Vol. VIII. No. 178. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



51 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



The Antigua Sugar Factory. 



The development of the Antigua Sugar Factory 

 was Ibstered by the Government with the objeet of 

 obtaining reliable information concerning the working 

 of factories of moderate size, and as to the desirability 

 of substituting such factories for the muscovado 

 methods of raainifacture. 



An account of the origin of the factory, the con- 

 stitution of the company, and the working arrange- 

 ments was given in a paper contributed to the ll'ts^ 

 Indian BitUetin (Vol. VI. p. 60) : and an editorial article 

 containing information on this sidiject, together with 

 a summary of the report on the working for the 1907 

 season appeared in the AgrlvnltnrdL News for JIareh 21 

 last (Vol VII, p. 81). 



The fourth Annual Report of the Directors (for 

 the season 1908) has now been issued, and the follow- 

 ing extracts should be of interest : — ■ 



The weather during tlie past season was not unfavour- 

 able. The supply of canes, however, fell oif somewhat from 

 most of the estates, but the deficiency was more than made 

 up from the additional estates brought into connexicm with 

 the factory through the extensions i>f the r:iilway. The 

 figures were as follows : — 



Contracting planters: 26,912 tons again.st 28,046 tons in 



1907. 



Outside estates : 12,90-") tons against 8,6S9 tons in 



1907. 



Peasants : 3, 24.'> tons against -t.047 tons in 1907. 

 Total: 43,060 tons against 40,782 tons in 1907. 



The various improvements and ad(ntions made to the 

 plant, with the careful control maintained at the factory, 

 have brought the yield of sugar up to 10-90 per. cent, of the 

 canes crushed, as against 10-37 per cent, in 1907, The total 

 production of sugar for the year has been 4,695 tons, as 

 against 4,230 tons last year. The sugar market has ruled, 

 at a higher level, the average price realized being £ 1 1 1 o.s. 9(/. 

 per ton as against £9 16-s. last year. 



The extensions of the factory and railways, referred to 

 in the last report, have now been completed, and as they 

 represent solid and permanent additions, their cost has been 

 carried into tlie balance sheet as additional capital expendi- 

 ture, to be gradually written down by the action of the 

 .sinking and reserve funds. 



After charging revenue as usual with £2,000 for sink- 

 ing fund, and £1,U00 for reserve fund, and crediting the 

 'contracting planters' with £7,081, lis. 3f/. (equal to an 

 addition of about ox. 2d. per ton to the payment on account 

 lor canes sui)plied by them), there remauis a sinnlar amount 

 to l)c credited to the 'A' Shareholders, making a total to 

 their credit of £10,483 17.s. 'rf. Out of this it is propo.sed 

 to declare a dividend of o.s. per share, amounting to 

 £3,12-5, carrying forward, fr.r the present, the balanrc of 

 £7,358 17.'<- 7(1. 



The amount paid to the original contracting projirietors 

 for cane was 15s. ild. per ton, in addition to which there 



71-6 



i.s their proportionate iiiterest in the factory, of which 

 they become part-owners on the extinction of the debentures. 

 In addition to the facts mentioned in the above 

 extracts from the Directors' report, the following details, 

 in reference to the working of the factory will be of 

 interest : — 



Canes crushed, tons 43,060 



Sugar made, tons 4,695 



Tons of cane per ton of sugar 9-17 



'Indicated ' sucrose in mixed juice (tons) 5,284 

 liecovery on ' indicated ' sugar 88-9 per cent. 



Per cent, of water in megass 46-47 



„ .sucrose „ „ 6-05 



,, ,, ,, fibre ,, ,, 45-06 



Normal juice lost in megass 

 per'lOO of tilirc 



Average comiio,sition of first mill juice : — 



per cent. It), per gallon. 

 Total solids 20-60 2-22"8 



Sucro,se 18-75 2-029 



Purity 91-00 



Oluease 064 -069 



Clucose ratio 3-40 



Average composition ot" total juice, including macera- 

 tion water : — 



per cent. D>. per gallon. 



Total solids 17-04 1-816 



Sucrose 14-74 1-571 



Purity 86 -.50 



Glucose 0-63 0-67 



Gluco.se ratio 4-30 



True juice, gallons 6,147,062 



,, „ per ton canes 142-8 



,, ,, ,, 100 lb. canes 



(crushing) 



Sucrose in cane 14-31 per cent. 



Fibre in cane 15-24 ,, ,, 



Maceration (water per 100 juice) 20-90 ,, ,, 

 Molasses, gallons 228,555 



„ per ton of sugar, gallons 48-68 



Fuel u.sed, cords wood ' 407-25 



Coal for locomotives and workshop 175-1 



While the expetises fni- repairs and maintenance, both 

 under factory charges and railway and transport expenses, 

 as shown in the profit and loss account in the Directors' 

 report, appear comparatively high, it may be pointed out that 

 these charges include extension work both in the factory and 

 the railway, and are not exclusively for repairs and main- 

 tenance. 



The foregoing figure.^ bring out in a striking manner thi 

 value of the determination of the juice lost in the mega.ss per 

 100 of fibre (see West Indian JSuUetin, Vol. IX, p. 85). 

 From this it is seen that the work done by the mills is very 

 good, while a mere consideration of the percentage of juice 

 expressed from the canes might be misleading. 



It is interesting to lUitc that these returns give an account 

 of the composition of the nu-gass -a most important point in 

 motlern factory work. 



It is also to be noted that the average fibre and average 

 .sucrose content of the ciiii.e are also given. These very 

 important points are often absent from the reports of sugar 

 factories. It is now recognized that a knowledge of the fibre 

 content of a cane is practically as important as the knowledge 

 of ihe amount of .sugar [iresent. It will be observed that the 

 filire is extremely higli in the canes dealt with at Antigua. 



68-85 B>. 



