Vol. IX No. 204. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



51 



successful, or otherwise: no idea is given as to the effect 

 of any attendant circumstances in bringing about 

 a modification of the conditions under which it was 

 supposed to have its influence. Thus much of the 

 interest of the investigation is lost, and valuable infor- 

 mation as to its relation to the special ciircumstances 

 is rendered unavailable. 



If these three phases in the co-operation between 

 the planter and those whose work is undertaken in his 

 interest are to be developed to the stage of their largest 

 efficiency, they must not be evident solely in the times 

 of fear induced by the presence of untoward conditions. 

 They must become matters in the daily routine of 

 estate work. Only then will that co-operation be of the 

 greatest individual and collective value. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



8UGAR CULTIVATION IN PERU. 



A paper on this subject has recently been commun- 

 icated to the Journal d'Agricultiirr Ti'ojjicale by 

 M. Cesar Broggi, the Director of the Sugar Station at 

 Lima. In view of its general interest in sugar-growing 

 countries, the following abstract of it has been made: — 



It is only within the la.st fortj- years that the .sugar 

 industry has undurgone a real develojiment in Peru — a growth 

 which WHS assisted by the good prices tliat were received for 

 sugar in 1890. At present, the following products are 

 obtained from the juice of the cane: (1) sugar for export; 

 (•J) white sugar for local use; (3) 'chancaeas', or moist 

 sugars in prismatic lumps, of several qualities; (i) alcohol 

 and rum, by distillation; (-5) a native drink called 'chicha'. 

 The larger part of the sugar that is made is e.vported. 



The cane is cultivated in the warmest parts of the coun- 

 try: near the coast in the sheltered valleys of the Sierra and in 

 the midst of the mountainous region. The climate of the chief 

 sugar-growing districts is almost temperate, and kept equal>le 

 by constant winds, so that, in any given place, it does not de- 

 pend much on the latitude. 



The largest sugar works are situated in the district of 

 Chicama, where some of them have an output of about 

 16,000 tons of sugar for export per annum. According to 

 official statistics, the output of sugar from Peru, in 1907, 

 was 108,403 tons. The amount consumed in the country 

 itself was 21,068 tons, which brings the total productifm for 

 the year to 129,471 tons, a quantity which does not include 

 8,897 tons of ' chancaca ' utilized on the spot. Of alcohol, 

 176,000 gallons was distilled, of which 23,848 was e.vported. 

 There are practicplly no importations of alcohol into Peru. 

 The area devoted to cane-growing is 22,000 acres. It would 

 ap[iear that the exports of these products increased largely 

 during 190S, though there are no figures available to 

 demonstrate this fact. 



For the purpose of preparing the soil, Fowler's steam 

 ploughs, with four shares, are employed throughout the coast 

 region. They are always followed by a harrow, and the soil 

 is pulverized by means of a roller. After ploughing, the 

 trenches for planting and for irrigation and drainage are 

 opened. In order to simplify this part of the work, the land 

 is divided into .sections about 300 by 150 feet in area, 

 separated by roads 12 to 2-5 feet wide, between which are 

 laid out paths 9 to lo feet wide. The lines of the trenches 



are traceil by means of a small wooden ploughs, at a distance 

 apart of 3 to H feet, according to the estate on which the culti- 

 vation is lieing Carried out; for the purpose of deepening 

 the.se, a doul.lu mould-board plough, or ' cajon', is used. 

 The large drainage trenches run parallel to the road.s, while 

 the irrigation canals take the direction of the paths. These 

 are made I'V means of the ' campa', which is a kind of 

 shovel drawn by o.xen; this serves also to make the .smaller 

 trenches which occur at every third, fifth or tenth rt.w, 

 according to the slope of the land and the local custom. 



The planting material most generally consists of nothing 

 but cane tops, or ' cogollos', which are chosen from the 

 healthiest canes when they are being cut. In putting these 

 in, care is taken to allow the upper part to project from the 

 soil— a precaution that would not be required in the case of 

 cuttings. The length of the tops employed for this purpose 

 is about 1 () inches. At the ends of the different sections 

 of each row, two additional cane tops are planted, for the 

 purpose of supplying dead holes at the end of the 'spring'. 

 The first weeding is done when the plants attain a height 

 of about 1 foot; the rest succeed at irregular intervals, at 

 such times as the weeds tend to overrun the land. The canes 

 are moulded up, about five months after planting, by means 

 of the 'cajon', described above, and advantage of this opera- 

 tion is often taken to make an application of manure. The 

 latter generally consists of guano, together with the ash of 

 the megass, or with sulphate of potash. The dressing is 

 completed with lime and nitrate of soda, or potash ; so far, 

 green manuring is practised but little. 



The cane fields on the coast lands are irrigated by means 

 of canals containing a supply of water drawn from the rivers 

 which rtow from the Andes. In the winter season, only 

 a certain amount of water is available for each planter, as 

 the supply is limited during this part of the year. With 

 rare exceptions, the amount of water at command during the 

 summer is greater, and some of this could be saved for use 

 during the drier season by the erection of expensive reserv- 

 oirs. On the other hand, it is the want of water that 

 prevents the extension of the cultivation. The application 

 of water is etlected by infiltration, submersion, or by means 

 of weirs, according to the slope of the land. Some of the 

 wetter soils are only irrigated once during the season, while 

 for the drier ones, the operation is repeated as many as 

 twenty-four times, the average number of irrigations not 

 being more than five. Schemes for the improvement of the 

 irrigation system are under consideration. The wet soils are 

 drained by means of open trenches and, during the last two 

 or three years, a commencement has been made with the 

 adoption of pipe drains. 



The periods of growth are: for plants, twenty to twenty- 

 four months; for ratoons sixteen to twenty months. The 

 canes are generally allowed to ratoon four or five times; in 

 e.Kceptional cases, tenth, twelfth, or even fifteenth ratoons are 

 grown. Climatic conditions are .such that the cane may be 

 harvested at any time of the year; the rule is, however, to 

 cease cutting for one or two months during the year, in order 

 to provide time for necessary repairs to the sugar works. 

 A native can cut four or five tons of cane per day. 



The plant itself is subject to few diseases. Rats have 

 not yet become the scourge that thej' isire in several 

 tropical countries. Among insects, borers are capable of 

 doing much harm, but are effectively controlled by the selec- 

 tion of unattacked tops for planting. 



It may be said, finally, that continual progress is being 

 made by the sugar industry of Peru, and that this progress 

 is materially assisted by the society of planters known as 

 the ' Union Azucarera'. 



