Vol. V. No. 105. 



THE AGEICULTURAL NEWS. 



143 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



Canada. 



Mr. J. Russell Murray has forwarded the following 

 review, dated March 19, 190(i, of the position of West 

 Indian products on the Canadian market : — 



SUGAR. 



A fair amount of business has been transacted at prices 

 irom !i?r9.5 to the advanced price to-day of equal to 2Jc., 

 c. & f. New York. The arrivals liere have been about (5,000 

 tons during the last four weeks. The general strength in 

 cane .sugar prices and also in the beet market is difficult to 

 understand ; statistics do not warrant the advance unless the 

 large additional stocks have already been discounted, but the 

 unfavourable weather and labour questions in Cuba may be 

 partly the cause. The advance in beets since the 7th. now 

 equals 3(/. for the March options, while the advance here for 

 96' centrifugals, in about the same period, is about lt:>e. 

 Muscovado has been sold at relatively good prices ; grocery 

 grades are slow of sale. 



MOLASSES. 



Barbados molasses have been freely bought for New- 

 foundland, luit few transactions have been carried through 

 here for local requirements. One lot of 400 puncheons last 

 season's molas.ses, changed hands at 26J,c. to the refiners. 

 JJuyers anticipate prices in their favour before the season is 

 well advanced. 



COCOA-NUTS. 



A very steady market continues at unchanged prices. 

 New York, however, has declined slightly, and we may 

 follow to a lower figure if larger supplies arrive. Market is 

 reasonably stocked. 



SPICES. 



Prices remain firm, but business is quiet. Ginger- 

 buyers are now realizing that higher prices will rule. 

 Pimento is without much inquiry. Cloves are in better demand. 

 Nutmegs are in better inquiry. 



BROOM CORN. 



A sample bale of this product was received from the 

 Botanical Department of ilontserrat, and, in size, quality 

 and colour, leaves little to be desired. This product is 

 worthy of attention as a minor industry. The entire supply 

 is at present drawn from the United States. To-day's value 

 is about 6c. per lb. for good, ordinary grades. 



Germination of Galba Seeds. A correspondent 



■communicates the following interesting observation on the 

 germination of seeds of the galba {Galophylluin Calaha) : 

 ' A ((uantity of galba seed planted on an estate in St. Kitt's 

 about .June of last year, apparently failed to grow, and 

 a, fresh supply of seed was planted. Both lots of seed 

 started to grow in November. From this it would appear 

 that this seed has a definite time for germinating, which is 

 in November.' This observation received confirmation in 

 Nevis, where a similar course of events was noticed at the 

 Experiment Station. This fact should be born in mind 

 when galba trees are to be raised from seed. It is under- 

 stood that sorrell seed will remain dormant if planted ' out 

 of season,' and will germinate only about !May or June. 



KICKXIA RUBBER. 



In a recent number of Tropetipflanzo; Dr. A. Warburg 

 gives an account of experiments in tapping Kickxia rubber 

 trees in the Cameroons. 



Trees five and a half years old were tapped, and they 

 yielded caoutchouc of considerable commercial value, though 

 not of the best quality. Systematic working of trees of this 

 age is not recommended, even though in certain cases it may 

 be profitable. 



It was found that one man could collect, from five such 

 trees, about 400 granmies of dr}- rubber per day, the 

 estimated cost of production being about 18c., and the value 

 in the local market about 38c. 



RUBBER IN DEMERARA. 



According to the Demerara A)yos// of JIarch 28, 

 yir. G. S. Pitcairn, mining engineer, has been granted 

 a license of occupancy for a term of fifty years of 4,000 acres 

 of land on both banks of the Aruka and Kaituma rivers 

 in the north-west district. The width of the tract is not to 

 exceed 75 roods on each side. Tlie principal condition 

 attached to the license is that the holder shall plant rubber 

 trees on the land. The rental has not yet been fixed, but 

 in all likelihood, the figure will be only a nominal one. 



Mr. Pitcairn is also in negotiation for the transfer of 

 ttt'O other tracts in the vicinity granted to other concession- 

 aires. In the neighbourhood of Mr. Pitcairn's grant is 

 Mr. David Young's, on which 5,000 rubber trees are at 

 present growing. Mr. Young intends planting at least 

 30,000 trees. It should be mentioned that these are not 

 Para rubber [Hevea braxiliensis], but Creole rubber found 

 growing in abundance in the bush. Creole rubber realizes 

 about 91c. per ft), in the English market, as against $r32 

 for Para, but when properly cultivated and prepared, it is 

 anticipated better prices will be obtained. The Commissioner 

 of Lands and Mines, who has recently visited the north-west 

 district, was very much impressed by the progress made by 

 Mr. David Young on his rubber grant in the Aruka. 



It may be added that the native rubber trees of British 

 Guiana consist of the ' Hatie ' (probably a species of Hevea), 

 the 'Touckpong' and 'Cumakaballi,' and a large climbing 

 plant known as the ' Macwarrieballi ' {Forsferonia gracilis). 

 In the forests near the Brazilian frontier, rubber may possibly 

 be obtainable from one of the numerous varieties of Sapiiim 

 hii/landidosum, which is said to yield 'Columbian Virgen * 

 rubber. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture em- 

 barked on an official visit to the Northern Islands, in 

 the Pickford & Black >S. S. ' Orinoco ' on Tuesday, 

 April 17. It is expected that the Imperial Com- 

 missioner will return to Barbados by the Quebec 

 S. S. 'Parima' on May 2. 



Mr. F. A. Stockdale, B.A., Mycologist and Lecturer 

 in Agricultural Science on the Staff of the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture, left Barbados in the 

 Pickford & Black S. S. ' Orinoco ' on April 17. 

 Mr. Stockdale will visit and inspect the Agricultural 

 Schools at St. Lucia and Dominica, returning to 

 Barbados by the R. M. S. ' Esk,' April 29. 



