Edible Products. 



450 



[May 1908. 



Our readers will recall some data given 

 in these columns some months back con- 

 cerning velvet beans in British Guiana. 

 The Lousiana Planter has since received 

 from Prof. J. B. Harrison a bag of these 

 Guiana velvet beans, there called Bengal 

 beans, and we are naturally led to in- 

 quire as to whether or not these beans 

 that Mr. Hendrick reports as poisoning 

 cattle in Scotland and traced back to 

 Java, could be the same as the Bengal 

 beans that we have recently received 

 from British Guiana for the purpose of 

 testing here for increasing our soil ferti- 

 lity, the Florida velvet beans having 

 given considerable satisfaction when 

 used for that purpose. — The Louisiana 

 Planter and Sugar Manufacturer, Vol. 

 XXXX, No. 8. 



STUDIES ON THE KOLA NUT. 



Studien liber die Kolanuz by L. Ber- 

 negau : Tropenpfl. 12 p. 117. 



Abstracted by J.C. Willis. 



The author first points out that there 

 is still some doubt as to the true source 

 of the Kola nut— whether one or more 

 species are concerned. 



He then, after a chemical discussion, 

 says that a good chewing nut should not 

 be slimy ; must not taste astringently 

 bitter ; must strongly stimulate the 

 secretion of saliva soon after chewing 

 (hence its use against thirst) ; must leave 

 a long-lasting, sweetly aromatic, cacao- 

 like aftertaste, especially if one drinks 

 water after chewing ; must (after drink- 

 ing water) purify the taste and breath ; 

 and have a refreshing action. 



• FRUIT INDUSTRY OF JAMAICA. 



' In order to supplement the information 

 which appeared under the above head- 

 ing in a recent number of the Agri- 

 cultural News (Vol. VII, p. 20) the 

 accompanying facts and figures on fruit 

 production in Jamaica, are reproduced 

 from the Annual Report (1906-7) on the 

 colony :— 



Fruit formed 53'7 of the total exports 

 in 1906-7. as compared with 55 '0 per cent, 

 in 1905-6, and 41 "8 in 1904-5. The absolute 

 value of the fruit shipments, however, 

 shows an advance as compared with last 

 year, the banana exports alone having a 

 value of £37,800 in excess of the previous 

 year. During 1906-7, also, the number of 

 coconuts exported from Jamaica was 

 greater by 4,000,000 than those shipped 

 in 1905-6. This represented an increased 

 value of £15,800, It is marked in the 

 report that the increased export of 

 coconuts indicates the gradual recovery 

 of the plantations from the hurricane of 

 1903. 



Grapefruit, limes and lime juice were 

 sent abroad in slightly increased quan^ 

 tity, but, on the other hand, the decline 

 in the shipments of oranges that was first 

 noticeable in 1903-4, still continues, and 

 the returns for 1906-7 show a decreased 

 value in the orange exports of £19,500 as 

 compared with those of 1905-6. 



Bananas, of course, take first place 

 among fruit products and exports of 

 Jamaica. The following are the number 

 of stems exported in each of the past 

 four years :— 



1903- 4 ... ... 7,800,000 



1904- 5 ... ... 8,900,000 



1805-6 ... 14,980,000 



1906-7 ... ... 16,000,000 



The vast bulk of the crop goes to the 

 United States, but the quantity sent to 

 the United Kingdom, which was under 

 695,000 in 1904-5 rose to 1,217,000 in 1905-6, 

 and 1,254,000 in 1906-7. In the same 

 period the quantity exported to Canada 

 has risen from 10,500 to nearly 118,000. 



The number of oranges exported has 

 fallen since 1903-4 from 82,600,000 to 

 55,100,000 last year, the shipments to the 

 United States having declined from 

 64,200,000 to 18,400,000, On the other hand, 

 the quantity exported to the United 

 Kingdom, which was 12,100,000 in 1903-4, 

 has risen to nearly 26,000,000 last year, 

 and to Canada from 4,500,000 to nearly 

 10,000,000.— Agricidtural News, Vol. VII, 

 No 152, Feb. 22, 1908. 



