August i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



87 



SUGAE: MB. VINCENT'S ROSEWOOD SCHEME. 

 If it be true — and we are assured it is true — that the 

 Eosewood canes have withstood the effects of frost for 

 several winters, then a Central Mill, if managed with ex- 

 perience and economy, should become an undoubted suc- 

 cess. But the faimers must not espfct 30s for the ton 

 of cane, a price which is both visionary and Utopian. 

 If the farmers get 12s per ton for their cane they will 

 become rich in a year or two, and drive to market or 

 church in hooded buggies or fours-in-hand. The Eose- 

 wood Scrub soil shoufd grow 35 tons of cane to the acre, 

 which, at 12s per ton, would give the grower a return 

 of £21 per acre ; and, if he cultivated 50 acres of cane, 

 the annual return would amount to £1,050. The expect- 

 ation of farmers making 30s per ton from 10 deg. density 

 cane is hopeless. Eridenlly, Mr. Vincent or the reporters 

 have made a mistake. Farmers, by selling their cane to 

 the mill or refiuery will not require to procure crushing 

 .mills as the growers do on the Mary and Burnett rivers. 

 The sucrate of lime process would be the best for the 

 Eosewood Scrub, as it would save much carting and 

 manual labour. The Central Eeflnery should have a com- 

 plete plant, and the Company be prepared to purchase 

 either the cane or juice, according to the distance 

 and position of certain farms from the miU. It would 

 not cost a Company much to erect powerful rollers for 

 the greater extraction of juice, or to apply pipes for con- 

 veying the juice from the farm to the milLhouse.— 77(6> 

 Sugar Planter. 



SUGAE : CENTRAL MILLS. 

 It is a well kno^vn fact that central mills or sugar fact- 

 ories have coiiferred great blessings upon the small sugar- 

 growers of Cuba, Florida and Louisiana, the French and 

 British West Indian Islands. "With the increase of popid- 

 ation in developed countries, the increase of labour must 

 be provided somehow or other. In sugar growing countries 

 a large percentage of the agricultural population are now 

 actively employed in growing sugarcane for powerful 

 sugar mills placed m their very midst. Before the erection 

 of such mills and the initiation of the central mill system 

 the people had to be contented with working upon large 

 estates. As the love of Uberty and independence advanced, 

 the lands of the large planters were let to cultivators (men 

 who had worked for scanty wages), who succeeded in grow- 

 ing hea\'ier crops and introducing a higher style of cultiv- 

 ation. The tenant or small freeholder devoted more care 

 and took a greater interest in his daily avocation. The 

 profits derived from the sale of his cane or juice to the 

 central mill enabled the small grower to Uve better and 

 acquhe a larger income. The Martinique French Coni- 

 panies were formed to erect sugar mills of gi-eat capacity 

 and gi-eat economical manufacturing power, as it is a truism 

 in sugar manufacture that " the larger the crushing ma- 

 chinery and manufactiu-ing power of the mill, the greater 

 is the production of sugar from a given weight of cane." 

 All over the French "West Indian Isles the results of the 

 central mill system has .shown that more cane has been 

 growii per acre, and more sugar has been made from a ton 

 of cane. The division of labour and industry in this respect 

 has produced an increase of wealth, and a wonderful amount 

 of human happiness, comfort and content. Central mills 

 aim tu be the poor farmer's friend and the lover that 

 lifts him along the road to industrial prosperity.— TAe 

 Manihoromjh (iV. .S'. W. C.) .'ijya,- I'lanUr. [The system, as 

 we saw it in operation to some extent, in the Mackay 

 district of Queensland, enabled white settlers of small 

 capital to cultivate their own or rented land with sugar- 

 cane, selling the produce, about 30 tons per acre, to the 

 owners of mills at lis per ton, standing in the field, the 

 pm-cha.ser cutting and carting away. In this way, all the 

 cane might possibly be grown by Europeans, but black 

 labour to some extent will always be necessary for cutting 

 cane and could see the succeeding article. — Ed. C. O.] 



PRUNING ORANGE TREES. 



Citrus seedling trees are subject to certain general laws 

 of growth, common to all others. All seedlings have a tend- 

 ency to produce a superabundance of useless spurs and 

 branches ; look at seedlmg pears, plums, cherrys, etc. They 



are all subject to the tendency I refer to. The seedling 

 orange is no exception to that law of growth. Then to 

 produce the best results in cultivating it : The tree shoiild 

 be well shortened in and thinned out each season. I believe 

 that every tree should bear its own burden ; hence when 

 I pass an orange orchard and see a forest of poles helping 

 to sustain its crops, I have no trouble in coming to the 

 conclusion that the owner is ignorant of the best mode of or- 

 ange management. I have long .since learned the fact that a 

 properly piuned tree requires no crops around it whatever. 

 Some advise never to touch a seedhng or other orange, 

 till it commences to bear f nit. I recommend instead, never 

 to be afraid to prune otf any brai;ches which tend to destroy 

 the symmetry or balance of the tree, no matter at what 

 age you have to apply the knife. 



There are two methods of managing the orange tree in 

 California, either of which appears to be attended with good 

 results. Ond is to let the branches grow near the ground 

 to cover the trunk of the tree, and spade round it, and 

 midch with manure. The other and easiest method is to 

 prune up the tree from 4 to 5 feet, so as to allow cultiv- 

 ation near it. The bulk of orange culturists have ueither 

 the time nor inclmation to spade around their orange trees. 

 Hence, it is nece.ss-rj' to prune up the tree about 4 J feet 

 high from the ground, with one stem or trunk only. 



As oranges usually grow on the terminal branches of the 

 tree, in order to prevent them from breaking it down, or 

 being blown off by wind-storms, it is important to head the 

 trees in at the sides and top each season, so as to pi oduce 

 short stiff branches instead of long swaying arm, ready to 

 dash the oranges about with every breeze that blows. Ha\Tng 

 pruned up and shortened in yoiu- trees as directed, it is a 

 very easy matter to finish the necessary trimming out, and 

 in this as in all other horticultural operations, one must be 

 guided by circumstances; for instance, if the tree is a 

 seedling of dense foliage, nearly one-half of the branches 

 can be thinned out, at the first general pruning, in sub- 

 sequent prunings, less wiU be necessary, which would 

 greatly improve the size and market value of the orange 

 crop; while on the oth«r hand, if the orange tree from 

 over bearing or any other cause has an open top and scanty 

 covering of foliage, a simple shortening in of the branches 

 would be aU that is necessary. 



To thin out the orange tree, one must commence in the 

 middle inside, and begin by first examining the larger branches 

 and see that none of these are crowding against each other ; 

 in that case have no hesitancy about lopping one of them 

 off — cutting the one which is less necessary to form the 

 future head of the tree. After baring your larger branches 

 standing at proper distances apart, continue the pruning 

 amongst the branches, working yom' way out towards sun- 

 light. I believe in opening vistas as it were, so as to let 

 the sun at some time of the day to pay a visit to the 

 interior of the tree. His influence in that case would do 

 more to destroy scale bugs and other pests, than thousands 

 of cameverous bisects woidd. By opening the branches to 

 let in a moderate amount of sunUght, you take away the 

 shelter which protects the insect in its voung and tender 

 stages of existence. 



TILE BEST TIME TO PRUNE THE ORAXGE. 



If the tree is young and is not bearing fi-uit, any time 

 during the winter months will do equally well. WTien the 

 tree is in fruit and bearing, the usual and best time to 

 prune it, is just after it commences to put forth its blos- 

 soms in the spring. In all cases when you have to lop off 

 large branches, be siu-e to cover over the surface of the 

 wound with grafting wax. 



Followmg these simple du'ections, the way to produce the 

 best results in cultivating the orange is so plain, that a 

 wayfai-ing man, though a fool, need not err therein. — Rural 

 Californian. 



♦ 



SUGAR IN THE LOWER BUEDEKIN, QUEENSLNAD. 



This sugarcane growing delta continues to assume great 

 importance. The |irogress of the district since Jlr. M'Mil- 

 lan and Mr. Mackenzie broke gi'ound has simply been 

 marvellous. Hard work has prevent.ed me from writing 

 you for .some time, but I hope to be more regular in future. 

 I pm'pose noting down a few items of news as they arise. 

 The Ardinillan factory is rapidly being finished, and after 

 Aguust will crush 800 acres of cane, exclusive of 250 acres 



