Vol. X. No. 233. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



99 



re.sponsiblo toi- the adniinistratiun of the Land Settle- 

 ment Scheme, iind, as regards the sugar industry more 

 directly, the central factory scheme in Antigua, to take 

 an example, was originally fostered by ir,. These exam- 

 ples simplv serve the ]iurpose of illustration. Others 

 have existed, but are no longer found; for it uuist be 

 understood that the ob)t'Ct of Governmental work in 

 such connexions is most generally the provision of 

 necessary pioneering activity and initial encourage- 

 ment, furthor developments being left to individuals 

 and corporations acting under the advice of agricul- 

 tural departments. 



It remains to be pointed out that the consideration 

 of the matters with which this article deals draws 

 attention to the necessity for endeavouring to gain 

 a reasonable mental estimate of the extent and impor- 

 tance of the work of the past. The attempt to compare 

 present conditions with those whicii might have 

 obtained under better and more ideal systems of 

 working has a useful purpose; but it is of much impor- 

 tance to compare the jJi'ogress that has been made in 

 matters of agriculture and commerce during the phases 

 that are past, in order to appreciate the improved 

 circumstances of the present. This will pro\ide en- 

 couragement for the future, and will make for the 

 attainment of knowledge by which the progress to 

 come will be still more stimulated and hastened. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



THE PRODUCTION OF SUGAR-CANE 



SEEDLING VARIETIES IN 



LOUISIANA. 



Many attempts have been made, since the year 1.S90, to 

 produce sugar-cane seedling varieties in Louisiana. These 

 are reviewed shortly in Vol. I, No. 4, of the Anierirait JJieed- 

 ers' Magaxine, where it is pointed out that these efforts 

 attained no success until the worlc was taken up a few years 

 ago by Mr. A. E. AVellei', whose labours :ire first described 

 in a report of the Louisiana Sugar Experiment Station, 

 issued in 1908. 



The article in the periodical mentioned gives informa- 

 tion concerning the continuation of this work, and it is from 

 this that the following facts are taken. The preparation for 

 the investigation consisted in addressing requests to various 

 Governments, agricultural departments, experiment stations, 

 botanic gardens, sugar companies and individuals, through- 

 out the world, for cane seeds with which it might be conduct- 

 ed. A list of the contributors who rei)lied to this request 

 includes, in the British West Indies, Dr. Francis Watts, 

 C M.G., then in Antigua, ^Mr. J. C. Waldron, Antigua, 

 Mr. J. K. Bovelj, Barbados, ilr. F. i-^ans, Port-of-Spam, 

 Trinidad, the J)epartraent of Agriculture, Trinidad, and the 

 department of Agriculture, .Jamaica. Of the material sent, 

 only nine varieties gave seedlings; of these six were from 

 Antigua, two from Barbados and one from Jamaica, the 



canes with which success was obtained being B.147, B.208, 

 B.306, B 1355, B.3412, D,95, D.109, D.115, and one 

 with no number, sent from Antigua. Of these D. 109 was 

 the most prolific, giving as many as 194 seedlings, whereas 

 the next in order — B.147 — gave 77,whileany of the others did 

 not produce more than five. The largest number of germina- 

 tions was obtained from the seed sent by Mr. Waldron, and 

 as is stated, this is all the more remarkable because of the 

 opinion that the sugar-cane in Antigua rarely bears fertile 

 seed. The greater success of this material is suggested to 

 be due to the fact that the arrows were shipped in large 

 bundles, so that they arrived in a better state than if 

 they had been sent by mail, and to the circumstance that 

 the material was in its best condition when it was gathered. 



The conclusions to be drawn from the work are rather 

 suggestive than final; they indicate however, that the produc- 

 tion of new seedling varieties of sugar-cane in Louisiana will 

 become of much commercial value to that State. 



Investigations with the canes that were raised have 

 shown that while L.92 gave a richer juice than I). 74, at first, 

 it has deteriorated since. Other Louisiana canes, namely 

 L.201, L.248, L.450 and L 511, which were propagated in 

 1908, have shown a similar superiority to 0.74, but in the 

 light of the experience with L.92, it remains for further work 

 to demonstrate if this superiority will be maintained. 



The value of the work is to be increased by the co-opera- 

 tion of the Bureau of Entomology, which projjoses to investi- 

 gate the power of the dift'erent varieties to resist insect attacks 

 so that choice from them will be enabled to be made from 

 a consideration of this factor, as well as from those that have 

 usually been given attention, in the past. It is ex.pected that 

 similar co-operation will be made with the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry, in logard to investigations of the resistance to plant 

 diseases. 



IMPROVED SUGAR MACHINERY IN 

 ST. LUCIA. 



Information has been received from Mr. J. C. Moore, 

 Agricultural Superintendent, St. Lucia, that a new 6-roller 

 crushing plant has been erected at the Cul-de-Sac factory in 

 that island, as an addition to that which is in existence 

 already. The new plant con.sists of two horizontal 3-roller 

 mills, 30 X 60 inches, fitted with Siemens-Martin mild steel 

 gudgeons, journals 16 x 16 inches, cast steel pinions, Rousselot 

 head-stocks, water-jacketed bra.sses, a cast steel Rocker type 

 trash turner, patent toggle pressure-regulating apparatus, and 

 a compound spur gearing to enable the two mills to be driven 

 from one engine. The engine itself is of the Corli.ss type, 

 with a 26-inch cylinder having a 48-inch stroke, fitted with 

 piston valve and link motion reversing gear. 



The machinery has been supplied by Messrs. Mirrlees 

 Watson & Co., Ltd., and was erected under the supervision 

 of one of the engineers employed by tliis firm. The Cul-de- 

 Sac factory is therefore now equipped with an efficient 

 9-roller cru.shing plant of a modern type. 



A trial of the plant was made on March 1, when its 

 working appeared to be satisfactory in every way. It is 

 estimated that the po.sse.ssion of the additional crushing plant 

 should increase the efficiency of the factory by at least 

 18 per cent. It seems that the t'ul de-Sac Company is to be 

 congratulated on the valuable addition to the equipment, 

 which may now be considered to be well up-to-date. 



It is of interest that this company does not confine its 

 attention to the cultivation of sugar-cane, as it possesses about 

 100 acres in cacao cultivation and 40 in limes, the trees in 

 both cases being nearly all in bearing. 



