Vol. VII. No. 160. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Seedling Canes D. 74 and D. 95 in Louisiana. 



It is well known that the Demerura seedlings 

 D. 74 and 1). 95 have been cultivated for several years 

 by many different planters in Louisiana, and varying 

 reports as to the returns obtained from these canes are 

 occasionally published. 



Of the two .seeillings, I). 74 it appears, has of late gained 

 much ill favour at the e.\pense of I). 95. This is so much the 

 case that the .Vz/'/a/- Fhnito-i' Journal of August 15 contains 

 a brief article, comparing the two canes, and drawing atten- 

 tion to the merits of I). 95, which dui-ing the past season has 

 been grown on only a very limited scale. The objection 

 which, it is stated, is being urged again.st this latter cane 

 by many planters is that it requires richer land and more 

 heavy manuring for a given return, than are needed by 1). 74. 



With regard to D. 74, on the other hand, it is pointed 

 out that some planters have of late complained that it does 

 not grow thickly enough to shade the soil well, with the result 

 that grasses and other weeds gi\e much trouble between the 

 rows. On account of the brittle nature of the cane, too, there 

 is~ a danger of loss from breaking oft' the tops of stalks if 

 weeding implements are passed lietweeu the rows after the 

 canes have attained a certain height. 



. , On behalf of I). 95, it is urged that no such coniyilaint 

 as this can be made again.st it, since it posse.sses the advantages 

 that it shades the soil well, it is not brittle and liable to 

 break at the top, but is well fitted to withstand wind and 

 Storm. In a crop report from Placjueniines, which appears 

 in another part of the JmiiiKil, the manager of a large planta- 

 tion is reported as having said that of the two Denierara 

 seedlings he was inclined to favour 1).95 as an all-round cane, 

 on account of the above advantages, and because it gave 

 bettei returns on land deficient in drainage. 



Labour and Irrigation on Hawaiian Sugar- 

 cane Estates. 



Reports from the Hawaiian Islands all testify to 

 the fact that the cane crop season of 1907-N has Iteen 

 a very prosperous one. The crop yields actually obtain- 

 ed have exceeded the estimates, and prices have 

 continued satisfactory through the season. The most 

 recent estimates place the entire sugar crop of the 

 islands at about 500,000 tons, as compared with 

 390,000 tons in 1906-7. 



Tiie Hawaiian correspondent of the Anit^rinm Stuinr 

 Iii.iliistri/ anil ]ii/e1 Siii/nr <!(r.i'tfi' states that the question of 

 the best method of dealing with labourers on the sugar planta- 

 tions is receiving a good deal of attention in Hawaii. The 

 actual rate of remuneration which the labourers are to receive 

 does not form the question under debate, l.mt it is the 

 manner in which this wage or remuneration shall be paid, so 

 as to be most satisfactory to the labourers themselves, and 

 also result in the most eft'ective cultivation and best returns 

 to plantation.s, which is under e.xperimental consideration. 



As far as the white labourers are concerned a good deal has 

 been done to make it [lossible for them to secure homesteads 

 of their own, with a small amount of tillage land attached, so 

 that they will be able to add to their income, or provide part 

 of the provisions required for theii' family from their own 

 gardenis, while working f)n the plantations for money wages. 

 On one large plantation about .seventy families have each been 

 enabled to secure about 5 acres of land from the Government, 



and these small areas are utilized for the cultivation of pine- 

 ajjples. A pine-apple cannery has been built, and the 

 pine-ajiples raised by these small cultivators are purchased at 

 a given rate. 



Other plantations have started an arrangement under 

 which a certain specified area of land is given to a group of 

 labourers to be cultivated with sugar-cane, the plantations 

 Inlying the cane at maturity on a sliding scale of prices 

 %arying \\ith the price of sugar. The figure paid for the 

 laliourers' canes varies, from §2'50 when the price of 

 sugar on the New York Market is .3c. per ft), to .f3-50 per 

 ton when sugar in Ne .v Vork is selling at 4c. per ft). 



Irrigation is carried out on a considerable scale on the 

 sugar-cane lands of the Hawaiian Island.-*, more especially in 

 Maui. In this latter island, various irrigation works which 

 weie pi-eviously under the direction of different authorities 

 have recently lieen brought under the control of one corpora- 

 tion. This arrangement should result in less wastage and 

 more efficiency, and should assist towards the further develop- 

 ment of the .sugar-cane industry of the island. 



Sugar Industry in Egypt. 

 A large amount of general and statistical informa- 

 tion as to the growth of the sugar industry in Egypt, 

 and its present financial condition is contained in 

 a report lately issued by the United States Consul at 

 Cairo. 



Sugar-cane cultivation began in Egyjit in 1S50, the cane 

 having been brought from .Jamaica. The manufacture of 

 sugar however, was not started until 1855. Cotton was at 

 a low price at the time, and this gave a considerable impetu.s 

 to sugar-cane cultivation. For some years the sugar industry 

 was in the hands of a ( lovernment C'omniission, winch erected 

 a number of factories. 



The Egyptian sugar trade is now principally nionojjolised 

 by a French company known as the Societe Generale des 

 Sucreries. At the start — in 1905 — the operations of this 

 comiiany did not floiu-ish, partly owing to the fact that the 

 high price ol)tained for cotton was instrumental in reducing 

 the sugar-cane acreage. During 1906 the area devoted to 

 sugar-cane cultivation fell off to the extent of 50 per cent. 

 In that year the Societe Generale des Sucreries was re-organ- 

 ized, and is now in a more favourable position. It practically 

 has the whole sugar industry of Egypt in its hands, although 

 only four factories are now working. These factories not 

 only maiuifacture, but also refine the sugar. 



In 1905-6 the company dealt with 684, 60S tons of cane, 

 and turned out 63,634 tons of raw, and 46,619 tons of refined 

 sugar. In 1906-7 the (juantity of canes handled fell to 

 414,877 tons, from which 41,509 tons of raw, and 31,144 

 tons of refined sugar weie turned out. The average sucrose 

 content of the Egyptian canes was 12'34 in 1905-6, and 

 12-70 ill 1906-7. The cost of manufacture is stated to- 

 have been $5-00 per 220 It), in 1905-6 and .•f5-04 in 1906-7,, 

 the advance being due to the increased [)rice of raw sugar,, 

 and to higher cost of labour. 



All the sugar exported from Egypt is in the refined 

 state. In 1906 refined sugar to the value of $215,995 was 

 shijiped, but in 1907, the value of the exports fell to 

 •^l 85,355. This decline is stated to be due to iiicrea.sed 

 domestic consumption. The quantity of sugar produced 

 in Egypt, however, is far from being sufficient to supply the 

 local demand, since in 1907 the imports of this article 

 reached 23,500 tons, valued at SI, 389,534. By far the 

 greater ipiantity of these consist of beet sugar, imported from 

 Austria. 



