290 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Septembkk 23, 1905. 



While the West Indies as a whole are to be 

 heartily congratulated upon being so well represented 

 at this important exhibition and obtaining s<i large 

 a number of awards, special acknowledgement must 

 be made of the valuable work done by the Secretary 

 of the West India Committee and the Commissioners 

 of the various colonies rcjiresented, as well as by the 

 local committees (upon which the important work of 

 collecting and packing the exhibits fell), all of whom 

 have spared no pains to make the West Indian Couit 

 a great success. 



The great importance attached to this exhibition 

 by the Imperial Department of Agriculture has already 

 been given expression to in the columns of the 

 Agricultural N'ews!. When steps were first taken by 

 the West India Committee to secure the adequate 

 representation of these islands at this exhibition, the 

 opinion was freely expressed in certain quarters that 

 no useful purpose would be served, and in one or two 

 instances no official action was taken. The view taken 

 by this Department may be summed up in the 

 following extract from an editorial article in the 

 Agrtcultuml Xi'ws {Vol IV, p. 130): 'It is generally 

 recognized that the value of these exhibitions lies in 

 the promotion of trade, and it is mainly with the view 

 of promoting trade between the West Indies and the 

 Mother Country that exhibits are being sent from the 

 various colonies.' 



If proofs were needed of the beneficial intluence 

 of such an exhibition, many instances might be men- 

 tioned of new interest being aroused in West Indian 

 products. The exhibition has been very widely 

 attended and has consequently succeeded in awaken- 

 ing interest in the West Indies, their advantages as 

 a tourist resort, their diverse and manifold products, 

 and their trade possibilities. This may reasonably be 

 expected to have the effect of increasing the tourist 

 trade (which has already assumed considerable dimen- 

 sions in Jamaica), as the beauties of the islands, shown 

 by many fine photographs, become better known. In 

 connexion with the trade of these islands in new 

 products, the results of the exhibition are likely 

 to be, perhaps, more immediate. The inquiries 

 already being made with regard to West Indian 

 commodities confirm the opinions already expressed 

 as to the value of such exhibitions. Reference 

 might, perhaps, be made to one instance, which will 

 serve to show what can be done in this direction, if 

 full advantage be taken of the opportunities afforded. 

 A letter in the Gri>cer, calling attention to the 

 superiority of limes over lemons, together with an adver- 



tisement inviting grocers to obtain sample orders for 

 limes called forth upwards of 100 orders, which are 

 expected to result in at least fifty regular customers. 



It is therefore confidently anticipated that, mainly 

 as a result of the prominence accorded to the West 

 Indies at the Colonial Exhibition, a much-needed stimu- 

 lus will be given to the trade in man)' products between 

 the West Indies and the Mother Country. If this 

 hope be realized, all who have participated in the 

 successful elaboration of the West Indian Court will, 

 it is certain, consider themselves amply rewarded for 

 their labours. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Manufacture of Levulose. 



Triipiad Life for August has the following note 

 on a new process for manufacturing levulose or 'fruit 

 sugar ' i'roni chicor}' roots : — 



Mr. Slgnuind Stein, the sugar expert of Liverpool, is 

 .said to liave discovered a way of obtaining a sweetening 

 iiubstance, called levulose, by a purely mechanical process 

 and without the use of chemicals, from, chicory roots. This 

 may lead to cliicory being cultivated on a large .scale ia 

 England, wliere it used to be grown fairly extensively near 

 the city of Vork. Levulose is said to be six times sweeter 

 than sugar obtained from cane or beet, and uja to the 

 pre.sent discovery was obtained from dahlia roots and sold 

 at 6s. per Itj., whilst, by ilr. Stein's process, it is thought 

 possible that it would be sold at 6(/. per lb. and still leave 

 a good profit If this is so, levulose will cut out many of 

 its competitors, esjiecially for sweetening chani[iagne and 

 aerated waters. Tlie product is also called ' fruit sugar' 

 and seems to be of the nature of honey. 



Cuba. 



The following information is extracted from an 

 article on the Cuban sugar industry in the Mnuthly 

 Suiiiiaari/ of the U. S. Department of Commerce and 

 Labour : — 



Sugar is raised pretty generally all over the island, but 

 the bulk of the product comes from the four central 

 provinces — Havana, JIatanzas, Santa Clara, and Puerto 

 Principe. The jilant flourishes luxuriantly as a rule, with 

 comparatively little care or encouragement, and replanting 

 becomes neces.sary only once every ten or fifteen years, on an 

 average, so that agriculturally the crop is raised easily and 

 cheaply ; but the in'epaiatiou of the crop for market is 

 expensive in comparison, involving, as it does, hard labour in 

 harvesting, the building of grinding mills, the purchase of 

 costly machinery for making the sugar and for handling and 

 tran.sporting the product, the expenses of shiiimcnt, etc. 

 The cost of raising a pound of sugar in Cuba may be said 

 to be, speaking roughly, Ic, and the cost of manufacturing 

 and transporting it to .sea-board, under present conditions, 

 Ic. more, so that the total cost of production of sugar in 



