V^OL. IV. No. 93. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



339 



Seedling Cane D. 74 in Louisiana. 



The following extract in reference to the success- 

 ful cultivation of the West Indian seedling cane D. 74 

 in Louisiana is extracted from the Sugar Planters 

 Jdiiriud of October 7 : — 



The very general favour with which seedling cane I). 74 

 Las met all over the state may help to solve the problem of 

 a cane-cutting machine. This cane stands erect, defies the 

 storms and winds, and the grinding season finds it free from 

 prostrate and crooked canes. The more optimistic planters 

 are predicting the time when the cane will no longer be 

 stripped or cut by hand. 



This, however, is not the feature of D. 74 which renders 

 it poi)ular. It has stood on its merits as a sugar producer. 

 The present season will find many sugar mills making sugar 

 from this cane. But little of it was ground the past season. 

 Most of the crop was planted. Everything at present 

 indicates that the introduction of this cane by Dr. Stubbs 

 and its distiibutio?i from the experiment stations will prove 

 to be an epoch-making event in the history of sugar making 

 in Louisiana. 



Progress in the West Indies. 



The following is extracted from the International 

 Sugar Journal for October: — 



Mr. Robert Harvey, M.I.M.E., of Glasgow, recently 

 penned a letter to the Glasgow Jlerahl, in which he showed 

 that the West Indies are certainly realizing the necessity of 

 getting more modern sugar machinery, and that they show 

 a decided preference for British plant. He wrote : — 



I was much interested in reading your London letter in 

 your issue of Fridaj-, September 1, with regard to the West 

 Indies and the prospects of prosperity for these islands. 

 I agree with the writer that the old-time planter is now 

 becoming a thing of the past in the West Indies, and the 

 younger men now in the business are adopting more 

 up-to-date methods both as regards the cultivation of the 

 land for sugar-cane, and as to the method and the machinery 

 that should be used in turning the same into marketable 

 sugar. I beg, however, to differ from your correspondent 

 regarding the English sugar engineers being behindhand in 

 adopting new methods in the manufacture of sugar and sugar 

 machiner}'. It may be something new to your correspondent 

 to know that even with the superior yield of the land in the 

 Hawaiian Islands, and with all the improvements in 

 American sugar machinery, sugar is at present made in the 

 .West Indies as cheaply as in the Sandwich Islands. 



Furthermore, as steam ploughs and irrigation are now 

 being introduced into the AVest Indies, the cost of making 

 sugar will be still further reduced. 



The extra large yield of canes per acre mentioned by 

 your correspondent in the Sandwich Islands is, as he states, 

 by ploughing, draining, and irrigation, but this at great 

 expense. In fact, the estates are handicapped there by 

 irrigation machinery at enormous expense ; and over and 

 above this, the cost of the upkeep of drains and working 

 them is about £-5 per acre per annum, which has to be 

 reckoned with in arriving at the cost of their canes per ton, 

 and the American ton is 2,000 lb. against our Engli-sh ton of 

 2,240 ffj. 



The first consideration in the making of cheap sugar is 

 the cost of producing the canes. Tlie lower the rate at 

 which this can be done, the cheaper the sugar, and by the 

 use of the steam ploughs, and irrigation, the weight of canes 



per acre should be about double what it is at present with 

 hand labour in the West Indies. 



Your correspondent states in his letter that the 

 ingrained conservatism of the British manufacturer sometimes 

 makes it impo.ssible to do business with him. This may be 

 true in some case.s, but I question the truth of the 

 statement as regards sugar machinery. I have been visiting 

 Cuba and Porto Rico this last winter, and found as a rule in 

 those up-to-date sugar islands that English machinery was 

 much preferred to Americavi. In Porto Rico there is a duty 

 against English machinery of 45 percent. . . . This 4.5 percent, 

 would naturally prevent the introduction of further English 

 machinery ; but such is not the case, as many of the planters 

 inform me from their experience of American machinery, 

 after having used English machinery, it would be to their 

 advantage to pay the 45 per cent, duty so as to secure 

 English machinery, and in some cases this has been done. 

 This speaks for itself as to the superiority of the English 

 sugar machinery. !Many of the American ideas, I confess, 

 are very clever and useful ; but, in other case.s, I have seen 

 most elaborate and expensive machinery in use with results 

 which could have been accomplished by labour on the spot 

 for less money than the interest of the capital invested in the 

 machinery adopted for the purpose. 



Your correspondent hints that the English sugar 

 engineers do not go with the times in improving their 

 designs. This is contrarj' to the facts, as we are continually 

 making new designs, and improving our machinery and 

 methods for the manufacture of sugar, which is borne out 

 b)' the low price at which the sugar is now produced in the 

 West Indies — about £2 per ton under the cost at which beet 

 sugar can be produced in Europe. 



PAPAW JUICE. 



The following note on the juice of the papaw 

 appeared in the U. S. Montldy Consular Reports 

 for June :— 



Papaw juice is extracted from the fruit of the papaw 

 tree, which grows rapidly, attaining its full bearing capacity 

 in a year. It produces from forty to fifty papaws of a dark- 

 green colour, ripening to a deep yellow, in shape resembling 

 a squash. A very light superficial incision is made in the 

 fruit, from which exudes a clear waterdike juice, which on 

 exposure to the air becomes opaque. As it drips from the 

 fruit it is received in a porcelain-lined receptacle. As it is 

 very corrosive, metal receptacles would injure its appearance 

 ancl qualities. It possesses great digestive virtues, and the 

 refined article is considered superior to all animal pepsins. 



After the desired quantity has been collected, the juice 

 is placed in shallow porcelain- or glass-lined pans and 

 allowed to evaporate. While this is not a very delicate or 

 difficult operation, it requires considerable attention, so that 

 the juice will dry uniformly and the product be white and 

 well granulated. In its granulated state it is shipped to the 

 L^nited States, undergoes a refining process, and is sold as 

 the papaw of commerce for medicinal purposes. 



The ripe papaw is palatable and an excellent aid to 

 digestion. Meat wrapped in papaw leaves for a short time 

 becomes quite tender without any impairment in appearance 

 or taste. 



In extracting the juice the hands should be protected 

 bj' rubber gloves, as in its crude state it attacks the tissues. 

 An average tree will produce about | fc. of the granulated 

 juice. It sells in the United States for from $4 to $6 per tti. 

 in the crude state. 



