foL. IV. No. 96. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



387 



these figures, which confirmed on an estate scale what was 

 found on the small experiment plots. 



He would like to supplemeiit what he had mentioned at 

 the last meeting with regard to the good results obtained from 

 the ]J. ^OS. As no doubt some of the members present knew, 

 this cane was at present being cultivated in, amongst other 

 countries, .Tamaica and Queensland. ]Jr. Cousins, in his report 

 on the Sugar-cane Ex| eriments at Jamaica for the last year, 

 .says: '¥>. '20f< on a much larger area gave a return of 66'-i) tons 

 canes. The Bourbon gave 39-5 tons canes and Mont Blanc 33'8 

 tons per acre.' Further on in the re[iort, he saj's: 'The out- 

 standing features of the 3-ear's trials are the splendid qualities 

 of B. 208 and the promising nature of the selected Jamaica 

 seedlings.' In Queen.sland, Mr. Edward Oriniley, in a paper 

 on the 'Improvement of Plants' read before the Agricultural 

 Conference held at Queensland last May, referring to B. 208, 

 says : ' We have now a report from Messrs. Gibson, of 

 Bingera, which gives a return of 69 tons, 6 cwt. of cane per 

 acre, with 22'2 per cent, of sucrose and Brix. 23'9, or "21 -io 

 per cent, of possible obtainable cane sugar, or over 14 tons 

 to the acre. These results were obtained under irrigation, 

 and the experiment plot was well manured. The average 

 yield in Queensland per acre for the last seven years was 

 13-16 tons, so that B. 208 gave more sugar per acre than 

 the average tons of canes per acre in Queensland.' In 

 conclusion, ilr. Bovell said that planters in the red soils 

 should cultivate more of the B. 208, so as to ascertain 

 whether this cane is an acquisition or not. To do this, 

 vliat was necessary was for a planter to grow, say, an acre of 

 B. 208 in the saine field with the White Transparent, or 

 even half a field of each variety, taking care that the 

 conditions in which the canes were planted were the same for 

 both varieties. Each acre or half field could be reaped by 

 itself, crushed separately, the juice measured, and a sample 

 of each sent to the Government Laboratory, as he was quite 

 sure Professor d'Albuquerqne w'ould be only too pleased to 

 supply them with ready prepared bottles for the samples, 

 and to furnish them with analyses of their samples. 



In reply to a question from the President as to whether 

 any one present desired to ask Mr. Bovell anything, 

 Mr. Cameron said that for many years i>ast, under the 

 advice, and with the assistance, of Professor d'Albuquerque 

 and Mr. Bovell, a system had been i.tarted on his estates 

 for recording results of each day's work. At the end 

 of the crop these daily records were tabulated, and the 

 figures consequently were in no way estimates — they were 

 absolute concrete facts — nothing less, nothing more. He 

 Lad much pleasure in lianding Mr. Bovell statements from 

 three estates, giving records of results obtained for the last 

 three years from each variety of cane planted on these three 

 estates. At the same time he wished to make it absolutely 

 clear that he was only giving his own exjierience of certain 

 canes, as grown on the estates under his charge : he was in 

 no way telling any one what canes they were to plant or not 

 to plant. Before sitting down, he would like, on behalf of 

 himself and of the proprietors of the estates he represented, 

 to express publicly the sense of deep obligation which 

 they all felt to Sir Daniel Morris and his Department, and 

 more especially to Professor dAlbuquerque and Mr. Bovell, 

 for the very great and valuable a.ssistance and help he 

 had received from their hands for so man}- years past, and 

 for the kindness and courtesy with w-hich they had invariably 

 received all his apiilications for information. Personally he 

 was of opinion that the whole sugar-growing community was 

 under a deep obligation to Professor d'Albuquerque and 

 Mr. Bovell for the light their valuable work had thrown on 

 the matter of selection and cultivation of the sugar-cane. 



Central Factories. 



In reference to the address on the subject of 

 central factories delivered by the Imperial Couiniis- 

 sioner of Agricidtiiie, at a meeting of the Barbados 

 Agricultural Societ}' held on November 17 last, which 

 was jtublished in the Aijricultural News, Vol. IV, 

 pp. 372-3, interest attaches to the following extract 

 from a letter from Mr. L. Bert de Lamarre to the 

 Hon. Sir Daniel Morris : — 



I was a member of the first committee appointed here 

 in 1891 or about that time, and you can read in the report 

 of the committee that our views were exactly 3'ours. 



The factory at Antigua [iroves that, with sound people 

 like ilirrlees, and dealing direct with them, factories can be 

 established at ,£14 per ton of manufacturing power and give 

 good results. Barbados has thrown away, and is still 

 throwing into the fire, 40 per cent, of sugar. It is useless to 

 grow the best canes if the same process is to continue. 



In Trinidad, at my Tacarigua factory with double 

 expressions and maceration, I obtained an extractiou of 70 

 per cent., and I find that I ought to extract more. It is the 

 only way to face the present state of the sugar market. We 

 must make up in quantity for the shortage of prices now 

 prevailing, and perhaps to continue, unless the syndicate of 

 united growers on the continent decide, as proposed in 

 October, to restrict their output in beets — copying the arrange- 

 ments made between the nitrate producers. The sugar-cane 

 industry here and elsewhere is the only industry which is 

 satisfied to throw away 40 per cent., on the average, of the 

 initial material they have to work with. The sugar-beet 

 industry has no margin to work or to improve. When all 

 is considered, we have a formidable margin of 40 per rient. 

 which, if well handled, can save the cane sugar industry in 

 general in the West Indies. 



SISAL HEMP CULTIVATION. 



The following note on the cultivation of sisal 

 hemp is extracted from the Annual Report of the 

 Department of Agriculture, Queensland : — 



The cultivation in this country or the plant from which 

 the fibre known by the name of sisal is e.xtracted having 

 been practically established, it may be well, in order that 

 those who are cultivating it may learn something of the 

 opinions held concerning it in other countries that are 

 similar to our own, to glance briefly at those opinions. The 

 report of the Acting Governor of the Bahamas for 1903-4 

 states that the fibre industry has become firmly established, 

 and that unless prices fall below e.xpectations, it will progress 

 in public estimation as a field for investors with small 

 capital. It is the least precarious of all agricultural indus- 

 tries, and the plants are hardy and well able to withstand 

 long droughts. The fibre product is capable of storage in 

 bales for a length of time without suft'ering deterioration. 

 The British Consul at Vera Cruz, in Mexico, says that the 

 growers have become very wealthy (probably planters on 

 a large scale are referred to). The exports from the Bahamas 

 may be valued at about £40,000 per annum, and from the 

 Mauritius at about £46,000, most, if not all, of which goes 

 to the United States of America, which imported fibre in 

 1903 to the the value of £2,6.57,888, at a cost of £30 12s. 6d. 

 per ton. During 1904 the price rose to £3.5 per ton. Sisal is 

 eminently suited to those parts of the country where the 

 rainfall is limited, and wdiere the thermometer does not fall 

 below, say, 40 ': and upon a limestone formation it will thrive 

 better than in situations where that quality is absent. 



