August, l908.'j 



Edible Products. 



Porto Rico Auntie Grace, with 028 per 

 cent., and by the Mantera and a Helada 

 variety from Jamaica, which contained 

 - 026 and 0-022 per cent., respectively. At 

 Miami, Florida, the percentage of hydro- 

 cyanic acid was, in the great number of 

 cases, somewhat lower than a Biloxi. In 

 the twenty-eight so-called sweet varie- 

 ties grown at Miami, the hydrocyanic 

 acid content ranges from 0'005 to 016 

 per cent.,, and more than half the varie- 

 ties contained 0-002 per cent, or less. On 

 reference to the Biloui results with the 

 same varieties, it is seen that two-thirds 

 of the samples contained 010 per cent, 

 or more of hydrocyanic acid. The 

 Mantera cassava, for example, which at 

 Biloni showed a proportion of 0-026 of 

 hydrocyanic acid, contained only an 

 average of 0'006 at Miami. Statements 

 have in the past been made to the effect 

 that varieties of cassava, grown in 

 Florida, cease in time to be poisonous, 

 and these results certainly give some 

 ground for this theory. 



The chief portiou of the hydrocyanic 

 acid was, in the case of both bitter and 

 sweet cassavas, found to exist in the 

 cortex. 



From the observations made, there 

 does not appear to be any relationship 

 between the starch and the hydrocyanic 

 acid content of the cassavas. — Agricul- 

 tural Neivs, Vol. VII, 154, March, 1908. 



PACKING VANILLAS FOR 



SHIPMENT. 



At the May public sales held in London, 

 prices realised for this article were 

 rather easier than those paid at the 

 April auctions. In proportion to the 

 rather indifferent quality, due to un- 

 scientific curing and packing, prices 

 realised, as shown below, were fairly 

 good, and ranged from barely steady to 

 about 6d. below the sales in April. 



What might have been a nice useful 

 lot of Tahitis, saleable at 2s. 6d. to 2s. 9d. 

 per lb., were found on being opened to 

 show signs of poor curing and a tendency 

 to become mouldy. Shippers ' attention, 

 and not only those connected with 

 Tahiti, has repeatedly been called to the 

 mistaken idea of stuffing vanilla tins a3 

 full as possible, and then soldering on 

 the cover so as to render the inside hope- 

 lessly air-tight. No vanillas should be 

 packed absolutely air-tight, and least of 

 all common and insufficiently dried 

 Tahitis. The beans swell on the voyage, 

 and also sweat copiously ; if, therefore, 

 the tins are rigidly air-proof, the con- 



densed vapour clings to the tin, and 

 hangs over the beans. On opening, one 

 finds the inside not only damp and rusty, 

 but corroded and rough with scales of 

 rust, and the excess of moisture can be 

 squeezed out of the bundles. The result 

 is that almost immediately signs of 

 mould appear, and in a week, when 

 buyers arrive to inspect the shipment 

 the beans are all more or less badly 

 moulded, and worth only 4d. per lb. or 

 so instead of 2s. 6d. This serious loss is 

 entirely due to insufficient drying, pack- 

 ing in air-tight soldered tins, and also 

 through squeezing into eighty large 

 pitch-oil tins nearly 100 cwt. of beans, 

 which should have been distributed 

 between 100 or even 120 tins, so as to allow 

 for aeration and expansion on the 

 journey across. 



The ideal method of packing is to use 

 tins of about 10 lb. to 15 lb., or rather 

 more, each provided with a well-fitted 

 turned-over-edge lid that grips the sides. 

 Such a tin is all but air-tight, though 

 able to allow erases or excess of moisture 

 to escape and so prevent any chance of 

 the contents becoming damp or even 

 mouldy. It is not even necessary to 

 paper the lid on to or down to the sides 

 of the tin, as that prevents such ventila- 

 tion taking place. It is advisable, in 

 order to ensure the lids remaining tight 

 down on to the tins, either to solder the 

 corners only or else to tie them with 

 strong twine, but not to solder all round 

 the tin. If the Tahiti shippers find it 

 necessary to keep to their well-known 

 large soldered pitch-oil tins they should 

 perhaps make two small punctures at 

 the top and bottom of the tins at the 

 extreme corners, pack the contents less 

 tightly and well dry their beans after 

 curing ; it would then be found that the 

 outturn would be more satisfactory and 

 far less liable to deterioration than with 

 present methods. 



Prices realised ruled as follows 

 Seychelles,— Fair quality, 2k to 8 in., 

 5s. 9d. to 7s. 6d. per lb. 



Bourbon.— Fair quality, 6i to 7h in., 

 8s. per lb ; fair quality, 6i in., 7s, 9d. 

 per lb. 



Madagascar.— Fair quality, 6£d. to 7 in., 

 9s. 6d. per lb. ; 6 to Qh in., 7s. 6d. to 9s. 3d. 

 per lb. ; 4 to 7| in., 6s. 6d. to 8s. 6d. per lb. 



Zanzibar.— Common cure, brown and 

 split, 6s. to 7s. per lb. 



Java.— Common brown, 6s. per lb. 



Ceylon.— A single bin, dry brown, of 

 poor flavour, 5 to 7 in,, 2s. per lb.— Tropi* 

 cal Life, Vol. IV„ No. 5, May, 1908. 



