"Vol. V. No. 102. 



THE AGRECULTURAL NEWS. 



95 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



Witli'regarJ to pimento, the sales wei-e very steady through 

 out the month at 2|(?. i)ei- K). A large supply was ofFered 

 on the 10th., the bulk of which was held at 2ld. 



Drugs and Spices in the London Market. 



The following report on the London drag and 

 -spice nicarkefc for the month of January l!)0(j, has been 

 received from Mr. J. R. Jackson, A.L.S. : — 



Notwithstanding the disturbing influences of the general 

 •election following on Christmas holidays, and the stock-taking 

 season, the Mincing Lane trade in drugs and spices has shown 

 -a distinct improvement since our last report. The greatest 

 activity was experienced about the middle of the month. Of 

 individual drugs, Cinchona barks and camphor have perhaps 

 occupied most attention; the first, on account of the large 

 quantities coming forward and already in stock, amounting, it 

 is .said, to so large a quantity as to be sufficient to meet the 

 world's re(]uirements for at least seven 'iionths ; and the 

 second, on account of a deficiency of the crude material, due 

 to the late war in the Far East. The following notes refer 

 ■chiefly to West Indian products :^ 



OIXGEE. 



At the first .sale on January .3, no Jamaica was ofi'ered, 

 but of other kinds the following were the (juotations : Fair 

 washed Cochin, 23.1. to 26s., and Calicut 2-5*. At these rates, 

 it was reported that a good business had been done privately ; 

 some 3,000 packages having been disposed of. Japan was sold 

 <jnthe spot at 18s. Gd. to 19s. per cwt. A week later, viz., 

 on the 10th., ginger was very much to the fore at the spice 

 sales. Jamaica being again absent, Cochin and Calicut were 

 oiTered to the extent of 767 packages, and a small quantity 

 was disposed of at the following rates ; Bold and medium 

 Cochin, 76s.; good medium, 60s. to 61s.; small native medium 

 cut, 42s. to 50s.; small to fair wa.sbed was bought in at 26s. 

 to 29s. Fair limed Japanese was also bought in at 23s. 

 Washed rough Cochin was quoted at 2Gs. to 27s. per cwt. 

 On the 17th., a few sales were made at ios. to 46s. of 

 ordinary to good ordinary small Jamaica : of 27 barrels 

 offered, 14 were disposed of at these rates, while out of 

 1,000 ))ackages of Cochin and Calicut offered, about one half 

 were sold : bold rough Calicut fetching 3-5s,, fair washed 

 rough Cochin 29s., and fair ordinary 26s. Good plump 

 Japan was bought in at 26s. At the concluding auctions on 

 the 24th. and 31st., the ginger .sales were very firm : 80 bags 

 of Jamaica were offered ou the first date and all bought in, 

 and 72.5 packages of Cochin and Calicut were also offered 

 and firmly held, and on the last date the offerings of all 

 tinds were bought in. 



It was stated on the 24th., with reference to the new 

 Jamaica crops, that no reports had, up to that time, arrived 

 concerning them ; from which it was inferred that their 

 arrival would be late in the market. 



NUTMEGS, JIACE, AND PIMENTO. 



The supply of nutmegs throughout the month was small, 

 and the demand quiet. At the spice auctions on the 10th., 

 the prices were Id. per lb. lower than in the previous month 

 for West Indian, and Id. per tt>. lower for Singa]5ore,at which 

 rates they remained for the rest of the month. The business 

 in mace was also of a quiet character, with a .slightly dearer 

 tendency both for West Indian and Penang. On the 10th. 

 some 52 packages of West Indian were ottered, and 

 sold at the following rates: Good, Is. 6d. to Is. Id.; 

 fair, Is. id. to Is. 5c/. ; ordinary, 1.?. M. ; new pickings. Is. 

 to Is. 2(/. A week later, the only kind offered was wild 

 JBombay, of fair brownish quality, which fetched 2i<?. per tti. 



ARROWROOT. 



At the first spice sale on the 10th., 597 packages of 

 St. Vincent were ofi'ered, of which 20 were sold at 3c/. per lb. 

 for good manufacturing. Some 20 cases of fine Natal were 

 also offered, and bought in at 4^c/. A slight advance froui 

 2c7. to 2hd. was asked for the same quality St. Vincent 

 a week later, which prices remained steady till the end of 

 the month, with the exception that on the 24th., 3 dozen 

 tins of good St. Vincent were offered, and sold at 3c/. per lb. 



SARSAPARILLA. 



Of this drug, in which little interest has been shown 

 until the auction on the 18th., dearer rates have been 

 obtained, and at the auction, 5 bales of genuine grey Jamaica 

 fetched Is. 8c/. per tt). Nineteen bales of native Jamaica, 

 partly sea-damaged, realized 7c?. to lU'./. Pale yellow, of 

 which 3 bales were offered, fetched 9c/. to 9Jc/.: 2 bale.s 

 of fine red fetched Is., and fair Lima .lamaica was sold at 

 Is. 3c/. to Is. 4c/. Everything indicated, towards the close 

 of the month, a further advance in prices. 



KOLA NUTS, LI.ME JUICE, OIL OP LIMES, 0RANC4E PEEL AND 

 CHILLIES. 



Of other West Indian products, s 

 kolas were offered, and sold at from 3c?. 

 the same week, 5 puncheons of common 

 disposed of without reserve at 6c?. per gi 

 fair West Indian distilled oil of lime at 

 thin strip, orange peel has fetched 

 Nyasaland chillies have sold at 32s , 

 were bought in at 35s., and mixed yellow 



ome bright Jamaica 

 to 3|c?. per lb. In 

 raw lime juice were 



allon, and 2 cases of 

 Is. 5(?. Good, bright 

 8i/. per ft. Good 



while fair Zanzibar 



Lsh Mombasa at 30s. 



AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS IN JAMAICA. 



In his annual charge to the Synod of the Diocese 

 of Jamaica, quoted in the Gleaner of February 8, 1900, 

 the Archbishop of the West Indies speaks in forcible 

 terms about; the agricultural needs and developments 

 of the islands. His Grace defines his own position with 

 reg.ird to the subject as follows: — 



I have never felt it necessary to apologize for taking an 

 active interest in secular work, for I consider that every- 

 thing tending to promote the material as well as the moral 

 interests of the people, generally, is properly within the 

 sphere of the activities of a christian bishop. 



In the course of his remarks, Dr. Nuttall goes on to 

 say that various agencies of a public and individual 

 character are now actively at work. Many of the older 

 people have already become interested in the new agri- 

 cultural methods, and are carrying them out in practice ; and 

 energetic young men of various grades in life are likewise 

 interested and informed, and are beginning to make practical 

 application of their knowledge. 



The Archbishop concludes by stating that the agri- 

 cultural progress of Jamaica is assured if all available 

 knowledge, skill and labour, are used for steadily increasing 

 the number, the quantity, and the quality of the products 

 put forth ; for improving the methods in which they are 

 prepared for the market; and for securing their safe and 

 quick transit, and the honest disposal of them in British, 

 American, and other markets. 



