Vol. X. No. 243. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



259 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



SUGAR IN GUADELOUPE. 



In a report on the commerce and industries of Guade- 

 loupe, by Consul Roljert T. Crane of Basseterre, the 

 following appears in the Consular Trade Re2Mrts under date 

 of June 22, 1911:-- 



The year 1910 was the most prosperous in the island of 

 Guadeloupe since the sugar crisis in 1884. Commercial and 

 industrial affairs not only showed an improvement from the 

 preceding year, but also a marked advance over the decade. 

 According to uncorrected customs figures, the total value of 

 the £;eneral imports and domestic exports of the Colony 

 during 1910 was §3,243,218 and .?4,.596,699, against 

 $a,740,845, and $2,174,874 in 1909. 



Sugar-cane has always been the chief source of wealth 

 to the Colony. It reached its highest production in 1882, 

 when 64,000 tons of sugar were exported. From that date 

 until 1906 each period of five years showed a decrease of 

 9 per cent.; but the subsequent four years showed an equal 

 gain, and wiih the large output of 1910 it is believed that 

 the industry is once more on a paying liasis. The isUxnds of 

 Grande Terre and Marie Galante are devoted exclusively to 

 cane-raising, and Guadeloupe proper, to an altitude of about 

 1,500 feet, is largely planted in cane. On the western slope 

 of the last island, where transportation is difficult over 

 rough country, cane is ground exclusively for rum, of which 

 an excellent quality is produ^^ed. The remainder of the 

 territory, containing about 60,000 planted acres, is covered 

 b}' 17 centrals. The average yields for the five years prior 

 to 1910 were 37,650 tons 'of sugar, 1,680,000 gallons of 

 rum, and 360,000 gallons of molasses. 



The high prices for colonial products in 1910 added to 

 the prosperity of Guadeloupe. Sugar advanced from 2 '28 to 

 2'98c. per lb.; rum, 22 to 29c. per gallon, anil vanilla, $r50 

 to 12 '50 per lb. Coffee and cacao remained nearly stationary 

 at about 17 '5 and 13c. per lb, respectively. 



The only disturbing factor in 1910 aro.se in the sugar 

 industry. AVhen the centrals were first established, some 

 thirty years ago, the muscovado produced by the planters of 

 each centre was calculated at percentages varying from 55 to 

 6"5, or 100 to 130 lb. of sugar to the ton of cane. The cen- 

 trals then contracted to pay for a ton of cane the price which 

 the planter would liave obtained for his yield from the ton as 

 estimated on the given percentage for his centre at tlie mar- 

 ket quotations of I'ointe a Pitre for sugar testing 70°, the 

 average of the muscovados. This method of calculation has 

 become highly artificial, as muscovado sugars are no longer 

 produced or marketed in the Colony, but the centrals insist on 

 its use. The small planters, holding nearly one-fifth of a total 

 yield of about 450,000 tons of cane, refu.sed to accept the 

 usual contracts offered by the centrals last .January, and under 

 their inspiration all of the cane workei.s, both in the fields 

 and factories, struck for higher pay. Wages were 15c. to 

 25c. per 10-hour day, but 29c. to 39c. was demanded. 

 A small amount of cane was destroyed during February and 

 March, and the harvest considerably retarded before the 

 centrals yielded. At the same time, the centrals agreed to 

 advance the price of cane about 7 per cent. 



No labour difficulties occurred in the western portion of 

 Guadeloupe, where wages run from 29c. to 39c. a day. Of 

 domestics in the Colony, women cooks receive $480 to $5-80 

 per month, maids .f2-90 to $3-8.:, and menservants 17-70 to 

 $8 70, and find themselves. There are 13,000 Hindu coolies 

 in the colony, whose time of service is now up, and whose 

 return to India has been requested by the British Govern- 

 ment. If their immediate repatriation is insisted upon, their 

 absence will he seriously felt in the Colony. (The American 

 Su'/nr Industrie and Beet Sugar Gazette, July 1911, p. 298.) 



A NEW WAY OF FILTERING CANE JUICES. 



The Australian Sugar Journal st&tts that during the last 

 two seasons fine wood shavings, or ' wood wool ', have been 

 used at the Pleystowe Mill, Mackay, as a filtering medium for 

 cane juices, with great success. The clarified juices, after 

 coming from the subsiders, are run by gravity through two 

 filters for from ten to twelve hours; the juice is then run into 

 two more filters which have clean shavings in, and the dirty 

 ones are opened up. In these the shavings will be found to 

 be coated with a dirty black slime. This slime is the most 

 serious thing sugar manufacturers have to cope with in their 

 evaporating plants, as it clings to the tube.s, and causes 

 a scale which is very hard to get off. During last season, 

 especially, it was noticed that, although the triple effect did 

 25 per cent, more work than it ever did before, the tubes 

 always kei>t fairly clean, thus lessening to a great extent the 

 hard labour of Sunday cleaning. 



The only attendance required to work 'wood wool' filters 

 is one man for about one and a half to two hours per shift. 

 This is required for changing the shavings, washing them, 

 and putting them back again. The juice goes in by gravity, 

 and a pump to raise the filtered juice to the triple effect 

 supplj' tank is controlled by a float valve, thus requiring no 

 attendance. The shavings last for a considerable time, being 

 used over and over again. A further advantage is that there 

 is no scoring of the pump brasses, as is the case where sand 

 is used for filtering, the pump working as smoothly at the 

 end of rhe season as at the beginning. (The International 

 fiugar Joiirnal, July 1911, p. 350.) 



BARBADOS AND THE CANADIAN 

 NATIONAL EXHIBITION. 



The exhibits sent from estates in Barbados to the Cana- 

 dian National Exhibition, to be held in Toronto from August 

 2G to September 11, include the following: yellow cry.stal 

 sugar, dark crystal sugar, .sj'rup sugar, centrifugalled, oscil- 

 lated and ordinary mu.scovado sugar, sugar-cane syrup, fancy 

 molasses, crystal sugar molasses, centrifugalled and oscillated 

 muscovado sugar molasses, cscillated sugar muscovado 

 molasses, ordinary muscovado sugar molasses, coloured and 

 uncoloured rum, infusorial earth, Sea Island cotton lint. 



Exhibits were also sent by the Permanent Exhibition 

 Committee, various firms and private persons, the Barbados 

 Co-operative Cotton Factory, and the local Department of 

 Agriculture. There were forwarded by these, in addition to 

 some of the materials mentioned above: white crystal sugar, 

 white falernum, wormwood and other bitters, manjak, green 

 tar, Sea Island seed cotton, cotton seed oil, various beans 

 and other seeds, sweet potatoes, yams, tamarinds in syrup, 

 hot sauce and photographs of scenery and industrial life in 

 Barbados. 



