Vol. III. Xo. 60. 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



243 



Cane Farming in Nevis. 



We published in a previous issue of the Arjn- 

 culfural JVcws (Vol. II, ]>. 22(j) particulars as to 

 proposals tor utilizing an additional Imperial giant of 

 £1,000 in aid of peasant cultivation in the island of 

 Nevis. 



It will be remembered that the arrangement was 

 for muscavado mill owners, in consideration of a grant 

 to be paid to them by the Government, to undertake to 

 purchase canes from peasant ])roprietors and to pay 

 ibr the same according to a sliding scale depending 

 upon the net local value of muscovado sugar per 100 lb. 

 We are pleased to be able to record that the 

 proposals have met with considerable success, some 

 factories having purchased a much larger quantity of 

 canes than their agreements required. 



These arrangements were mainly the outcome of 

 suggestions submitted by the Hon. F. Watts, who 

 ■writes as follows: — ■ 



The proposals appear to have worked well and have 

 proved useful in tiding the struggling sugar industry of 

 Xevis over a very bad time. 



Among the important results following are the increased 

 knowledge of the quantity of cane la-oduced from a given 

 area of land, and of the quantity of cane required to produce 

 a ton of sugar. This knowledge cannot fail to lead to 

 improvements both in the field and in sugar manufacture. 



The adoption of the jilan of selling canes by weight has 

 been to the ad^•antage of both buyer and seller, by doing 

 away with the troublesome and wasteful share sjstem under 

 which each person's cane was separately manufactured into 

 sugar and the produce shared. 



Sugar and Molasses in Porto Rico. 



The following extracts, taken from the Consular 

 Report on the trade of Porto Rico for 1903, give an 

 interesting statement of the condition of the sugar 

 industry in that island : — 



The area of sugar-cane cultivation is increasing, but not 

 so rapidly as Porto Pico's favourable position with regard to 

 the certain and free United .States market over other sugar- 

 producing areas would seem to justify, even in view of the 

 possibilities oi the United States reciprocit}' with Cuba. 



The crop foi- 1903, as estimated in my last report, was 

 almost accuratelj' realized, viz., 105,000 tons, and these 

 figures it is thought will be exceeded by some 20 per cent, 

 this year. 



The crops for the last three years are as follows : — 



DISTRICT OF PONCE. 



The general yield of sugar was a disappointment ; 

 fortunately, prices were fair and helped somewhat. 



This district produces about one-fc'Urth of the whole 



island crop, and as soon as the central factories turn out 

 their fall capacity it will figure still higher : the value of the 

 exports during 1903 amounted to £347,000; in 1902, 

 £241,000. This increase is due to Guanica Centrale making 

 its first crop. 



The first ;rop from Guanica Centrale was a disappoint- 

 ment as only about 10,000 tons were produced. Prospects 

 for next year are better, and they expect to make 25,000 

 tons, about one-ipiarter from their own canes, and the balance 

 from iilanters" canes. 



As almost all suitable cane lands are being put into 

 cultivation, their next croji promises to be a large one. The 

 Centrale's actual grinding capacity is about 1,800 tons of 

 cane per day, and this could be increased without great 

 difficulty. 



The system of di.scharging the cane cars by means of 

 electric cranes is a specially noteworthy feature and has 

 lu-oved quite a success. 



The company owns 16 miles of 1-nietre gauge railroad, 

 200 cars of 12 to 15 tons capacity, and four 40-tons capacity 

 Baldwin locomotives. The American Pailroad Company 

 has acquired 150 of the same cane cars; there are thus 350 

 of these cars used in the transportation of canes. 



The company has a big electric plant for supplying 

 power to the factory and to eight irrigation stations, where 

 electric-driven, Hoot centrifugal pumi)s are used. 



Nine Stirling boilers are installed with a total of 4,000 

 horse-power. 



After the usual ditWculties during the first crop in such 

 large enterjirises, the company seems to be working now 

 with a brighter future. 



Molasses is decreasing in the district owing to less 

 muscovado sugars being made. The exports were of the 

 value of £45,344 in 1903, and £69,995 in 1902. 



DISTRICT OF MAY.\GUEZ. 



The crop of sugar exported from this port during the 

 year under review was about 7,750 tons, showing a falling off" 

 of nearly 1,000 tons as compared with the previous season of 

 1902, while that of molasses reached 622,757 gallons. 



The Guanica Centrale Factorv, which lies within the 

 Ponce district, has made arrangements with several sugar 

 planters of this district to grind their canes there, so that 

 although next crop's production of sugar here will probably 

 be larger, there is bound to be a con.siderable falling oif in 

 the produce to be exjiorted from this port, and a little 

 reduction in the quantity of molasses to be shipped during 

 1904 in consecjuence of so many small planters changing their 

 muscovado to the centrifugal system employed by the 

 Centrale Factory. 



The change cannot but be beneficial to sugar planters 

 of the district with canes within reasonable distance from 

 the railroad between this city and Ponce ; but the com- 

 munity in general, and particularly the great number of 

 labourers who depended on the local sugar estates, will be 

 losers. 



DISTRICT OF ARECIBO. 



The production of sugar has not been so satisfactory as 

 was expected, considering the increased plantations in this 

 district. The exports, all to the United States, show a decrease, 

 partly owing to the lack of crushing facilities in certain 

 sections of the district ; the canes are sent out and the sugar 

 exported through the port of San Juan. 



Since the erection of modern sugar factories the produc- 

 tion of molasses for export has ceased ; only low grades 

 suitable for alcohol are obtainable here. 



