Vol. V. No. 109. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



201 



Jamaica Pimento Market. 



As suggested in an editorial in a recent issue of 

 the Jamaica Daily Telegrapli, the vagaries of the 

 quotations for pimento in the English and American 

 markets show the necessity that e.xists for greater 

 ■co-operation among producers and shippers in the 

 West Indies. 



It appears that pimento was quoted recently in 

 London and New York at 2 k?. per Ih., and yet a firm 

 •offer to buy 500 bags at 2 Jr/. was refused on the ground 

 that purchases could not be effected at liess than 3d 

 per ft. This seems to indicate that London merchants 

 -are now holding stocks until they can get 3(/. per ft. 

 for what they purchased from Jamaica exporters at 

 a trifle over 2d. per ft. The Da'tUj Telegraph suggests 

 that Jamaica growers and produce buyers should enjoy 

 the benefits of a rising market by combining to 

 regulate both supply and p?ice. 



The exports of pimento from Jamaica amounted in 

 the year 190-t-.5 to 1.54,330 cwt., or, at 150 ft. to the 

 bag, to over 100,000 bags. Last year was a record one as 

 far as the output of pimento was concerned, but a crop 

 of 80,000 bags is not unusual. 



Tannin Materials in Jamaica. 



The (.^uarteiiij Journal (Vol. I, no. 2) of the 

 Institute of Commercial Research in the Tropics, 

 Liverpool University, contains a report, by Dr. M. 

 Nierenstein, on the tannin materials and manufacture 

 of leather in Jamaica. 



'The following plants yielding tannin materials 

 are stated to occur in the island: Acaeia Catechu, 

 Bauhinia variegata, Caesalpinia coriaria (divi-divi), 

 Lagxincularia racemosa (white mangrove). Of these, 

 " divi-divi " pods and the barks of the red and white 

 mangrove appear to be in regular use in the colony. 

 There appears to be a small export trade in tannin 

 materials; thus, in 1903, 478 tons of divi-divi pods 

 were exported, principally to Germany, France, and the 

 United Kingdom, and in the same period 133 tons of 

 bark were exported, jmrt of which was probably bark 

 for tanners' use.' 



Mention is also made of such tannin-yielding 

 plants AsCassia Fistula, C. siamea, and Terminalia 

 Catappa, which also occur in Jamaica. 



It is suggested that the so-called ' bastard ' logwood 

 trees, which contain no dye stuff (see West Indian 

 Bulletin, Vol. V, pp. 249-58), might find use in 

 supplying tannin material. 



Citrus Fruit Industry in California. 



In the Consular Report on the trade of the states 

 California, Nevada, etc., it is stated that the citrus 

 fruit season of 1904-5 proved to be a record-breaker 

 in respect to the size of the output, the produc- 

 tion being over 2,000 car-loads in excess of that of 

 the previous year. During the year ended October 

 31, 1905, the exports of oranges and lemons reached 

 the grand total of 31,422 car-loads. 



The unusually heavy production is attributed to 

 exceptionally favourable weather. Many new orchards 

 also came into bearing, while insect pests did com- 

 paratively little damage. 



In the case of lemons, sales were stimulated 

 by the falling off in the Mediterranean crop. ' A few 

 years ago, when the lemon industry in this state 

 was in an unsatisfactory condition, ' many growers 

 expressed the intention of cutting down their trees 

 and grafting them to oranges. With the results of 

 the past season in evidence, it is hardly probable 

 that any such work will be done.' 



Cocoa-nut Industry in the Philippines. 



In the report on the Philippine Bureau of Agri- 

 culture for the year ended August 31, 1905, inter- 

 esting observations are made on the cocoa-nut 

 industry. 



In the Tayabas province the average amount of 

 copra yielded by 1,000 nuts is 138 ft. In some 

 districts this yield is exceeded, while in the Laguna 

 province the average yield is hardly more than half 

 that amount. The differences in yield are due in 

 part to soil and more largely to "variations in the 

 distribution of the rainfall. One man can, on the 

 average, husk and break 1,000 nuts per diem. 



Efforts are being made to equip a larger number 

 of estates with plants for grinding the green nuts, as 

 it is found that the local demand tor the fresh nuts is 

 confined to the fancy grades. About one-third of the 

 husks are consumed in copra drying and as domestic 

 fuel ; the remainder are buried. 



The output of copra is steadily increasing as new- 

 trees come into bearing, the total amount exported in 

 1904 being 85,036,514 ft. 



Exports of Java. 



As will be seen from an extract from the Consular 

 Report on the trade of Java for 1905, published 

 elsewhere in these columns, the production of sugar 

 showed a decrease. In spite of this, the year under 

 review may be regarded as a satisfactory one. Against 

 a smaller crop must be placed the very remunerative 

 prices realized by planters for this product as well as 

 for tobacco. The crops of the latter were satisfactory 

 and there was a brisk demand. 



The coffee crop exceeded the estimates, an increase 

 in the crop of Java coffee of over 7,000 tons, as 

 compared with 1904, being reported. The production 

 of Liberian coffee showed a decrease of 1,500 tons. 



The year's rice crop, taken altogether, may be 

 regarded as a fair one as regards both quality and 

 quantity. The exports of Java tea were about 400,000 ft. 

 more than in 1904. 



Principally owing to the fact that the Government 

 are encouraging the extension of cocoa-nut gardens 

 among the natives, the production of copra in 1905 

 showed an enormous increase over previous years. The 

 planting of indigo has still further diminished in 

 consequence of the great increase in production of the 

 synthetic article. 



