian Fruit Comiuiny, Ltd., showed 

 liunches of bananas and tropical fruits preserved in bottles. 

 The Hon. J. Cox Fillan, Dominica, was awarded a Silver 

 Bank.sian Medal for a dfsplay of limes. 



From Grenada came spices, cacao, cotton, and bottled 

 fruits, liominica sent fruits of the colony, including limes, 

 shaddocks, grape fruit, etc. 



Jamaica showed tobacco in the manufactured state, 

 including cigars, also sugar and a cattle-food luade from the 

 waste products of the sugar industry named molascuit. 

 ]'"rom Barbados came sugar, rum, molasses, cotton, pickles, 

 and other preserves, etc. Messrs. JlcUoddies and Co., 

 Finsbury, E. C, showed desiccated vegetables. 



