Vol. III. No. 58. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



211 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Experiments in Jamaica. 



We take the following note, with respect to the 

 sugar industry in Jamaica, from the Gleaner of June 

 13:— 



We are in a position to place before our readers to-day 

 details of the scheme for utilizing the £10,000 grant-in-aid of 

 our sugar industry, which was made by the Imperial 

 Parliament some three years ago. This scheme is to be 

 explained to the sugar planters of St. James and Trclawny on 

 the 20th. inst. by the Acting Governor. 



Eight acres of land, forming part of the property on 

 which Hope Gardens is situated, are to be planted out in 

 seedling canes grown in Jamaica and imported from Barbados 

 and Demerara. At least 2,000 of these will be planted, and 

 from this luirsery seedling canes will be di-stributed to the 

 several sugar estates. The Government sugar expert will 

 be in charge of the nursery, under the direction of 

 Mr. H. H. Cousins. 



The present laboratory building is to be doubled. The 

 upper floor will then be converted into an efficient and well- 

 equipped sugar laboratory which will have a statf of at least 

 three workers. This sugar laboratory will be fitted out with 

 special instruments and labour-saving devices to en.sure 

 accuracy and speed in the experiments and analyses to be 

 made. Free analysis of one sample of sugar and one .sample 

 of cane juice for any sugar estate will be made during crop 

 times. 



In addition to this, a study of sugar and sugar products 

 will be made in the several boiling houses of the island by 

 members of the staff of the lalioratory. 



The lower floor of the enlarged building will be 

 immediately in charge of the Fermentation Chemist. 



Experiments in distillery will be made, a study of yeast 

 and bacteria undertaken, and in general a detailed study of 

 the chemistry of Jamaica rum. 



It is hoped that certain properties will be discovered in 

 our rum, by these means, whereby fraudulent sale of other 

 liquors under the name of ' Jamaica Rum ' will be prevented 

 and the prosecution of the sellers rendered easy. 



Rum manufacture will also be studied in all its branches 

 on a small scale. The apparatus will consist of a small 

 boiler and engine, a refrigerating plant, a large number of 

 fermenting vessels of 100 gallons capacity, and a small 

 experimental still of -50 gallons capacity, completely adaptable 

 in dimensions, in height of head, retorts and condensing. 

 There will also be a rum store for the storage of rum samples. 

 These samples will be obtained from the several estates in 

 the island and will be experimented on for the purposes of 

 discovering means whereby their quality may be improved. 

 In addition, samples of estate .skimmings, molasses and 

 dunder skinuuing will be obtained from each estate and 

 separately experimented on, rum being manufactured from 

 them. 



Experiments in improved manufacture will also be 

 carried out on some sugar estates. 



The cost of enlarging the laboratory is estimated at 

 ^1,000. The machinery will cost £1,000. 



Another £1,000 will be devoted to the installation or 

 modification of distillery plants on sugar estates. 



The cost of running the dejiartment will amount to 

 about £1,400 a year. 



£100 a year is to be devoted to jiroviding ten scholar- 

 .ships, at £10 each, for the purjwse of enabling distillers and 

 estate book-keepers to come to the Laboratory for a three- 

 weeks' course in the .scientific handling of ap(iaratus, etc. 



It is estimated that the £10,000 grant will run this 

 department for a period of six years. 



A small committee will advise Mr. H. H. Cousins, who 

 will be the officer-in-charge of the department. 



Briefly, this is the scheme which is soon to be explained 

 more fully. 



Experiments with Ratoons. 



The following note on experiments in sugar-cane 

 cultivation, at the Botanic Gardens, Georgetown, is 

 taken from the Demerara Da ily Chron icle of June 15 :— 



In the Brickdam field, the most striking feature is the 

 large number of thriving fourth ratoons. Of these D. 625 is 

 the best from every point of view, though others which run 

 it close for excellence are D. 125, D. 109, and D. 1,896. 

 Another seedling, D. 2,468, has shown signs of improvement 

 with each ratooning, and the fourth ratoons are a marked 

 advance on the first seedlings. Regarding B. 147, the fourth 

 ratoons show a falling off, there being wide blank patches 

 here and there in the beds, revealing that the seedling is 

 dying out on the fourth ratooning. D. 1,640 has died out 

 entirely, and all further experiments with it will be 

 abandoned. The general growth of the fourth ratoons is in 

 itself a strong indication of the usefulness of the seedling 

 cane experiments, illustrating, as it does, the quality and 

 virility of the canes in question, and encouraging the 

 expectation that the Bourbon cane cultivation of British 

 Guiana may eventually be supplemented, on a scale large 

 enough to yield substantial profitable returns, with seedling 

 canes of proved superiority. 



ANSWERS TO QUERIES. 



The Moon Flower. 



In reply to our question as to the occurrence of the 

 Moon Flower, in a wild or cultivated state, in the West 

 Indies {AgvicuUutal News, Vol. Ill, p. 181), Mr. A. J. 

 Jordan informs us that the Jloon Flower (Ipomoea Bona- 

 No.v) was seen growing in several of the peasants' gardens 

 last year, but has not been observed in a wild state in 

 Montserrat. 



The Oho-cho as a Bee plant. 

 With regard to our query in a previous issue of the 

 A'iricultural Neics (Vol. Ill, p. 155), Mr. A. J. Jordan, the 

 Curator of the Botanic Station, Montserrat, informs us 

 that it has often l.ieen observed that bees are very fond 

 of the flowers of the cho-cho or christophine (Sechiitm edu/e), 

 while another plant that the bees there are very fond of is 

 Euterj'e edu/is. 



Crotons. 



Referring to the inquiry of a correspondent which 

 appeared in a previous number of the Agricultural A'eivs 

 (Vol III, p. 139) concerning plants of the croton 'Princess 

 of Wales,' Mr. J. H. Hart, Superintendent of the Botanical 



Department, Trinidad, furnishes the following information : 



'In re "Princess of Wales croton." Price here 50c. each. 

 Packing Is., cartage .shipping Is. Id., = $1-50 for two plants.' 



