Vol. XV. No. 361. 



THE AGRICULTURAL XEWS. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



ANTIGUA SUGAR FACTORY. 



The following information is taicen from the Directors' 

 Report, 1915:— 



The cane crop of 19L5 suffered severely Vioth in quantity 

 and quality from unfavourable weather. The shortage in 

 quantity was fairly well made up by canes from neighbouring 

 outside estates The results from the inferior quality would 

 have been very marked had it not been that, owing to 

 improvements in the plant and in the manufacturing methodis, 

 the Factory work was much better than in any previous year. 

 The price of sugar has ruled at a high level, so the results of 

 the year are very satisfactory. 



The number of hours in which the mills have to be 

 stopped owing to want of cane is an increasing cause of loss 

 and trouble. This arises apparently from many of the 

 estates paying their labourers on Saturday night, so they 

 have no time to buy their household supplies till Monday, 

 and they accordingly take a holiday then. If all labourers 

 were allowed to break oti' work at 1 1 a.ra on Saturdays and 

 were paid then, or on Friday afternoons, it would help the 

 Factor}' work, and the estates would benefit b}' their half of 

 any .saving which resulted therefrom. 



The canes supplied have been (in tons) as follows: — • 



The sugar made and the prices realized are as follows:- 



After charging Revenue with £6,500 for Debenture and 

 'Additions' Sinking Funds, there remains a surplus of .£34,908 

 5.S-. 9(f., to be allocated as follows, in terms of the Agree- 

 ments: To New Contractors £12,763 3s. Sd. (equal to 

 4s. 4'82c/. per ton of canes), to Original Contractors £11,072 

 lis. lii. (equal to 10.«. 4'71rf. per ton), and to 'A' Share- 

 holders £11,072 lis. Orf. As the New Contractors received 

 a first payment of 17s. per ton for canes, the bonus addition 

 brings the total payment up to 21.?. 4'8(/.: in the case of the 

 'Original Contractors the first payment was 15s. 3-6(/., which 

 on addition of the bonus becomes 2-'>.'.-. 8-3cf. per ton. 



chemist's report foe 1915. 



According to general custom, a short statement 

 below concerning the working of the above F'actory 

 in the Chemist's Report (for 1915). 



Cane crushed, tons 



Sugar made, tons 



Tons of cane per ton of sugar 



Recovery on 'indicated' sucrose in 



juice, per cent. 

 Recovery on 'indicated' sugar in cane, 



per cent. 

 Water in megass, per cent. 

 Normal juice lost in megass per 100 



fibre 

 Average composition of first mill juice: 

 Total solids per cent. 

 Sucrose 

 Purity 



Total juice, including maceration water 

 Total .solids, per cent. 

 Sucrose 

 Purity 

 Maceration per cent, on first mill juice 



1915. 



81,520 

 8,390 

 9-71 



83, 

 9. 



90-39 



82-60 

 47-14 



40-5 



IS giveu: 

 as givea 



1914 



,030 

 150 

 9-07 



87-28 



79-09 

 48-3.5. 



42-8 



NEW FACTS CONCERNING SKIN 

 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



In this -Journal, A'ol. XIV, p. 123, was p-ablished a sum- 

 mary of observations recorded on the Antigua skin disease of 

 cattle published in full in the West Indian Bulletin, Vol. XV, 

 pp. 41-3. It was suggested that this disease, which .shows- 

 itself in eruptive and dry lesions of the skin and later in 

 horny scabs, might be due to a fungus. Several suspicious 

 genera of fungi were isolated from the skin, but it was not 

 found practicable to conduct inoculation experiments with 

 these. No organisms were detectable in the blood of tht^ 

 infected animals. 



The theory of fungoid causation is supported by recent 

 work on a skin disease of cattle in the Belgian Congo. In 

 the Bulletin A'jricole du Congo Beige, Vol. V, No. 4, 

 December 1914, a malady know as 'Dermato.se contagieuse' 

 is described, which bears considerable resemblance to the- 

 Antigua disease in the West Indies. Inoculation experi- 

 ments have shown it to be caused by a fungus named 

 Dcriiiatiipht/lvx congolense. The disease manifests itself on 

 the animal's body either in a localized or general form. 

 The localized affection is confined to the neighbourhood of 

 the anus, and this occurs in the dry season. In the wet 

 season the affection spreads, and humidity and high temper- 

 ature are therefore regarded as the most important predis- 

 posing causes. Conseijuently treatment consists first in 

 keeping infected animals in covered yards — cool and dry, 

 and away from the healthy ones. If the affection is localized, 

 tar may be applied. In the general form, carbolic pomade 

 may be used with benefit. 



As regards the cpiestion of resemblance between the 

 West Indian and Congo maladies, it should be stated that 

 nothing corresponding to the figure of the fungus in the 

 Congo have been seen in investigating the West Indian 

 form. The symptoms, however, show considerable similarity, 

 especially the hair raised in tufts recorded in the case of 

 both diseases, and the suppuration of the lesions. As the 

 disease advances it spreads, in the C'ongo form, all over the 

 animal, including its head. The animal dies in a state of 

 emaciation ('marasme'). 



