242 [September, 1902.] 
IMPERIAL INSTITUTE JOURNAL. 
Vol. VIII. No. 93. 
Report on Forest Conservation for Trinidad \ by J. H, Hart, F.L-S, May 1891, 
Waterlow and Sons, London, 
7 ha Colony of British Honduras, by D, Morris, M.A. E, Stanford, 55, Charing-cross, 
London, 
Building in St. Lucia , by J, T, Rea, f.s.i., Surveyor, War Department. 
Published in 1898 by R. Carruthers & Sons, Courier Office, Inverness, Price, as. 6d. 
Contains full descriptions and uses of 75 trees of St. Lucia. 
Handbooks of the various West Indian Colonies, published locally. 
Various other compilations on West Indian timbers have been made, but these are little 
known and not always easy to obtain, 
— 
PROCEEDINGS OF INSTITUTIONS. 
THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. 
The last monthly meeting of this society before the autumn recess was held on 
July 30, when Colonel Sir Nigel Kingscote (senior trustee) presided in the unavoidable 
absence of the president, the Prince of Wales, Mr. Roger C. Parr was elected a 
governor of the society, and 22 members were elected. 
Mr. Bowen- Jones brought up from the Chemical and Woburn Committee three cases 
of adulteration which the committee desired should be published. The first case had 
reference to “cockles” or “ corn cockle seed,” which was not only a worthless material in 
a feeding sense, but also possessed distinctly injurious properties. The second case was 
one in which a member of the society had experienced loss through the admixture of castor 
oil bean in cotton cake. In the third case a material described as “linseed cake” and sold 
at £9. 10s. per ton was found to be grossly impure. 
Mr. Wheeler reported that the Botanical and Zoological Committee recommended for 
the approval of the Council the following resolutions, adopted at a conference held on 
June 5 last between delegates of the Royal Agricultural Society and the Highland and 
Agricultural Society of Scotland, as to the testing of farm seeds: — (1) That there should 
be an uniform method of testing seeds and of reporting the results, the bases of such 
method to be those now in use by the consulting botanists of the two societies, subject to any 
modifications considered desirable by a small committee of experts ; (2) that there should be 
one central testing station for Great Britain, which should be available not only fur members 
of the two societies, but also for non-members, in the event of the Board of Agriculture 
approving and assisting in the establishment of the station ; (3) that such station should 
be under the supervision of a joint board appointed by the Royal Agricultural Society 
of England and the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. A letter had been 
received from the Highland and Agricultural Society stating that these resolutions had 
been approved by the directors at a meeting held in the showyard at Aberdeen, and that 
the Highland and Agricultural Society's delegates had been empowered to proceed with 
the further consideration of the matter in conjunction with the delegates of the Royal 
Agricultural Society. On the motion, of Mr. Wheeler the resolutions adopted by the 
conference were formally approved, and the Society’s four delegates were reappointed to 
confer with the delegates of the Highland and Agricultural Society as to the best means of 
giving effect to the resolutions adopted. 
A report was received from the Society’s zoologist, which stated that during the last 
month the wire worm had been more than usually prominent. Among the remedies 
recommended for the destruction of this pest were the trapping in the month of May of the 
click beetles, which were the parents of the wire worm, and the application of gas lime to 
infested fields. 
Mr. Cecil Parker, on behalf of the Veterinary Committee, presented a report by 
Professor Macfadyean, which stated that for the 29 weeks of the current year 421 anthrax 
outbreaks, with 686 animals attacked, had been officially notified. These figures indicated 
a distinct increase in the frequency of outbreaks, the present year already showing an excess 
of 41 outbreaks over the number reported during the same period of last year and 96 over 
the outbreaks at the same date in 1900. During the first 29 weeks of the year 644 outbreaks 
of glanders had been reported, with 1,190 animals attacked, as against 73S outbreaks and 
1,254 animals attacked in the corresponding period of last year. Twelve cases of rabies in 
the dog and 1 1 in other animals had been notified since the beginning of the year. No 
case had been detected in the dog since the month of May last. At the present date the 
officially reported outbreaks of swine fever for the year numbered 1,029, us against 2,385 at 
the same date last year, No fresh outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease had been detected 
since the end of March last, and there was therefore good reason to believe that the country 
is once more free from this disease. 
It was arranged that the freedom of the Worshipful Company of Farriers should be 
conferred upon the first prize winners in classes 1 and 2 of the horse-shoeing competitions 
at the Carlisle meeting, and the committee considered it desirable that horse-shoeing 
competitions open to candidates in the United Kingdom should be held in connection with 
the society’s show of 1903. 
On the motion of Sir John Thorold (chairman of the Committee of Selection), 
seconded by Mr. Cecil Parker, it was resolved — (1) That authority be given for the society’s 
seal to be affixed to the diploma of honorary membership of His Highness the Maharajah 
of Kolhapur, G.C.S.I., who was elected an honorary member at a special meeting of the 
Council at Carlisle, on the 9th inst, ; (2) That the honorary membership of the society be 
conferred upon Sefior Don Ramos Mexia, president of the Socieded Rural Argentina, 
Buenos Ayres. 
Mr. Cecil Parker presented a preliminary report from the special committee appointed 
on June 4 last to consider the arrangements to be made for the show of 1903. The 
committee thought it important that the Council should reassemble after the recess at an 
earlier date than usual to deal with various matters connected with the permanent show, and 
it was therefore decided that instead of adjourning as customary till November, there should 
be a meeting of the Council in October, when its recommendation should be considered. 
Meanwhile, the committee were unanimously of opinion that the show should be held at 
the usual date in the month of June, and that it should open on Tuesday, June 23, 1903, 
and close on the Saturday night of that week. Mr. Percy Crutchley, in moving that the 
show of 1903 be held on the Society’s new permanent showyard in London, from June 23 
to June 27, said that this meeting of the Council was the one in which it was customary 
to fix the date of next year’s show'. It was very important that they should fix the date 
now, in order that other societies might avoid making important fixtures at the same time ; 
he thought that no one would advocate that the show should be later than the date 
proposed, and he did not think it would be prudent to fix any earlier date, having regard 
to the amount of work that remained to be accomplished. The motion was carried 
unanimously. 
Mr. Frankish, on behalf of the Implement Committee, submitted the regulations for 
the trial of wind-pumping engines in connection with the meeting of 1903, when the first 
prize of £50 and the second prize of £20 would be offered for competition. Trials will 
take place at the permanent showyard in London on March 1, 1903, and would be 
continued at the discretion of the judges until April 30, 1903. The last date for the 
receipt of entries has been fixed for January 1, 1903. 
The date for the next general meeting was fixed for December n, 1902, and other 
business having been transacted, the Council adjourned over the autumn recess until 
Wednesday, October 8, 1902, 
COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT. 
REQUIREMENTS REGISTRY. 
In order to provide correspondents with an opportunity of making known special “ wants’ 
or “needs” in the British Colonies, India, and Foreign Countries, space will be regularly 
devoted to the publication of approved notices in the Imperial Institute Journal, Notices, 
as a rule, should not exceed 25 words in length, for which a charge of 2s. 6d. will be made for 
each insertion. Special arrangements can be made for longer notices. 
Specimens of Foreign and Colonial Woods desired. Purchase or 
exchange. Names and localities must be well authenticated. Address — 
Herbert Stone, Bracebridge-street, Birmingham. 
The Curator of the Canadian Section of the Imperial Institute is prepared to 
furnish information about Canadian Trade and to supply names of importers, manufacturers, 
shippers, etc. 
The following trade enquiries have been received at the Canadian Section of the Imperial 
Institute, from the Curator of which Section further particulars may be obtained : — 
Home Enquiries. — A Yorkshire firm desires the names of Canadian makers of fancy 
wheat preparations and similar foods. 
Canadian Enquiries. — The manufacturers of a popular Canadian bicycle wish to be 
placed in communication with United Kingdom importers who are prepared to introduce 
their machines to this market. 
A Canadian firm about to commence the manufacture of maple rollers and other wooden 
goods asks to be placed in communication with importers of same. 
— 
TRADE OF INDIA IN 1901-02. 
In his excellent Review of the Trade of India in IQ01-02, Mr. J. E. O’Conor gives the 
following general summary. He says that the shadow of famine hung* darkly over the land 
in the first half of 1900-01, but lifted in the second half of the year, with the return of an 
ordinary monsoon followed by winter rains which, on the whole, favoured the growth of the 
great staples of Indian trade. Still, the commercial and industrial features of the year bore 
eloquent testimony to the extent of the disaster which had supervened on the failure of the 
monsoon and the destruction of the crops in 1899. The traces of the calamity were, how* 
evet, in great measured effaced last year, and the return of fairly good conditions for the 
pursuit of agricultural operations, which constitute the greatest industry of the country, was 
accompanied by the reversion of imports and exports to normal conditions and by a great 
increase in their dimensions. The imports of merchandise increased in value by 519 lakhs 
of rupees (£3,460,000), much of the increase indicating the restoration to the people of 
purchasing and consuming capacity and the resumption of industrial operations after the 
period of depression had passed away. Cotton goods and yarn increased by about 306 
lakhs (£2,040,000), and there was a marked revival of activity in the imports of machinery 
and mill work, metals, mineral oils, railway material, coal, chemicals and dyes. There was 
also an appreciable development in the importation of various other articles, some of greater, 
others of less importance, such as tobacco, salt, sugar, precious stones and pearls, apparel, 
carriages (which include bicycle and motor cars), glassware, matches, paints, and colours, 
paper. The only really significant reduction is limited to food grains, and of these it may 
be said that, as they are not needed in India in an ordinary season, their large importation 
is a symptom of the existence of abnormal conditions, and the disappearance of the trade may 
be regarded with satisfaction. 
While the imports increased the exports which paid for them also increased, and the 
increase was in greater proportion, owing to the additions made to the sum annually drawn 
in Council bills. The exports of Indian merchandise increased by 1,704 lakhs (£11,362,000), 
the increase being at the rate of 16 per cent. Most of the improvement may lie assigned to 
the agricultural products which are such dominating factors in the export trade. The return 
of a good season, with good harvests, led to a trade greatly in excess of that of the preceding 
year in rice, wheat, oilskins, cotton, and jute. The ability to supply these articles to the 
consuming markets found these markets ready to take them at profitable prices, and the 
year was, on the whole, of advantage to the exporter as well as for the producer. 
The improvement in agricultural conditions which enabled the producer to put on the 
market large supplies of the articles just mentioned, was accompanied by other conditions 
favouring and encouraging the export trade. Money continued in good supply .throughout 
the year, the Bank of Bengal rate not having reached 8 per cent, until the 12th February, 
dropping again to 7 per cent, by the 27th March. This was the third consecutive year in 
which the maximum did not rise above 8 per cent. The minimum rate of 3 per cent, in 
July and August lasted for a little over a month. The course of exchange was perfectly 
steady throughout the year, ranging quietly from is. 3$d, to is. 4^d. , and it may be said 
now that, after the experience of the last four years, importers and exporters alike have ceased 
to concern themselves about the course of exchange or to insure themselves against its fluctua- 
tions, the violent shocks which from time to time jerked and dislocated trade being confidently 
considered things of the past. It may be noticed that, while the rupee has as steadily maintained 
the value assigned to it as the silver coin of France, the changes in the price of the silver have 
been as sudden and violent as in any former years, while its downward course has been 
unprecedented in swiftness and depth. The highest price of silver in the year was 27d. an 
ounce, the lowest was 2qd., a difference of 12 '6 per cent. As things stand, the vicissitudes of 
silver left the Indian market untouched, and their only effect was to qualify in some measure 
the restoration to normal conditions of our trade with China by the introduction of an element 
of uncertainty giving rise to speculative operations. Nevertheless the close of the period of the 
disturbance in China and the gradual easing off of an overloaded market, combined with a 
fall in the price of cotton and a recovery in the value of yarn, brought renewed vitality to the 
Indian spinners of yarn for China, while spinners for the Indian market also found that the 
consuming capacity of the weaver, which had been seriously affected by famine, had been 
restored. The outcome of these more auspicious conditions was a resumption of activity in 
the Indian cotton industry and a very large increase in production and export. 
The jute mills of Bengal also prospered as well as the cotton mills of other parts of 
India, and large sales of gunny bags and cloths were made, at profitable prices, for the local 
market and for export, at the same time there was an active export of the raw material. On the 
whole, the principal features of the export trade of the year were the renewal of activity in 
the shipments of food-grains and oilseeds, due to a good season and to favouring conditions of 
the market, and a large export of cotton and jute and of the manufactures of the cotton and 
jute mills. 
While the return of agricultural prosperity was indicated on the one hand by an increased 
volume of trade in the articles mentioned, it was also indicated, on the other hand, by the 
return of the trade in hides and skins from the unprecedented dimensions attained in 1900-01 
to ordinary proportions, this decline being as satisfactory in its way as the increase in the 
other articles mentioned. But it must not be assumed that the conditions of the trade were 
in all respects entirely satisfactory. In some important items, indeed, the restriction of 
exports indicated the continuance of depression which has caused anxiety to all interested 
in the progress oi some of our large industries. The shipments of tea declined materially. 
