YoL. VIII. No. 188. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NKWS. 



211 



blowing, the centre of the storm lies on his right 

 hand. If he is directly on the storm track, the wind 

 will remain constant in direction, with increasing 

 violence and rapidly falling barometer until the centre 

 arrives ; then there will be a short period of calm, after 

 which the wind will suddenly begin to blow from the 

 direction opposite to that previously experienced, and 

 the violence will slowly abate as the centre passes away. 

 It is esseiiiiaT lo be on the look-out for this recurrence 

 of wind of great violence after the passing of the central 

 calm. 



If the centre of the storm passes on the north side 

 of the observer, the wind will steadily shift from north 

 to north-west to west, and die away somewhere in the 

 neighbourhood of south-west. 



If, on the other hand, the centre passes on the 

 south, the wind will steadily shift from north-north- 

 east to east, and die away sontie where in the south-east. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Sugar Crop of British India. 



.An official e.-itimate of the sugar-cane crop of 

 British India, for tlie year 19(IN y, has lately been 

 issued, whicii contain.s a few points worthy of notice. 



The total area under .sugar-cane in the seven provinces 

 (if British India i.s reported to be 2,184,000 acres, which 

 represents a net decrease of 455,200 acres, or 17 per cent., 

 as comiiared with last year. 



The total yield from this large area wa.s no more than 

 1,841,800 tons of unrefined sugar, or considerably less than 

 1 ton per acre. This yield, however, shows a decrease of 

 10 per cent, on the total return given in 1907-8 — a decline 

 which is chiefly attributed to drought. 



It is in the United Provinces that the chief sugar-grow- 

 iiii; districts of British India are situated, and here over 

 50 per cent, of the total sugar crop of the country is produced. 

 In the past season, however, there was a decline of 24 per 

 cent, in the acreage planted with cane in these provinces, 

 the area falling from 1,481,700 acres in 1907-8, to 1,119,400 

 acres in 11(18-9. Similarly, the total yield of raw sugar 

 decreased from 916,700 tons to 843, 70U tons. The crop 

 sufiered very considerable damage both from drought and 

 insects in the past year. 



In Bengal, which usually produces abotit 19 per cent, 

 of the total sugar crop of the country, the area planted in 

 1908-9 is estimated at 375,000 acres, as compared with 

 436,200 acres in the previous year. The yield obtained 

 shows a very large decline, having fallen from 407,800 tons 

 in 1907-8, to 255,800 tons in f 908-9. Drought was the 

 cau.se of this decrease. 



About 12 per cent, of the Indian sugar crop is produced 

 in the I'unjab, and in 1908 this province was fortunate in 

 having favourable rains. As a result, the output showed an 

 increase of about 11 per cent, on the crop of 1907-8. 



Eastern Bengal, Assam, and Madras also sufiered from 

 drought, and showed dintinished crops of sugar in the past 

 season. 



Amount of Water Needed for the Maximum 

 Development of the .Sugar-cane Plant. 



Bulletin No. 17, of the Eatacion Central A(jro- 

 numica de Caha, on Irrigation, by J T. Crawley, 

 Director, is reviewed in the June number of the 

 A'inrrican Sugar InilaM.ri/ (luiJ Beet Sugar Gazette, 

 from which the following notes are taken : — • 



The Hawaiian sugar planters have probably done more 

 and better work in irrigating sugar-canes than any other 

 people, and therefore the experience acquired in Hawaii as to 

 the amount of water required for the maximum development 

 of the cane will he of interest in all sugar-growing countries. 



In Hawaii, it is not known just what amount of water 

 is \ised per acre, but a good aporoximate estimate may be 

 arrived at from the known capacity of the pum|i, and of the 

 streams supplying water for irrigation. 



Where the annual rainfall is 50 inches or less, it is 

 estimated that 5,000,000 gnllons are sufficient and this is 

 equal to 184 inches of rainfall per annum. The 50 inches of 

 actual rainfall and the 184 inches supplied by irrigation 

 give a total of 234 inches. 



The greater part of the rainfall in Hawaii comes during 

 the winter, when the rate of growth of the cane is not rapid, 

 and the evaporation from the soil is comparatively slow. 



In Cuba, on the other hand, the larger part of the rain 

 falls in the summer, a season of great heat and rapid growth 

 and rapid evaporation, and consequently at a season when it 

 does the greatest amount of good to the cultivations, with 

 the result that 50 inches of rainfall in Cuba is generally of 

 greater value to the crops than the same amount would be in 

 Hawaii, and consequently the need of irrigation will not be 

 as great in the former as in the latter place. 



Cane is a cro^i that needs for its best development 

 a large amount of water. It is given as the opinion of the 

 writer of the bulletin that 100 inches of water, if applied at 

 regular intervals and in (juantities proportional to the needs 

 of the cane, would probably be sufficient, but that with the 

 loss experienced in the surface run-otf and seepage, at least 

 125 inches are necessary for the fitll development. 



Some modifications of these figures would however result 

 if the nature of the .soil were taken into consideration, .since 

 the power of absorption, retention of the water by the soil, 

 and the nature of the subsoil are factors that would some- 

 what alter the local conditions. 



The Bourbon Cane. 



In the last number of the Ayricidtnral News, see page 

 201, mention was made of the papers by Mr. Tempany and 

 Mr. Bovell on the Bourbon cane, which appeared in the 

 Wcft Indian Jiullctin, Vol. X, No. I. 



It must be remembered that these papers deal with 

 actual experience, and the statements made with regard to 

 recent trials do not demonstrate that the Bottrbon cane has 

 entirely ' passed,' but they show that on account of the 

 abundance of fungoid diseases, and the susceptibility of the 

 Bourbon cane to them, this variety cannot be grown 

 profitably in Barbados, Antigua, or St. Kitt's. 



Perhaps the Bourbon may sliU be a profitable cane to 

 grow in other places where the conditions are less favour- 

 able to the fungtis. 



The articles referred to also show that the chief 

 su{)eriority of the Bourbon was in the softness, low fibre content 

 and consecjuent easy milling ((ualities, not in larger yields of 

 cane nor of sugar, nor yet in ' .ner sucro.se content of the 

 juice. 



