162 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



May -21, 1904. 



A(jru'ulftinil Xrirs, Mr. Cousins piits forward very 

 clearly the conditions that are necessary for securing 

 the success of this new industry : these are (1) capital 

 for installing the best plant, (2) suitable lands within 

 easy reach of the factory, and (8) a good water supply. 

 The utmost care will be necessary to secure a high- 

 grade starch, free from acid, fibre .nnd dirt. There 

 should be no difficulty in finding these conditions in 

 many parts of the West Indies. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Cassava starch prepared at the factory, where 

 special attention is i)aid to these points, seems to be 

 certain of obtaining good prices in the English markets ; 

 when made, however, on a small scale, and the manu- 

 facture is carried out in a dilatory manner, the product 

 is likely to contain acid and to be, in consequence, 

 unsuitable for the special purposes for which the 

 high-grade starch is requirod. 



The figures given by Mr. Cousins show clearly 

 that the cost of growing cassava and preparing the 

 starch is so low as to leave a good margin for profit. 

 Moreover, the residual pulp, or bitty, is of considerable 

 value as a food for stock. Allowing for this, the total 

 cost of producing a ton of cassava starch should not 

 exceed £G. When it is realized that the average 

 yield, in Jamaica at any rate, is 10 tons to the acre, it 

 should be obvious that the industry is one that is 

 likely to yield handsome profits. 



With regard to the other possible use of cassava, 

 viz., as a source of glucose, the opinions of brokers 

 have already been given in the Ayrieultund Xmc'i. 

 It is not considered that the exportation in the form of 

 dried, sliced tubers is likely to receive much encourage- 

 ment from the manufacturers of glucose on account 

 of the additional expense entailed in grinding them. 

 In the form of cassava flour, as recently sent from 

 Jamaica, however, it is possible that there will be 

 a limited market for cassava as a source of glucose, at 

 a price, probably, of about £5 lO''. per ton. 



Messrs. Carton, Hill & Co., to whom the samples 

 were sent for valuation, have pointed out that the 

 demand for cassava flour will be uncertain on account 

 of the fact that several of the largest glucose manufac- 

 turers have already installed plants for obtaining glucose 

 from whole corn. It would appear, therefore, that it is 

 in the manufacture of starch that we may expect to 

 find a profitable use for cassava. There can be little 

 doubt that where factories for the purpose could be 

 erected, the growing of ca.ssava might with advantage 

 be taken up by the peasantry on a fairly large scale. 



Sugar-cane Experiments at Barbados. 



The folhiwing is the concluding portion of the 

 }irogress report by Professor J. P. d'Albuquerque M.A., 

 F.I.C., F.C.S., and Mr. J. R. Bovell, F.L.S.. F.CS., on 

 the sugar-cane experiments at Barbados for the 

 half-year ended December 31, 1903 : — 



EXPERIMENTS UPON TILLAGE. 



At Hampton plantation a very level, C, aero field 

 (Diiiik-water field) was marked out into ten laige strijis and 

 subjected to the different iivocesses of tillage detailed below. 



The sti-ips dirt'ei-ed somewliat in length and wi(itli ; the 

 width in different strijis varied between 10 and 14 holes. The 

 results are calculated to the acre and are given in the 

 following table : — 



Numbers of 

 plots. 



1, 6 



3, 



o, 10 



Canes, tons 

 per acre. 



rSubsoiled close ; lined 6x6; 

 I cane holes dug ; manured and 



cultivated in the usual estate 



manner. 



!Mean results 



'Ploughed flat with disc phnigh, 

 turning under farmyard manure 

 8 in. deep ; cane holes dug ; and 

 cultivated in ordinary estate 

 methods. 



\^ Mean results 



'Subsoiled close ; a furrow opened 

 with mould board plough 6 feet 

 apart ; manure spread on banks ; 

 and canes planted in furrow 6 feet 

 apart. 



Mean results 



''Ridged with disc plough, turning 

 untler farmyard manure 8 in. 

 deep ; planted in rows in Ijottoni 

 of furrow ; cultivated with Dia- 

 mond cultivator ; and trashed as 

 usual. 



Mean results 



Subsoiling oiiened one way 

 forked piece of land left between 

 cane holes ; and cultivated in the 

 ordinary estate way. 



Mean results 



1.5-7.5 



1.5 -.59 



U-91 



l:5-20 



U-20 



It will be seen that an extrsme difference of 2J tons of 

 canes occurred between ( 1 ) the most favourable plots and (2) 

 the le.ist favourable plots. 



