108 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



March 31, 190G. 



Sci3'S the Pori-of-Spnin Gaielte for itarcli 9 last, the 

 S.S. Mn'jdaU'iia took away yesterday, for the British West 

 India Fruit Company, 91 boxes of oranges, 204 crates and 

 i^')i bunches of bananas, and 6 crates of mixed fruit. There 

 were other shipments from private sources. 



GLEANINGS. 



The India Ruhhev World for March 1, 1906, states: 

 'ilc>zambique of late has been showing a considerable 

 increase in the export of crude rubber, which is of good 



quality.' 



The plague of the cacao planter in Samoa is rats. Their 

 agility in running up the trees, and their apjietite for 

 ripe jiods, are something wonderful. Tin placed round the 

 tree stems is found to be most eflective, the rats not l)eing 

 able to climb over the smooth surface of the metal. 

 {Tropical Lite, February 1906.) 



The Jamaica Daily Tdeyrapli for February 22 last, says : 

 'The Agricultural Society holds that the 2.s. peripatetic 

 licensed produce buyer is responsible for the poor coffee 

 which is now being exported from this island, and will urge 

 the Government to take steps to stop the evil which is fast 

 threatening to wipe out the industry altogether.' 



At a meeting of the Board of Management of the 

 Jamaica Agricultural Societ}- held on February 21 last, the 

 Daily Tdegrapih reports that it was agreed, in accordance 

 with the suggestion of the Imperial Commissioner of Agri- 

 culture for the West Indies, to arrange for the representation 

 of Jamaica at the Canadian exhibitions to be held at Toronto 

 and Halifax in the autumn of this year. 



With copra, according to Messrs. Corrie, McColl A Co., 

 the market generally for usual qualities is easy, and the 

 tendency is lower ; but Ceylon copra is very firmly held, 

 owing to the good local demand. Shipping houses ask 

 about £19 15s., c.i.f., d.w., but there are .second-hand sellers 

 at £19 10.^., and we quote buyers at about £19 os. {Tropi- 

 cal Life, February 1906.) 



The manufacture of molasses into aguardiente in Mexico 

 Las been the common rule, but, says the Louisiana Planter 

 for February 21 last, General Frisbie is experimenting with 

 it in the feeding of cattle. This, it is thought, may work 

 something of an ethical revolution in Mexico by creating 

 a better demand for molasses as stock feed, and less demand 

 for it for manufacture into rum or aguardiente. 



The following extract from the report of Mr. G. Eustace 

 Burke, Canad'an Commercial Agent, was published in the 

 3&\aa\c& Daily Tele<jraph iov February 17, 1906 : 'It will, 

 I am sure, also interest those occupied with the many uses 

 of rubber, that very serious attention is being paid to its 

 extensive cultivation in the colony. Many acres have already 

 been iilanted out, and a lively discussion is now in evidence 

 as to the localities and most advisable methods to be pursued 

 in cultivation to obtain the most satisfactory results. The 

 Botanical Department is taking a good deal of thoughtful 

 interest in the subject.' 



On the west coast of Mexico, and especially in the state of 

 Sinaloa, quite a large crop of sugar is reported as now coming 

 otf. The sugar factories and the sugar planters generally 

 have trouble in getting enough labour to handle the crops, 

 and are hiring labourers from the adjoining territory of Tepic 

 at higher wages.. All this would seem to show that Mexico 

 has labour problems of her own to solve. (The Louisiana 

 Planter, February 24, 1906.) 



The Fijian correspondent of Tropical Life writes in the 

 February issue as follows : 'Most of our bona fide settlers 

 are banana and cocoa-nut men ; still cacao is making some 

 headwaj-. Castor oil is also being planted, and large areas 

 f)f rice have lieen laid. The colonj- is to be represented at the 

 New Zealand exhibition, with a view of drawing settlers here. 

 There are improvements in our Land Ordinances, by which 

 the Government is enabled to oft'er freeholds to such men.' 



It is stated in the Jamaica Daily Telejrujih for 

 March 3, that an interesting exhibit of Trinidad products 

 was opened on February 12, at the Montreal Board of Trade. 



The exhibit deals entirely with the natural products of 

 the island, and includes sugars in various grades, running 

 from white to dark brown ; coffees of two or three different 

 grades ; cacao, manjak, refined and crude ; petroleum, copra 

 nut, aromatic bitter.s, and crude asphalt. 



The Home and Colonial Mail, in speaking of the pros- 

 pects of rubber, draws attention to the expansion of produc- 

 tion going on in all directions, and to the fortunate fact that, 

 although in face of the number of jirojected rubber cultiva- 

 tion schemes the market might be considerably disturbed, it 

 remains firm. The sources of supply should be equal to the 

 demand, although, at present, there seems no limit to the 

 latter. {West India Committee Circular, March 2, 1900.) 



Messrs. AVolstenholme & Holland, writing under date of 

 March 1, 1906, state : 'Since our last report, a good business 

 has been done in Sea Island descriptions, and full prices 

 continue to be paid. Barbados cotton realizes from l-5(/. to 

 I7d. ; St. Vincent from I7d. to 20(/. : St. Kitt's and Montser- 

 rat from 13i(?. to 17c/. ; and Nevis I2(/. The St. Vincent 

 cotton sold at 20(/. was very excellent quality, and this 

 figure is the highest yet paid for West Indian Sea Island. 

 About 3,000 bales have been sold in Charleston lately at 

 about llArf. for good croj) lots, and the crop lots have now 

 been disposed of. 



Canada's trade with the West Indies is now making 

 very satisfactory progress, the Canadian exports to those 

 colonies consisting of lines either not produced at all by the 

 Mother Country, or not coming into competition with the 

 producing and shipping interest of the United Kingdom, to 

 any appreciable extent. Mr. G. Eustace Burke, Canada's 

 conunercial agent in Jamaica, in a report to his Departjnent, 

 just received, referring to the business done by the Canada- 

 Jamaica Iiirect Steamship Lino, says, so successful has been 

 the venture of the company as carriers, in the development of 

 trade exchange between the two countries, that they are 

 about to replace the chartered boats with steamers specially 

 constructed for the trade, the first one to be put on the 

 route this year. (The Colonizer, March 1906.) 



