-210 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Ji 1.1 3, 1915. 



Molasses (Hawaii), reproduced in this journal for 

 Si ptembei 26 L91 I. we find il estimated thai allowing 

 LOfl). of alcohol a daj for each one of the 1,500 auto- 

 mobiles in Hawaii an annual consumption of L,800 

 tons is indicated. A similar consideration applies to 

 the West Indies. 



< me of tlic latest, contributions to the alcohol-as- 

 fuel question is by Mr. T. II. I'. Eeriot, in the Journal 

 of the Sur it.'ti/ of Clirminil Jmlustry, Vol, XXXIV, 

 April 15, L915. This writer gives a large amounl of 

 <lata concerning the quantit} of alcohol yielded from 

 molasses (both cane and beet), and the cosl of produc- 

 tion. Beet molasses has about the same value as cane 

 molasses as regards the quantity of alcohol obtained 

 therefrom. An interesting table given in this paper 

 is the Distillery Balance Sheet, prepared bj Ant. an. of 

 Hawaii. A 5,000 icre estate is taken as an example, 

 producing 12,500 tons of sugar and :!"0,000 gallons of 

 molasses, during a crop season of 17-"> days. The 

 distillery has to treal 2,000 gallons of molasses a day. 

 Fuel is the chief expense, but a profit is shown of 

 822,500 at the end of the crop. 



An importanl source of revenue is the so-called 

 fertilizer syrup, valued at I' cents per gallon. This 

 contains considerable amounts of potash and nitrogen. 

 Noel Deerr in the paper previously referred to, values 

 the mineral constituents in the Cuban molasses output 

 at si 980,000 for potash. and $1,200,000 in the case of 

 nitrogen. The much-discussed question of molasses as 

 i manure seems to find here a satisfactorj answer. The 

 sugar in the molasses has little if any beneficial effeel 



in the soil: the residue, on the other hand, because 



of its mineral content, is likely to prove very useful as 



a manure, though it would probably be desirable to 



improve its consistency by means of the addition of an 



absorbent like superphosphate if il were intended for 



sport. In concluding his paper, Mr. Heriot gives the 



following statemenl of the cosl of producing 95 per 



at. alcohol, withoul recovering the potash and 



nitrogen, and excluding the cosl ol molasses itself: 



[ n the United States 8 cents per gallon in Demerara 



ents (exclusive of fuel), in Hawaii 102 cents, and in 

 Cuba L0 cents. The actual working expenses there 

 tore approximate to ocZ.per gallon, 



(>n this basis alcohol should be well able to com- 

 pete unli pel rol i' 28 or 30 cents per gallon, and yield 

 producer. Why then, it max be 

 asked, has il nol been tried '. There are several pre 

 linarj difficulties in I h There is the excisi 



pari of the question: the or producing onlj 



uniform spirit, as regards water content : the readjust- 

 ment oi engines to take alcohol, and the conflicting 

 oil interests. Denaturizine should settle the first, 

 and the second and third are merely mechanical diffi- 

 culties easilj overc bj the sugar manufacturer and 



the engineer. The fourth isonlylocal in its application. 



It would seem, in reconsidering the various 

 references quoted in this article thai enough has been 

 written concerning the cost of producing alcohol, 



particularly from molasses and that it is time for the 

 carrying out of demonstrations, li might be sug- 

 gested that Government enterprise would be useful 

 in this direction. If only an experiment on com- 

 mercial lines were tried with successful results 

 there could be an awakening amongst the three 

 classes of the community involved in the matter: 

 the sugar manufacturer would produce alcohol, the 

 engineer would turn out special!} designed engines of 

 maximum of efficiency, and the consumer would buy 

 both. Before this can happen, carefully planned demon- 

 strations musl be made in different places. Under 

 ordinary conditions alcohol is not likely to be pro- 

 duced for fuel until its successful employment has 

 been indicated on a practical basis* As already sug- 

 gested, this might be a matter lor ( lovernment considera- 

 tion. The value of commercial demonstrations bj tie 

 Governmenl is well seen in the Wist [ndies, for example, 

 in connexion' with cotton factories, lime juice fac- 

 tories, and corn drying establishments. It is hoped 

 that this group may soon be extended to include 

 a demonstration of the value of alcohol as a source of 

 power. 



SUGAR-CANE VARIETIES IN DIFFERENT 

 COUNTRIES. 



A consideration of the distinguishing characters of 

 sugar-cane cultivated at Sabour, in India, constitutes the 

 contents oJ Vol. YTI, No. 2, of the Metnoin of the Depart 

 A -I tut in I mini i Botanical Series). 



The chief interest in this paper lie- in the fact that it 

 tilts of the first attempts made in India to 

 propagate sugar-cane by the method of pure line cultures. 

 I oini i lie informal ii m { in the Introduction it i- clear 

 that any attempts to obtain reliable results from experiments 

 en the agricultural, botanical, or chemical characters 

 varieties must prove abortive tmli pure cultures are used 

 for the experiments. A pure cul • derived from 



a silicic plant. 



When once the k>cal varieties had been ■ i in 



pure culture aiid the various type- isolated, it was possible t, ( 



undertake accurate work on the study of their distinguishing 

 irding which verj little exact data had 

 .1. There arc a i 



