ToL. V. No. 106. 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



159 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



I 



Drugs and Spices in the London Market. 



The following report on the London drug and 

 ispice market for the month of March has been received 

 from Mr. J. R. Jackson, A.L.S. : — 



The general condition of the trade in ]\Iincing Lane 

 during the month of March has been quite of a normal 

 character. Jamaica ginger and sarsaparilla have perhaps 

 occupied more attention than any other product. About the 

 middle of the month a substantial rise in price of the former 

 took place, while sarsaparilla has continued very scarce. 



GINGER. 



At the first auction, on March 7, out of a total of 240 

 barrels of Jamaica offered, 68 were sold at 57s. to 57s. 6d. 

 for good middling, common realizing 45s. A quantity of 

 Cochin and Calicut was offered, but the sales were small: native 

 ■cut sold at 70s. to 72s., for bold medium scraped, while medium 

 was bought in at 52s. 6d. to 57s. G(/., small medium at 47s. 6cZ., 

 and small at 45s. It was reported at this sale that no .ship- 

 ments had yet been received in London of the new season's 

 Jamaica crop, which it was estimated would be very small. At 

 the same period last year about 1,000 packages had already 

 arrived. A fortnight later 100 barrels of Jamaica were offered 

 and disposed of at 65s. for fair clean, and 60s. to 62s. 6cZ. for 

 middling. Of Cochin, fair bold cut was disposed of at 70s. ; 

 medium, 55s. to 55s. 6d. ; and fair small, 40s. 6d. to 42s. 6c?. 

 At the last sale on the 28th., the following prices were 

 realized : small washed Jamaica, 67s. Qd. ; dull washed, 65s. ; 

 small to good common, 64s. 6d. Of 166 packages offered 

 nearly 100 were sold. A good business was also done in 

 Cochin and Calicut : out of 400 packages offered 68 were 

 ■disposed of at rates in advance of previous quotations. 



MACE, NUTMEGS, AND PIMENTO. 



A quiet tone pervaded the market. At the first spice 

 sale nutmegs were quoted at Id. lower than at the previous 

 sale, and ordinary mixed black pimento was bought in at 

 2idl. On the 14th. there were no changes in either of the 

 three spices, while on the 21st. West Indian nutmegs were 

 selling at a reduction of Id. to '2d. on large sizes, and kd. to 

 Id. on medium. Forty-five packages of West Indian mace 

 were sold at from Is. 4d to Is. 5d. for ordinary, Is. 6d. to 

 Is. 8d. for fair, Is. 9d. for good, and Is. Id. to Is. 3d. for 

 pickings. Pimento was bought in at 2|c?. per fc. No 

 further change in either of the articles took place later. 



SAESAPARILLA. 



At the first drug sale, on the 8th., the scarcity of this 

 article was still commented upon, and the prospect of new 

 arrivals looked forward to. On the 15th. the market was 

 very firm; 17 bales of grey Jamaica were offered, and 

 practically all were sold ; the quality, it was stated, was 

 quite up to the usual standard, the price varying from 

 Is. lid. to 2s. Id. per B). In consequence of its e.xtreme 

 scarcity, as much as 2s. 3d. per H). was obtained privately 

 for a few bales. Native .Jamaica, which, at the above date, 

 was coming in more freely, sold at steady rates : 20 bales 

 Ijeing disposed of at Is. Id. for good red to yellow sound, 

 lid. to llhd. for fair red, and 9d. for sea-damaged. At the 

 last auction, grey Jamaica was still exceedingly scarce, small 

 sales taking place at 2s. 3d. No Lima-Jamaica was brought 

 forward ; and it was stated that no advices were to hand of 

 .any likely arrivals. 



KOLA, TAMARINDS, AND ANNATTO. 



At the auction on the 15th. 10 bags of fair West Indian 

 kola nuts were disposed of at 3id. In the same week 16s. 

 to 17s. was asked for good Antigua tamarinds. No Bar- 

 bados were offered, and good West Indian were reported 

 scarce. A week later some good black East Indian were 

 offered and held at Is. 3d. per cwt. A good supply of 

 Jamaica annatto seed was offered at the last sale, a small 

 quantitj' only of which sold at -id. per lb. for fair quality. 

 Good bright jSIadras was quoted at 5d. 



MUSK SEED, OIL OF ORANGE, ORANGE PEEL, AND CHILLIES, 



One bag of musk seed from St. Lucia appeared at a sale 

 in the middle of the month and realized 2d. per Bb., and at 

 the close of the month West Indian orange oil was offered in 

 large supply, 1 barrel of bitter being sold at 7s. 4d. For 

 good bright Tripoli strip orange peel 7d. was paid ; fair 

 quality fetching 6d., and darker ihd. to 5d. Ordinary dark 

 Zanzibar chillies at the la.st sale in March were bought in at 

 from 32s. to 35s., while good Nyasaland sold at 39s. ; fair at 

 29s. 6d. ; and ordinary at 28s. ; 56s. was paid for fine pale 

 Nyasaland capsicums. 



Molasses in Canada. 



The Maritiine Mercliant has the following note 

 on the Canadian molasses market : — - 



There is a strong feeling in the molasses market in 

 consequence of the advances and bullish advices from the 

 islands of productions. The cost of Barbados at the present 

 time is fully Ic. per gallon higher than when the new season 

 opened, but still this grade is considerably lower than at 

 this date last year. In Porto Rico molasses the feeling is 

 distinctly firmer on account of the reported decline in the 

 probable supply. Year by year there has been an increase 

 in the number of Centrals grinding, and as these increase, 

 making larger demands up)on the cane, the quantity con- 

 verted into molasses decreases from year to year. 



HOGS FOR SMALL FARMERS. 



There is one advantage about pigs that make them 

 emphatically the stock for the poor man or the small farmer, 

 and that is the very quick returns which they afford, by the 

 rapidity with which they increase and come to maturity. 

 A good brood-sow, given good treatment, .so as to be kept in 

 a good thrifty condition, will farrow two good litters of pigs 

 a year that will run from seven to eight pigs in each litter ; 

 and if proper feed and care are given, these may be ready for 

 market by the time they are eight or nine months old at the 

 farthest. No other stock kept on the farm will make so good 

 a return in so short a time. Sheep will come nearest it, but 

 in the same length of time a pig will make double the weight 

 of a lamb. 



Another advantage with pigs is that there are market- 

 able from the time they are farrowed until they are fattened 

 for market. A sow with a litter of pigs, and growing pigs, 

 three, four, or five months old, will always sell at full market 

 prices ; so that the farmer is not obliged to feed them to 

 maturity to get a little money out of them. With a little 

 management pigs may be fattened to sell in the spring and 

 fall, when it is possible to secure the best gain at the lowest 

 cost ; and when it is considered that they utilize much on the 

 farm that would otherwise go to waste, it is only in 

 exceptional cases that at least a few cannot be kept on the 

 farm with profit. {Midland Farmer.) 



