Vol. XV. No. 362, 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



8.S 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



THE TRANSPORT OF SUGAR-CANE 

 IN CUBA. 



The area under sugar-cane in Cuba i.s not easy to arrive 

 ut, but, knowing the crop, and assuming the liberal figure 

 of 2-5 tons of cane per acre, the area nf the fields cut each 

 year in Cuba will be approximately 1 million acres, or, say, 

 slightly more than 41,000 square miles of the island's 

 surface. Bearing in mind the large area occupied by uncul- 

 tivated spots and roads and pasture, the total area from 

 which the cane is drawn will be very nearly or quite double 

 the acreage from which the cane is actually cut. Mr. J. A. 

 Hall, Jnr , in the Louisiana Plantar (February 8, 1916), 

 gives an interesting article describing how on this large area 

 the huge Cuban crop is transported. The canes are always 

 taken from the fields to the nearest factor}- line in what are 

 tailed bull carts, resembling in most respects the carts 

 employed for a similar purpose in the British West Indies. 

 They differ, however, in one important respect, namely, they 

 are provided with wheels of very large diameter. These 

 enable the cart to mount obstructions and climb out of holes 

 that would effectually stop smaller wheels, while they can 

 sink 2 feet or more in the mud and still have the hub and 

 axle clear. These wheels are comparatively narrow, so there 

 is little opportunity for collecting considerable quantities 

 of mud: but, on the other hand, this narrow surface forms 

 a cutting edge that is quick to make a deep impression on 

 a new road, and is certain to keep an old one in bad condi- 

 tion. In this connexion the general practice of leaving 

 a carpet of leaves and trash on the harvested fields is useful, 

 in so far as it prevents the cart wheels from sinking into 

 the soil, and protects the stubble from being injured. 



These bull carts are loaded with 1 to 3 tons of cane, 

 according to the condition of the roads, and are drawn by 

 four or six bulls. As already intimated, they are in use on 

 every plantation on the island, and handle at least 80 per cent, 

 of the cane that comes from the fields, though, of course, on 

 account of the fine railway systems, very little of this reaches 

 the cane carrier in these vehicles. They are used principally 

 for the comparatively short hauls from field to transfer 

 station, where cane is loaded into the railway cars and carried 

 to the factory. 



Conservatively estimated, a cart and two yoke of bulls 

 are worth in Cuba S.500, and an outfit of this kind hauls an 

 average of 6 tons of cane per day. The average Cuban 

 factory grinds 1,000 to 1,200 tons of cane per day, requir- 

 ing, therefore, 150 to 2.50 carts and 600 to 1,000 bulls, 

 with a total value of .$7.5,000 10 .'5125,000. 



The cane is cut into lengths of about 3 feet, and piled 

 carefullj' into the carts by hand, in such a manner that chain 

 slings may be passed beneath the bundle for lifting it into the 

 railway cars by one of the modern tyjiesof steel derricks used 

 for this purpo.se. These derricks are similar to the old-styled 

 wooden, but their solidity and lasting qualities are much 

 superior to those of the wooden apparatus. 



All these loading devices, which can be seen along the 

 railwaj- lines, are operated by the same bulls that haul the 

 cane from the fields, Quite a few jilantations have experi- 

 mented with hoists operated by gasolene-motors but which 

 may also be operated by bulls in case of an accident to the 

 engine. As a rule these gasolene-driven hoists have given 

 fair satisfaction, but the general impression is that they can 

 only be used economically where ijuantities of cane much 

 above the average must be handle. 



Following the bull carts in importance comes the equip 

 ment of a portable car, mainly used on the larger plantations- 

 where it takes the place of bull carts in some fields. The 

 experience of the past crop, when so much rainy weather 

 was had, was sufficient on account of interrupted grinding 

 from lack of cane to prompt the largest orders for portable 

 tracks that had been placed for some time Amongst the 

 great advantages of these temporary light railway lines is 

 the fact that they discount weather conditions to a very 

 large extent,and enable cane to be tran.sported under conditions 

 where the use of the bull cart would be impossible. Further, 

 these rail tracks release a great deal of pasture land for cane 

 cultivation. On the other hand, the discarding of the cattle 

 means less pen manure for the canes. On these portable 

 tracks, the small cars are generally pushed by hand, in fact^ 

 they correspond with the tram lines of Eastern plantations. 

 The portable track generally used in Cuba is the 24 or 30- 

 inch gauge, made in sections that vary from 10 to 30 feet in. 

 length. The rails are usually fastened to cross ties of steel 

 plate sufficiently light to permit the lifting of each section, 

 but heavy enough to allow the cars to be operated safely, and. 

 at a satisfactory speed. Connexion between rail and 

 tie is generally effected by means of bolts, one of the 

 latest designs being illustrated in the article from 

 which this information has been obtained. A very con- 

 venient type of track is one useil on many estates, possess- 

 ing the advantage of not needing wrenches of any kind 

 to take the sections apart or to couple them together; the 

 end of the rail of one section simply slides into the slice bar 

 that is bolted or rivetted securely on the end of the other 

 section. By this arrangement both time and labour are 

 saved. 



The Louisiana Planter goes on to state that only an 

 insignificant amount of cane is handled by any means except 

 the two described, but of late years several of the factories 

 and manufacturers of agricultural implements have carried 

 on experiments with apparatus with the idea of developing 

 a system that will combine the fiexibility of the bull cart 

 with the dependability and capacity of the portable track. 

 Principal among these experiments has been those with 

 carts mounted on four broad tyred steel wheels. In some 

 cases these carts are drawn by bulls, in others a num- 

 ber of carts are coupled together and pulled by a tractor. 

 When pulled by bulls these steel wheel carts are loaded up to 

 6 to 8 tons, while one of the cars of a tractor train will take 

 5 tons. It is believed that the steel wheel cart and the tractor 

 will eventually take the place of the old-fashioned wooden 

 vehicle. 



The subject of Bulletin No. 291 contributed from the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Department of 

 Agriculture, is the breeding of millet and sorghum for drought 

 adaptation. The.se two useful fodder crops have proved to be 

 adapted to drought and capable of producing profitable crops^- 

 where the annual rainfall averages so little as from 12 to 18 

 inches. The drought adaptation of millet is due largely to 

 its early maturity and low water requirements, while sorgho- 

 has, in addition to these two valuable characteristics, 

 a remarkable ability to withstand drought, that is to say, 

 it can remain in a sort of state of quiescence and 

 resume growth upon the return of favourable conditions. 

 These two crops require less water for the production of 1 ton 

 of fodder than any other crops that have been tested in tlie- 

 Central Great plains of the United States. 



