Vol. V. No. 98. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



29 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



Drugs and Spices in the London Market. 



The following report on the London drug and 

 spice market, for the month of November 1905, has 

 been received from Mr. J. R. Jackson, AL.S : — 



The month commenced with a moderate amount of 

 activity in most articles, which, however, declined towards the 

 end of the month, when a slow demand prevailed throughout 

 most of the offerings. Perhaps the most notable article 

 offered, as to bulk, at any one auction, was senna, over 

 a thousand bales of which were catalogued on the 9th. 



GINGER. 



At the spice sale on the 1st. of the month there was 

 a steady demand for .Jamaica, which sold at lis. to ios. for 

 fair to good common, and 38s. 6(7. for small. Medium cut 

 Cochin was bought in at 55s. and smallish to fair native cut 

 at from 37s. 6rf. to 1.5s.; 31s. was realized for small cut tips, 

 and 20s. for fair washed rough. A week later, the prices 

 stood slightly higher for .Jamaica. On the 22nd., some 75 

 barrels of Jamaica were offered, 30 of which were sold at 

 36s. to 38s. for common. At this sale, at which the demand 

 was very slow, some selected bold Cochin was offered and 

 bought in at 100s. 



NUTMEGS, MACE, PIMEKTO, ETC. 



Both in nutmegs and mace steady prices at usual rates 

 were maintained throughout the month with, perhaps, 

 a slightly lower tone. Good pimento at the first sale 

 realized 2hd,; at the second sale on the 8th., ordinary sold at 

 from 2g(7. to '2^^d., and fair 2k?., which prices were main- 

 tained to the end of the month. 



At the weekly spice sale chillies were offered at the 

 following rates: On the 1st. good bright Nyassaland 38s. 6d., 

 and fair red and yellowish, 34s. Qd. to 35s.; large red 

 Japanese were bought in at 36s. per cwt. A week later 

 good Nyassaland were disposed of at 33s., and good Mombasa 

 at 31s. Fine bright East African capsicums were sold at 

 54s. At the last sale, on the 22nd., the prices had somewhat 

 declined. 



SAESAPAEILLA. 



The sales opened on the 2nd. of the month with the 

 report that the market was i)ractically cleared of grey 

 Jamaica and Lima-Jamaica from first hands. A week later, 

 1 bale of good red native Jamaica was offered and sold at 

 Is. 1(7. per tt)., and 9-k7. was paid for two bales of 

 sea-damaged. No other kinds were offered at this sale, but 

 on the 16th. it was reported that 12 bales of genuine grey 

 Jamaica, 6 large bales of red native Jamaica, and 12 bales 

 of Guayaquil had arrived during the week. These were 

 offered at the auction on the 23rd., realizing for grey Jamaica, 

 Is. 5(7. to Is. 7(7. for ordinary coarse dark to good fibrous, 

 while for 5 bales of native red Jamaica from 10c?. to 11|(?. 

 was obtained, and for sea-damaged 9(7. Lima-Jamaica was 

 quoted privately at Is. 3(7., and coarse chunipy Guayacjuil 

 at Is. to Is. 1(?. per K). 



KOLA, LIME J0ICE, TAMARINDS, ETC. 



Of other West Indian products it may be stated that 

 at the second sale in the month 8 packages of fair West 

 India kola nuts were disposed of at from 3(?. to 3|(7. per &., 

 Java being privately quoted at the same sale at -ihd. to 

 5f?. per fi)., c.i.f. A week later there was an abundant supply- 



in the market, fair bright Jamaica fetching 3(?., and damaged 

 2-i(7. 8ixty-three bags of West Indian, which had arrived 

 via Halifax, were bought in at 31(7. Lime juice was offered 

 on the 8th. of the month, 4 puncheons of fair raw Jamaica 

 fetching lOc?. per gallon, and at the same .sale 6 cases of 

 West Indian distilled oil of lime were sold at from Is. 4(?. to 

 Is. 5(?. per lb. 



On the 15th tamarinds from Barbados and Antigua 

 were sold : the former at 17s. per cwt. in bond, and the 

 latter, more or less sour, at 14s. At the last sale some fair 

 bold to lean Cassia Fistula pods realized 20s. 6(7. per cwt. 

 Good bright Madras annatto seed was offered at 6i(?. to 7(7. 

 per It)., and some dark, over-dried Tripoli strip orange peel 

 was sold at 3i-(?. per Bj. 



There has been no demand for arrowroot notwithstanding 

 that quantities of fair manufacturing St. Vincent have been 

 offered, all of which has been bought in. 



Canada. 



The followinjr is an extract from a letter addressed 

 to the Imperial Coinmissioner of Agriculture, under 

 date December 12, 1905, by Mr. J. Russell Murray, of 

 Montreal, in reference to West Indian trade with 

 Canada : — 



TARIFF COMMISSION. 



The Commission sat in Montreal on November 10, and 

 contrary to expectations, no representatives appeared from 

 the West Indies relative to the Preferential Tariff for the 

 British West Indian sugar. The (question of the alteration 

 of the colour standard was brought before the Commission 

 by the undersigned, by an application for the raising of the 

 standard from 16 d.s. to 19 or 20 d.s., with the object of 

 admitting the better classes of grocery sugar now being 

 made throughout the British AVest Indies on a reasonable 

 basis. The present tariff was framed to meet conditions now 

 much improved upon, and has become an obstruction 

 to the reasonable importation of a most useful grade of 

 household sugar. 



ORANGES. 



Jamaica oranges have had the poorest season for several 

 years ; this, by general coasent, being caused solely by the 

 poor quality of fruit sent to market. The earlj* shipments 

 were sour and green and stopped the sale, forcing buyers 

 to look elsewhere for supplies, and during the last two weeks 

 fine, sweet oranges have been arriving from Mexico, Florida, 

 California, and Valencia, entirely supplanting Jamaica and 

 Dominica fruit. Prices for Jamaica are now at §2 '90 to 

 ¥3 -10, duty paid. 



MOLASSES. 



The trade remains exceedingly quiet for importers. 

 Wholesale firms report slow deliveries, and prices are, on 

 the whole, easier. 



COCOA-NUTS. 



Business is wholly confined to the manufacturing 

 interests ; prices remain stead}' at late rates. 



A fairly good trade has been moving in these lines. 

 Pimento, however, is quiet and weaker in price. Grenada 

 nutmegs are steady in value and demand. Ginger is steady 

 at unchanged prices. 



