Februarv 8, 1885. J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



f-4S 



New York imports Orange-peel largely from different 

 parts of the world. In 1877 the imports were to the value 

 of 9,000 dols., since then they have risen in value to 12,000 

 dols. The shipments from Havre to New York by steamer 

 are frequently 200 sacks, value about £200. 



The fruit and rind of the bitter Orange, C. Bigaradia, 

 is also used for candied Orange-peel. The rind is thicker 

 than that of the sweet Orange, and much more rich in 

 aromatic oil, so that there is always a great demand for 

 it for making essential oil of Orange, flavouring extracts, 

 bitter preparations, and liqueurs. The well known and 

 delicious liqueur known as Ouracoa is made in large part 

 from a distillation of the bitter Orange-peel. Many people 

 imagine that this liqueur comes from the island of Ouracoa, 

 but this is a mistake. The Dutch make it in Holland 

 mainly from the Orange-peel imported from that island. 

 which is one of their possessions, and have named it after 

 that island as a sort of guarantee of its quality, for un- 

 deniably the finest Orange-peel in the world comes from 

 there. The bitter Orange-peel is one of the principal 

 items of export from Curacoa, indeed it ships little of any 

 importance except this peel, Divi-divi, and Aloes. Hund- 

 reds of thousands of pounds of this peel are sent annu- 

 ally to Holland. In Amsterdam there is a regular Orange- 

 peel mart, where saucers full of peels are set out upon 

 long tables, and testers go among them selecting for 

 purchasers. Such experience have these men that they 

 can tell simply by breaking and smelling a bit of peel 

 just what part of the tropical .world it comes from, and 

 that from Curacoa always commands a higher price than 

 any other. — P. L. 8. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



SUGAR CULTURE IN MANILA, PENANG, 

 AND CHINA. 



The following letter, originally published in 1SS1, in the 

 Uaii-aiuut Gazette, is extracted from a United States Consular 

 Report. The writer, Mr. Robert Collard, is stated to be a civil 

 engineer and Sugar Planter of large experience in Peru : — 

 "I crossed the China Sfa in a small Spanish steamer, 

 and within a week after leaving Shanghai found myself in 

 the capital of the Philippine Islands. The first sight I had 

 of these islands was a high mountain range on the island 

 of Luzon, close to the entrance of Manila Bay. Although 

 within one day's journey from the capital, these mountains 

 are inhabited by savages. The day is very large, but the 

 water is shallow. Mauila is located at a point where a 

 small river enters the bay. This river is navigable for small 

 steamers, and comes from a most extensive lake (over 40 

 miles long). The city proper is on one side of the river, 

 and the commercial town on the other, the post authorities 

 on one side and the custom-house on the other. The latter 

 is, of course, on the side opposite the commercial quarter. 

 There are strict passport regulations, and the whole 

 tendency of the government is to cause incovenienee and 

 delay. The European population in this city is very small. 

 There are about 80,000 Chinese, and a still larger number 

 of mestizos. The total population of Manila is said to be 

 about 300,000, and of the whole of the Philippines 0,000,01 10. 

 I did not stay long in the city, but visited several of the 

 principal Sugar districts. This industry is carried on with 

 great activity, the annual export amounting to 100,000 tons. 

 It is all made on small plantations and in the most primitive 

 manner. The provinces nearest to Manila are especially 

 backward in the art of Sugar-making. All they know of 

 it seems to have come from China; stone crushing mills 

 imported from that country are still to be seen at work 

 although they have given place to iron mills in most places. 

 The greater number of crushing-mills are driven by buffaloes, 

 but small steam-mills are largely employed. A mill having 

 rollers 36 by 18 would be considered rather a large mill 

 in the island of Luzon. A few cast-iron pans constitute 

 the rest of the Sugar-house. Vacuum pans, centrifugals, 

 and even pumps to elevate the cane juice are not used. 

 The cane juice is of a very good quality and easily worked, 

 but the Sugar extracted by these primitive methods is of 

 a most inferior quality. I saw one place where the juice 

 was being boiled down just as it came from the mill.no 

 attempt being made to skiin off the impurities. After the 

 water was evaporated, the Sugar, while still hot, was packed 

 into large grass bags. I believe that, occasionally earth 

 or sand is mixed up with the cooked mass to make, it 



woigh heavier. There are many places in the Philippine 

 Islands where a much better article is made, yet nowhere, 

 except on one plantation on the island of Negros, is any 

 Sugar made that could in any way • be compared to your 

 Sandwich Island product. The cane mostly cultivated is 

 the red Java; the maximum yield per acre cannot be 

 put down at much over two tons. One and one-fourth 

 ton is as near as can be stated for an average good crop, 

 and this is from plant cane, for rattoous are seldom 

 cultivated. The laud is only cultivated on the surface- 

 the plough in common use is a very small one drawn by 

 a single ox or buffalo; such an appliance can never touch 

 the subsoil. No irrigation is required, the rainfall being 

 abundant; the canes are planted very closely, about 2'6 

 from centre of the rows, and the cuttings laid close together 

 near the surface. Planting commences at the same time 

 as the crushing, about December or January, and this is 

 the dry season, the wet season commencing St. about May, 

 by which time the crop has to be olf. After this I 

 imagine there is very little done to the growing canes* 

 they are never stripped of their dead leaves, and consequently 

 do not get a fair chance to grow. Whenever I questioned 

 and planter about those operations, that we consider 

 essential in other countries, the reply was, ' Mucho trabajo, 

 seiinr.' "Too much work, sir.' In short, it is a land of 

 small Sugar canes and of bamboos of unrivalled growth. 

 Nature is most prodigal in this land — there are no narrow 

 alleys, but a magnificent expanse of level country stretching 

 toward the mountains, intersected by navigable rivers 

 and offering the greatest facilities for the construction of 

 roads or railways. The timber is of excellent quality 

 and large growth. I saw a table cut from a solid 

 plank that was over 6 feet wide and 1", feet Ion" 

 without a crack or flaw. Then the lofty bamboos that 

 give such a pleasing appearance, to the landscape supply 

 the natives will all the material they require in the con- 

 struction of their houses. And now for the people. You 

 will expect me to describe them as a very indolent set 

 of fellows. In such a tropical country, of course, no one 

 wants to work more than he can help ; yet the native 

 races of these islands have many good points. I was 

 rather pleased with them on the whole; and think that 

 if they had been under Anglo-Saxon rule or influence 

 instead of Spanish, a great deal more might have been 

 made of them. The progress they have made is perhaps 

 due more to the Chinese element than the Spanish. 

 Ohinese have emigrated to these islands for many years 

 back; they intermarry with the native women. The 

 mestizos resulting from these marriages seem to retain 

 the best qualities of both races. They are industrious and 

 enterprising, possess all the shrewd business qualities of 

 the father, and retain the good physique of the mother. 

 Nearly all of the planters belong to this class, and very 

 few of the pure-blooded natives rise above tho condition 

 of labourers, while the pure Chinese remain in the towns. 

 Very few Spaniards or other foreigners engage in plant- 

 ing — the former come out as Government officials, the 

 latter as traders. Spain has never made the least attempt 

 to develop these islands; but it is only just to say that 

 at the present day she protects the labourer from any 

 abuse or ill-treatment from his employer. There are about 

 5,000,000 of natives who pay tribute to Spain; but the 

 country is large and labour very scarce in some parts. 

 It would be no use in your looking in this direction to 

 supply your plantations with field hands, for although the 

 men are desirable, the . Government would oppose any 

 attempt to take labourers out of the country. "While in 

 Swatau, China, I was fortunate enough to get an opport- 

 unity to visit the country districts in company with a 

 gentleman who speaks the dialect of that part of China- 

 I went there to see the Chinese method of cutivating 

 the Sugar cane, their system of treating the cane juice. Many 

 of the mills were at work, and I also saw every operation 

 relating to tillage of the soil and planting. The Chinese 

 treated me most civilly everywhere, and afforded me every 

 opportunity for observing their work. Now here we are 

 in the birthplace of Sugar-making, and probably witnessed 

 the same operations that were carried on centuries ago. 

 A Sugar house here is a conical building made of canes 

 and straw; in the centre is the crushing-mill, a cumber- 

 some machine, consisting of two stone rollers placed 

 vertically in a strong wooden frame; on the upper parts 



