258 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



AuiiusT 13, 1904. 



iiient is concerned, the new freight rates will coine into 

 ojjeration with the first shipment next month. 



Ne.Nt, in regard to tlie material to be used in 

 making crates. These rciitiire to be made of tengh 

 wood that will not s])lit. It has been found that jiine 

 wood is not suitable for the jmrpose, as it is not 

 sufficiently strong to bear handling. If the crates get 

 broken, it stamls to reason that the bananas will be 

 bruised, and they cannot in that case be expected 

 to arrive in a good condition. 



Similarly, Mr. Bovell has found it necessary to 

 draw the attention of shippers to the fact that bananas 

 have been sent for shipment packed in crates the slats 

 of which were too thin. These ought to be half an inch 

 in thickness. Again, others have had the slats projecting 

 in such a way that they could easily be knocked off. 

 Mr. Bovell has, therefore, warned shippers that bananas 

 sent in such crates will not be accepted for shipment. 



It must be clearly imderstood that at this stage 

 in the establishment of the banana industry, when 

 every etlbrt must be jiut forth to ensure the arrival of 

 the fruit in the best possible condition, so that Bar- 

 bados bananas may gain for themselves a good name 

 in the English markets, most serious attention must 

 be paid to such important matters of detail as those 

 mentioned. It is only by exercising every care in the 

 handling and packing o( the fruit that it can be hoped 

 to secure good prices. As our readers are well aware, 

 good prices have been obtained, and the profits from 

 the industry have been .satisfactory; moreover, Bar- 

 bados bananas are beginning to be known and 

 appreciated in the English markets. It is with the 

 view of assisting this promising industry that we refer 

 once more to this subject. 



Further en)phasis is given to the necessity that 

 exists for exercising the greatest care, not only in 

 packing but also in picking bananas for shipment, by 

 the following extract from a letter addressed to the 

 Royal Mail Steam Packet Company by Messrs. J. i E. 

 Hall, Limited, who have just completed the fittings of 

 the 'Tagus' and 'Trent' for the cool transport of fruit: — 



'The success of the fruit-carrying depai'tment will 

 largely depend upon the condition in which the fruit 

 is stowed and on the handling of the plant before and 

 after loading. If the fruit is cut too "full, " no refriger- 

 ating power will carry it, once it has reached a certain 

 degree of ripeness. It is found necessary on large 

 fruit-carrying steamers to watch vei'y closely the 

 loading, and the different degree of ripeness of fruit is 

 very difficult to determine by any but experts. We 



wisli to draw attention to the importance of this aspect 

 of the <piesti(jn, as we notice that even with all precau- 

 tions on the \Y,irt of shipowners, bananas are vei-y often 

 put on board in a state which is very jirejudicial to 

 their safe carriage and to obtaining a g<jo<l market 

 price at this end.' 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Seedling Canes in Trinidad. 



The following note in regard to the future cultiva- 

 tion of seedling canes in Trinidad is taken from the 

 li'pnrt on tin- Bofanicol Department for U)0.S-4<: — 



This season it is iiroposed to eliminate many of the 

 seedlings, which Iiave shown insufficient characters to render 

 them worthy of general cultivation, and to use the area they 

 have previously occupied for extending the cultivation of 

 selected kinds, so as to afford material for planting on 

 a larger scale. 



it would aiipear from results that our practice of 

 cutting annually in May for several years past has led to 

 a dimhiution of seed jiroduction ; as most of the varieties 

 liave i)roduced either no seed at all, or only small and 

 insignificant ipiantities. It is proposed therefore to select 

 iind iilant a few of each of the best varieties in beds, for 

 seed purposes oidy, and to allow them to remain over, without 

 cutting, for longer iieriods than twelve months. Seed 

 collected in October 1903 was small in quantity, but 

 a goodly numlier of [ilants was raised, which will afipear in 

 due course. It has also been noted that the seedlings raised 

 during the past four years have not shown the same variety 

 or the same sucrose content as the batches raised six or eight 

 years ago: and the evidence ai^iears to point to this also 

 being due to annual cutting, i.e., not allowing the cane 

 a sufficient period of growth previous to the flowering stage, 

 which generally occurs in Trinidad in October and November 

 of each yeiir. 



The Difference between Cane Sugar and Beet 

 Sugar. 



The Jiiii null il' Agrirvlfiire Tropindc ^ov June 

 190-1- contains an article by Mr. George de Preandct 

 dealing with the superiority of cane over beet sugar. 

 We give the following summai'y: — 



It is evident that of all refined sugars the purest is 

 white caue sugar. For if this were identically the same as 

 white beet sugar, as is held by some authorities, why is it 

 that the large manufacturers of champagne require their 

 sugar dealers to give them a formal declaration that they 

 never allow into their works a single bag of beet sugar ! 

 Exiieriencc has shown that wines sweetened with beet sugar 

 always give an after-taste of beet root. 



A very easy test is carried out as follows : Take two 

 glasses containing moistened sugar —one lieet and the other 

 cane. Cover both with saucers and allow them to stand for 

 some days. If they are tasted at the end of that time, it will 

 be found that the beet sugar has assumed a taste of beet root 

 and also emits a slight odour. 



