S6i 



THE TROPICAL ASHICULTURIST, [Septsmber i, 2885, 



and do uot experieuce such conditions at all, whereas 

 in a pot exposed on all sides, evaporation is constantly 

 going on from the roots, the porous earthenware pot 

 acting like a wet cloth put rouud a bottle of water to 

 keep it cool. As regards temperature, the roots of all 

 plants are naturally subjected to far more uniform 

 conditions than the tops, that is to say, the temperature 

 of the ground does not vary nearly so much as that 

 of the air, anil it is found that the nearer these con- 

 ditions are imitated iu artificial culture, the better do 

 plants thrive. This is why i)ine-apple plants in pota 

 are invariably plunged in a bed up to the rims of the 

 pots, and they cannot be grown and fruited successfully 

 in any other way. Orchard bouse trees are also always 

 plunged when practicable for the same reason, and so 

 are many kinds of select plants that are found difficult 

 to grow in the usual way. 



The remedies for the drawbacks of pot culture are 

 vrriou.^. Many kinds of plants have of necessity to bo 

 grown on stages and shelves in glass houses, where they 

 cannot be plungiid, aud the cultivator must then do 

 tl^e best he can under the circumstances. The main 

 points to attend to in such cases is not to water the 

 plants during the driest and wai'mest time of the day, 

 when evaporation is most active, but say in the morn- 

 ing or in the evening. Next, ventilation or air should 

 be given gradually, so as to dry up the moisture slowly, 

 and the pots should be so placed as to shade each 

 other as much as possible. Plants standing with their 

 pots touching each other thrive much better than 

 wht-n the pots are placed widely asunder, and hence 

 close ranking should be the nde, provided the tops 

 have room at the same time. Under other circumstances, 

 the best plan is to plunge the pots up to the rim when- 

 ever possible or convenient. Plunging obviates many 

 evils, and it is often a good practice to plunge the pots 

 of favourite subjects in another and larger pot, fill- 

 ing up the space between the sides with ashes or soil. 

 Double-sided pots have been made to meet this end, but 

 they are too cumbersome for general use. A dry cloth, 

 a piece of " frigi domo," for example, or a piece of stout 

 brown paper tied round a pot, answers almost as well. 

 The object in any case is to prevent radiation aud evapor- 

 taion, or the escape of heat and moisture from the 

 soil iu the pot, and so preserve the roots in an agreeable 

 medium. — Meld . 



QUEENSLAND SUGAR PROSPECTS 1885-86. 



In accordance with our usual custom we lay before 

 our readers, as soon as possible after the close of the 

 sugar season, which is here considered to end on March 

 31st, a resume of the operations for the past j'ear and 

 a forecast of the probabilities of the coming season, 

 based upon the area of land under cane and governed 

 by the general appearance of the area cultivated. It is 

 Btedless to remark that the returns for the past year 

 are of the most unsatisfactory nature, generally speaking, 

 aud a careful study of the figures we now sidjmit to 

 our readers, will show that while the return per acre has 

 been abnormally low all round, it is evident that in a 

 l&rge number of oases the yield per acre must have been 

 ae sniftll as to make it queslionaWe whether it would 

 not have be«li more advantageous to have left the crop 

 ungarnered, fof slnOe In matiy Instance."! by means of 

 improved processes and superior machinery the quantity 

 of sugar produced per ton of cane has bc-n very large, 

 it follows that hi many cases also the return must have 

 been proportionately small, The average production per 

 acre for last cfushiug| is below 17 cwt. per acre, a figure 

 which has not in this district been reached since 1875, 

 and when it is remembered that the prices ruling have 

 been extremely low it will be seen that very severe 

 losses must necessarily have accrued on a large number 

 of plantations. The area of cane crushed during the 

 past season was 13,-19n acres out of an area of 15,638, 

 which wag twelvemonth ago expected to be fit for 

 milling, thus showing that over 'JIKIO acres of cane which 

 was expected to be lit for manuf.acture did not actually 

 r<ach the mills, ilnw it comes that 1-1 per cent, of the 

 c; ne returned at this time last year as likely to be fit 

 fct cra*hi^ remained uncut, c»n only be sccouut^d for 



by the presumption that the inferior condition of the 

 crop aud the low prices ruling caused this large perceu- 

 lage to be left ou the field. From the area already 

 stated as having been operated on, the output of sugar 

 was 11,350 tons, which amount is upwards of -1000 tons 

 short of the estimated output, a falling-off so serious as 

 to be a matter of grave importance to the growers, 

 millers, and, in fact, all residents in the district. The 

 average production per acre for the season shows a do- 

 crease of 8 cwt. per acre over that of the previous crush- 

 ing. The return of the molasses made during the season 

 is naturally higher than the usual figure, as experience 

 shows that the proportion of molasses to sugar is always 

 greater in a bad sugar year than in a good one, the 

 quantity this year being within a small fraction of 34 

 gallons to the ton of sugar made. The difference between 

 this aud the usual 30 gallon-? would not appear large, 

 were we not to take into account the superior systems 

 adopted in our mills by reason of which the production 

 of molasses should be reduced. Turning from last season's 

 figures we come to those of the current sugar year, and 

 these certainly give reason for more hopeful results 

 when placed side by side with the splendid appearance 

 which the cane generally presents. "We find that the area 

 under cane at present is 17,770 acres, a slight mcrease 

 over that of last year, though by no means so great an 

 increase as was anticipated, and as would undoubtedly 

 have taken place but for the various adverse circumstances 

 with which the industry has been .surrounded during the 

 past twelve mouths. Of this at present it is estimated 

 that 16,241 acres will be brought to the rollers, but we 

 must be guided by the experience of the past and there- 

 fore allow that about 2.300 acres, from one cause and 

 another, will not be cut, aud this will leave us, in round 

 numbers, 14,000 acres of cane for this season's milling. 

 We have made a very careful survey of the cane through- 

 the district, aud have consulted a large number of the 

 out most competent growers aud manufacturers, and though 

 we have observed a tendency with most people to 

 depreciate the probabilities of the season's output, we 

 come to the conclusion that in placing the estimate at 

 23 cwt. per acre we have struck a somewhat low average. 

 It is is probable that many of our readers will be 

 disappointed, and some surprized to find so low an 

 estimate put forward after hearing the splendid appearance 

 of the crop so frequently commented on of late, but 

 while the general appearance of the fields is undoubtedly 

 fine, we are conscious of the fact that the ratoons will 

 give a comparatively low return, and that many of the 

 plant cane patches, now presenting a splendid appear- 

 ance on close examination evidence a larger preponder- 

 ance of " misses" than is usual. Our estimate for the 

 coming crop will therefore be a return of 16,000 tons 

 of sugar. With regard to the financial result of the 

 manipulation of this amount of sugar we will not pretend 

 to make any prediction, the conditions under which the 

 work will be conducted aud the state of the markets 

 beiug of so uncertain a nature ; but we are sanguine 

 enough to think that owing to the intervention of 

 Providence in regard to a favorable season that the 

 prospects of the planters «re not so dark as they appeared 

 a fev." months since. Before concluding we would allude 

 to tho subject of rum-maUiug, aud the figurce before us 

 show thit some aiterution in the excise duties are 

 desirable. The quantity of molasees in 65-84 was 450,283 

 gallons; the figures for 84-S5 were 334,640 gallons; and 

 a glance nt the operations of the thn e local stills dis- 

 covers ihf fact that a comparatively small proportion 

 only of^ the raw material has been manipulated | a i>ro- 

 portion so small indeed as to raise a very notable 

 question for enquiry. During 84-8-5, 187.225 gallons only 

 of molasses were ojieiatpd on at the stills, producing 

 mth the addition of 8,250 gallons of skimmings a total of 

 82,460 proof gallons of spirit, while the mola.nses remain- 

 ing from the previous year's crushing was as above shown 

 456,252 gallons. This wouM have produced, had the 

 whole of it been distilled, upwards of 1P(1,000 gallons of 

 spirits. During the year the export of molasses has been 

 almost nothing, and thus we find an rnormnus amount 

 of raw material uuaccouutod for, ami. .as a matter of 

 fact, gone to wast*. The loss to the country upon this 

 may b< better estimated when we point out tliat tlie 



