Vol. XI. No. 268. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



243 



Where the centre of the storm passes to the north of 

 the observer, the wind changes steadily from the north 

 to north-west and west, falling ultimately in the south- 

 west; where it passes on his south side, the wind moves 

 in the same steady way from north-north-east to east, 

 finally ceasing in a direction near south-east. 



These matters show firstly what signs of weather 

 are indicative of the approach of a cyclonic storm. 

 They also warn those who are in ihe direct track of 

 the storm against concluding that a sudden calm indi- 

 cates its end. Lastly, they enabli- those situated in 

 any area that it may pass over ti> judge with certainty 

 when the danger has passed, so that they maj- rela.x the 

 precautions that they have taken to avoid damage lo 

 life and property. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN INDIA. 



The imijortance of the sugar industry to India, and the 

 critical position in which it is finding itself to-da}-, merit 

 special mention. In consequence of the situation, more or 

 less serious, which has arisen, the Board of Agriculture was 

 called together in November last, some three months before due 

 date, principally on this account, in order to advise the 

 Government on the policy it should adnpt in regard to sugar. 

 Although the meeting was held at a time not strictly coming 

 within the period of this Annual Keport, it is, I think, 

 permissible, owing to the importance of the subject, to refer 

 to it here. As I pointed out in my opening address to the 

 Board: 'there are certain ominous sigi.s in the condition of 

 India's sugar trade which we cannot afford to ignore. With 

 increased facilities for cheap ocean traffic to and from all 

 parts of the world, and with the easy means of transit within 

 herself brought about by her network of railways, India has 

 been deprived of the natural barriers which formerly protected 

 her primitive industries, and consequently her sugar markets 

 have been invaded by cheap white sugar from abroad. The 

 imports of this white sugar have risen in the pa.*-! twenty 

 years from 80,000 to 700,000 tons per annum. It is not 

 only displacing the existing indigenous white sugar, but 

 owing to its cheapne.ss the consumption of e.xtra quantities 

 of white sugar is encouraged, especially where the influence 

 of Western civilization is being most f'it, and it is being 

 mixed with molasses and "gur"' and retailed as "gur". It is 

 thus undermining the foundations of the gur industry :«s 

 well as of the indigenous refined product. The effect has 

 been to cause a decline in the area under cane and a decrease 

 in the number of sugar mills and refineries in the more 

 important sugar tracts of India.' As the result of the 

 evidence placed before the Board and the discussion which 

 took place, the following points were agreed to in a series of 

 resolutions: (1) that owing to its threatened position the 

 sugar industry deserved the assistance of Government; 



(2) that the appointment of a Sugar Engineer was necessary; 



(3) that sugar stations should be located in sugar tracts; 



(4) that an acclimatization and cane-breeding station should be 

 established for the production of high quality canes; (5) that 

 facilities should be afforded to capitalists for the acqui- 

 sition of land and the erection of central factories, and assist- 

 ance should be given by subsidy or otherwise to pioneer 

 faotocies. 



The appointment of a Sugar Engineer has already been 

 carried out, and he has been placed under the Director of 

 Agriculture in the United Provinces, where half the sugar of 

 India is produced and the industry is vital to the welfare of 

 the agricultural population. The establishment of a cane- 

 breeding station is under the consideration of the Govern- 

 ment of India, and the location of sugar stations in sugar 

 tracts will doubtless receive the attention of Local Govern- 

 ments. It is too soon to report on the facilities it will be 

 possible to afford to capitalists for central and pioneer fact- 

 ories, but the matter is being enquired into and there seems 

 little reason to doubt but that there exists great scope for the 

 successful introduction of the centralized sugar factory sys- 

 tem. It is perhaps not generally known that there are 

 factories in both North and South India, working in recent 

 years upon this system, that have demonstrated the possi- 

 bility of making white sugar direct from the cane at a profit 

 to both the sugar factory and the grower, with sugar selling 

 at the minimum market price. And further, as indicated by 

 the evidence placed before the lioard, there are large areas 

 of waste land available to capitalists capable of producing 

 large crops of cane and waiting the erection of factories on 

 the centralized system. Thus, if the salvation of the Indian 

 sugar industry lies in the adoption of this system, as there 

 appears very good grounds for believing, there would not 

 only .seem no reason to doubt but that the whole of the 

 foreign sugar now imported into India could be made in this 

 country, but there would even seem to be room for imagin- 

 ing the possibility of an export trade to foreign countries. 

 These considerations appear to be warranted by the evidence 

 suVimitted to the Board. It only remains for those inter- 

 ested to avail themselves of the information thus afforded. 

 The Agricultural Departments throughout India have under- 

 taken to do all they can to assist in the introduction of better 

 canes and better methods of cultivation, and if the establish- 

 ment of a cane-breeding station, as recommended by the Board, 

 is carried out, the production of cane will have been placed on 

 a higher plane, and with the spread of the central factory 

 system there is ground for predicting the possibility of 

 India soon being abreast of other countries in its methods of 

 sugar production. In anticipation of the assistance that will 

 be required, the Assistant Inspector-General of Agriculture 

 in India has been entrusted with the task of starting experi- 

 ments on sugar plantations for the introduction of high 

 quality canes and improved methods of cultivation, and his 

 services are available for the purpose. (Bepot-f on the Progress 

 of Agriculture in India, 1910-11.) 



An article iu the Journal d' Agriralture Tropii-ale for 

 Aiiril 1912 refers to the fact that the suggestion hi- been 

 made, in Indo-China, that Eichornea cras^ipes, which has 

 increased to a harmful extent in the waterways of that 

 country, shall be utilized for the production of fibre. The 

 leaves of luc-binh, as the plant is called in Annam, have been 

 successfully treated in a sliu'htly modified Duchemin de- 

 corticator, and from the fibres obtained and dried in the 

 shade, rice bags have been made. Drying in the sun is 

 unsucc.ssful, as fermentation takes place, and the fibres lose 

 all their strength. 



