Vol. VI II. Nq. 180. 



THE AGUJCL'LTL'RAL NEWS. 



.S3 



Sugar Production in Cuba. 



The sugar-cane indu.stry of ( "uba is a matter of 

 very considerable interest and importance, in view of 

 the enormous capacity <>( the island tor sugar produc- 

 tion, and the rapid developments that iiave been uuuie 

 in recent years. 



The record year, as regards the output of sugar in C'ub;i 

 was 1907, when 1,4-H,()t<7 tons were produced ; in 19uiS, 

 however, owing to unfavouralile climatic conditions, the crop 

 fell to 961,958 tons. Conditions have now largely improved 

 again, and prosi)ects for a high return in the present reaping 

 season are regarded as vci y |)rn;iusing. 



The I'nited States ( '(iii.sul at Haxaiia reports tliat the 

 area under cane cultivation again shuws an increase, ami also 

 states that a numljer ot the larger central factories of the 

 island havu increased their gi-jnding c;ipacity ; cases in point 

 are iji connexion with the estates of the Culian-.Anierican 

 Sugar Company and I lie Tnited Fruit Conii)any. Factories 

 financed l>y Americans, and worked under Anierican manage- 

 ment are a prominent feature of the industiy. In 1907, 

 about 30 per cent, of the total output of .sugar was produced 

 liy these American mills ; and in 1909 the proportion thus 

 manufactured is cx[)ected to reach 40 i)er cent. 



The methods adopted in cultivating the land for sugar- 

 rane in Cuba, until (juitc recenrly, have been of a soinpwhat 

 piimitive charactei-, and it would a[)iieai' thiit it was only the 

 great natural advantages possessed by the island as a .sugar- 

 producing country, that enabled the industry to be continued 

 on a remunerative basis. The teaching of the E.\i)eriment 

 Station i.\ however, now beginning to be felt, and the 

 introduction of sui>e;ior niet-liods of tillage, improved 

 implements, green dressing crops, etc., has largely tended to 

 rai.se the condition of the industry. 



The Decay of tlie Bourbon Cane. 

 At a meeting of the Antigua Agricultural and 

 Commercial Society held on February 12 last, Mr. H. A. 

 Tempany. B.Sc., F.I.C., read a paper dealing with the 

 history of the Botirbon cane at Antigua, and its decay 

 as the result of the severe attaclc. of rind fungus 

 {Trichimpliaeria mccliari)._ This disease began" to 

 be felt in its most destructive form about LS94.. At 

 the end of his paper, Sir. Tempany recapitulated the 

 information brought forward, of which the following 

 forms a general summary — 



In the yield of cane per acre the liourbon did not ditt'er 

 greatly from tlie varieties grown at the present time. 



The etfect of rind fungus is shown by tlie amount of 

 rotten cane found in the field. 



The juice of the Hourbon gave about 1-9 lb. of sugar to 

 the gallon, and was .somewhat less rich than that commrinlv 

 met with at present. 



The effect of the disease on tlie juice was seen in the 

 diminution of sucrose and rise in the glucose ratio. This was 

 .severely felt in the process of nianufarture. 



The Hourbon was a very juicy cane, containing less 



hlirc and giving better milling results than those grown at 

 the pie.sent time. 



No form of manuiial treatment appe.irefl to make the 

 cane iiH.pre resistant. 



The break-down of the P.ourbon was in tlie end i datively 

 very sudden. It was not only the native Courlwn cane that 

 showed liability to rind fungus : other related varieties and 

 imported uninfected Hourbon stock showed e(|ual li.ability to- 

 il when grown in Aniigua. 



It is probable that Tvirl,i>sj,],iieria xacrhm-i was origin- 

 ally saprophytic and has sulisei]Uently developed parasitic 

 tendencies. It has jirobably existed in the West Indies for 

 many years. 



The Hourbon cane being le.ss fil)rous than the White 

 Transparent probably possessed cell walls more easily 

 penetrated. Coii.sc(|uently it is suggested that the sudden 

 break-down of the Hourbon was due to an increase in viru-. 

 lence of the fungus, which enabled the hyphae to jjass from 

 rell to cell witli relative ease in this cane, while the White 

 Transparent being more fibrous offered uiore rc.-^istence. 



Most canes gi<jwn at the piesent time in Antigua will, 

 on keeping, develop the typical S|iores of Trir/iosp/iai'riii. 



'Ihe most generally accepted theory regarding the spread 

 of the disease is that of [ire existing wounds infected by 

 mrans of wind-liorne spores. The theory of infection by 

 means of planting infected material has, however, much in 

 its favour : and would serve as a means admirably suited for 

 tlie iiit:.'iisifiiM[ion of the parasitic habit of the fungus. 



New Cane Harvester. 



Although the problem of devising a cane-cutting 

 machine lias attracted a good deal of attention froiu 

 invuiitor-. little jdaciic.d .success has so far been. 

 acliie\i-d i;i this direction. The Pessou c.ine h.ir\e.-.ter,. 

 of which particulars were given in the Af/ricuUural 

 Ac«'-< ot July 11 List (page 211) uuderwenc a number 

 ot trials in LcHiisiaua in the l.-u-t re;ipiiig season, 

 and it; evidently posse.-ses some jiroinis'.ng features. Irh 

 a. hue number of the Queensland " Aijrk'uUu.ral 

 Joiinxil, another c.ine-reapiiig machine, invented b}' 

 a llr. W. J. Howcroft. of Brisbane, is described. This 

 harvester h.is been patented in most siicrar-e-rowin" 

 Countries. 



Like an ordinary corn reaper the Howcrrift machine 

 inns ontside the standing crop, and the motor power sets in 

 action a series of blades M'hich are teimed ' feelers ' or 

 'fingers,' and which, when not in use, can be raised to- 

 a lieight of 18 inches above the ground. When workinc, 

 the 'fingers' are lowered, and seize the canes for the 

 l)ur|Kise of holding them steady against the action of the 

 kni\es, which are arranged immediately below, and rotate 

 <in a lever at a speed of some 400 revolutions ]ier minute. 

 It is claimed on behalf of the machine that by its means the 

 canes can be cut an inch or more below the surface of the 

 giound, a most iin[iortant point as every cane-grower knows. 



As soon as the canes are reaped by this machine, they 

 pass on to a moveable platform, wliere they are automatically 

 arranged, and cnnie under the action of a .second series of 

 knives, by -which the to[is of the canes are removed. 



The machine- is worked by two small oil motors and, it 

 is a.sserted, is capable of cutting 150 tons of cane per day, 

 wliich means that an area of 50 acres, with 20 tons of cane 

 to the acre, would be reaped in seven days. Such an achieve- 

 ment would be of infinite lienefit to the sugar industry of 

 (j)neensland, a colony in which the labour ditficulty is at 

 present severely felt. 



