November i, 1882.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



413 



SUGAR-MAKINR IN, AND THE INTRODUC 



TION OF NEW VARIETIES OF SUGAR OANE 



TO, CEYLON ; &e. 



Colombo, 21st September 1882. 



Dear Sin, — Referring to passages on the above sub- 

 jects iu the address of His Excellency Sir James 

 Longden to the Legislative Council yesterday, I beg 

 to offer a few facts which may not be generally 

 known, and which may be of use to Dr. Trimen in 

 case he attempts to introduce varieties of sugarcane 

 to Ceylon :— It is likely that the real sugarcane 

 (Saccanim ojficinarum) was introduced by the Portu- 

 guese or the Dutch to Ceylon, but in jSlooii's time, 

 1824 the white and purple stemmed varieties were 

 grown in Ceylon. 



Tlie experiments made at Peradeniya, Paradua, Del- 

 patgedera, Katukende and elsewhere to grow cane 

 and manufacture sugar are all well known to have 

 euded in failure, though some of them were conducted 

 by old and experienced West Indian and Mauritius 

 sugar planters. 



When surveying in the vicinity of Katukende in 

 1841-2 I had frequent opportunities of meeting the 

 Messrs. de Chermont, who had come to Ceylon from 

 Mauritius on purpose to grow sugarcane and manu- 

 facture sugar, and from the felling of the primoeval 

 forest to the planting and reaping of the canes I 

 watched the several operations with gri^at interest. 

 The Messrs. de Chermont imported all the canes for 

 planting, I believe, direct from Mauritius, and I well re- 

 collect seeing the effects of the borer, the grub of a moth 

 imported with the canes from Mauritius ; neverthe- 

 less I have often said since that I never saw any 

 plant that could compete with the sugarcane planted 

 at Katukende for such a luxuriant and equal wi-ight 

 of crop. In from nine to ti'n months' time I should 

 think the plants were from six to eight feet in height, 

 and I do not believe that any thing that can be 

 planted in Ceylon can produce an equal weight of 

 crop in the same time as sugircane. 



I can scarcely doubt but the best varieties of cane 

 then growing in Mauritius were introduced to Ceylon 

 on this and subsequent occasions, and that it is not 

 likely the natives lost the chance of growing all these 

 in their gardens. 



If His Excellency the Governor or any resident in 

 Colombo will drive out between the hours of 7 to 10 

 a. ui. by any of the roads entering the to^n from the 

 direction of Kotte, Kaduwella, and the Bridge of Boats, 

 they will find bundles of sugarcane to he the most 

 abundant produce brought in to be sold to the in- 

 habitants Women, chddren, and bullock-carts will 

 be met with for several hours of the day carrying 

 in loads to the extent of several tons' weiglit, all of 

 which is grown within a disance ot six to ten miles 

 of Colombo in small private fields.* 



A few days ago a small field of sugarcane was 

 in full H jn'er a little beyond tlie level crossing close 

 to the canal ac the new siding near Urugoddewatta, worth 

 looking at by those who would like to see the sugarcane 

 in full flower. Knowing of the fuecess of the experiments 

 carried on, on a small scale by the Messrs. Winter 

 and Bowman at Galle, I suggested to a gentleman in 

 Colombo tae propriety of erecting ii sugar manufactory 

 in the vicinity of the great extent of cane-fields near 

 Colombo, and buying tlie canes from the native 

 growers. The reply was that the machinery required 

 to mfinufacture our Ceylon canes into good sugar would 

 be so expensive that it would not pay. I Ijave no 

 doubt that any variety, of the sugar-cune introduced 

 by Dr. Trimen, and planted iu a portion of the 

 Heueratgodde gardens, would grow well, but, before 



" who t'uu tell us the average yield per acre of such cane and 

 its wholesale and retail price per cwt. or lb.? Five cents each piece 

 er stii'k is the quotation given to us. — El>. 

 52 



any expense is incurred in this respect, Dr. Trimen 

 should reeeive specimens of all the different kinds 

 of cane now grown in Ceylon, and a report on the 

 reasons for the failuro of former attempts to inauu- 

 facture sugar profitably in the island, 



It is well known that several attempts made to raise 

 large seeded varieties of the Indian corn, an allied 

 plant, in the island, ended in failure. They all after a 

 time degenerate into the most common small seeded 

 form ; and I fear our soil cannot compete with that 

 of Jamaica and Maritius for the growth of sugar-cane. 



In respect to the conservancy of our forests, I think 

 the reproduction of a discussion on this subject by 

 the late Sir Coomara Swainy in the Legislative 

 Council in Ojlober aud November 1867, and a letter 

 by myself would prove of interest now especially if 

 a report of the result of the appointment of Government 

 Conservators were appended, — Yours truly, 



W. FERGUSON. 



Gdpkea Bakk. — Professor G. Planchon, in the Journal 

 de Pharmacie, this month, throws some fresh light on the 

 soiu-ce of cuprea bark. A microscopical examination of 

 the specimens supplied to him by M. Triana showed that 

 the harks derived from Bucaramanga, in the north, and 

 from Uanos, the southern district, both present the same 

 characters aud are evidently both furnished by Reinijia 

 pedinicuhit'i. The cinchouamine bark of M. Ai'naud pre- 

 sents dilJ'erent microscopical characters, aud is refeiTed by 

 M. Planchon to E. Purdinma. He remarks that a 

 microscopical examination has never yet deceived him in 

 the solution of like problems. A singular confinnation of 

 the value of this method of research ocom's in the foi-m 

 of a postscript to M. Planchon's article, in whichhe state 

 that since it was wiitten M. Triana has I'eceive Infrom- 

 ation to the effect that the cinchonamine bark does not 

 come direct from Bucaramanga, but only passes through 

 it, being collected near Autioquia on the other side of the 

 Magdaleua river. Fm-ther, that a large exporter of the 

 cuprea bark has recognized the southern bark as the pro- 

 duce B. peduncidata. — Pharmaceutical Journal. 



OsTRica Farming — In a young country it is al- 

 ways cheering to hear of the establishment of new 

 industries pirticularly when it is done without the 

 aid of any artificial stimulus, such as protective 

 duties or a large State bonus. We therefore, hail 

 with especial pleasure Mr. W. Malcolm's successful 

 effort at ostrich farming at Buchsfelde, near Gawler. 

 A year or so atro he paid a visit to South Africa, and 

 noticing the large profits that were made by people 

 who kept ostriches, he determined to purchase two 

 or three birds and see how they would do in South 

 Australia. He experienced some difficulty in keeping 

 them alive on the voyage from the Cape, and lost 

 one or two valuable birds, but nothing discouraged, 

 he persever-d until he had a number safely housed 

 at his farm. Though little more than a year has 

 elapsed since he started his operations, his enterprize 

 has met with an excellent reward already. He has 

 now a flock of 30 birds, of which only nine have 

 been imported ; and he has proved to his satisfaction 

 that the feathers of locally-bred ostriches are of equal 

 value to those produced elsewhere. It is now clear 

 that the climate aud other conditions of the colony 

 are suited for osinch-growing, and there is no reason 

 why the industry should not extend beyond the limits 

 of one farm, as the demand for ostrich feathers is 

 said to be practically limitless. We understand that 

 the Government are disposed to favourably regard 

 Mr. D. C. F. Moodie's application for a lease of 6,000 

 acres iu the Far North, with which, assisted by a 

 few of our leiiding colonists, he purposes establi3hin<^ 

 an ostrich farm. Should the ex|ieriment succeed, we 

 shall have proof that an extensive arei of the colony 

 is a 'apted for what is to us a new, and probably may 

 prove to be an important imXuatTy.— Adelaide Observer, 



