Vol. V. No. 104. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



115 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



The Canadian Tariff and Molasses. 



The Commissioner of Customs, Ottawa, in reply to 

 a letter from a firm of sugar dealers at Barbados, writes 

 as follows: — 



Gentlemen, — I have the honour to acknowledge the 

 receipt of your letters of the 'Jlst. and 2.Srd. instant, with 

 further reference to the entry of molasses, and of syrups and 

 fancy molasses, so called. 



The Department holds that molasses entitled to free 

 entry, or to entry under Tariff item 441, is a by-product of 

 muscovado sugar, and that the so-called fancy molasses is 

 a ditfcrent article, so far as its classification under the present 

 Tariff is concerned, and is not entitled to free entry, nor to 

 entry under Tariff item 441. 



The polariscopic test of molasses to ascertain the 

 percentage of cane sugar is by Clerget's method, and not by 

 direct polarization. This system has been adopted by the 

 Department, and has been in force since March 1904, under 

 the authority of section 9 of the Customs Tariff, 1897. 

 The tests of molasses mentioned in your letter as being .54 

 and 55 refer, no doubt, to tests by direct polarization. 



It is considered that the limit of 52 degrees cane sugar 

 (by Clerget's method) will cover all genuine molasses from 

 Barbados. All samples are to be tested here, and any 

 samples of genuine muscovado molasses found to test over 

 S2 degrees cane sugar will be specially considered. 



Samples of West Indian molasses have not been tested 

 hero for some time, but it is found necessary to resume 

 the test for classification purposes. A sample of a recent 

 importation from the West Indies shows no cane sugar, 

 and is therefore dutiable at 3c. per lb. under Tariff item 440.' 



Later information is contained in the following 

 telegram, sent by the Commissioner of Customs, 

 Ottawa, to the Chamber of Commerce at Barbados, on 

 March 14, in reply to a telegram addressed to him by 

 that body : — 



Genuine muscovado molasses from Eiitish West Indies 

 admitted free into Canada regardless of test. 



Fancy molasses from British AVest Indies, testing not 

 more than 52 degrees by Clerget's method, admitted free. 



Fancy molasses testing over 52 degrees Clerget's 

 dutiable about 4c. per Imperial gallon same as raw sugar. 



It may be added that the Clerget test is a double 

 polariscopic test by means of which, the percentage of 

 saccharose is ascertained in the presence of invert 

 sugar. 



West Indian Seedling Canes in Queensland. 



The Annual Report of the Qaeenslond Acdiinutl- 

 zai'ion Socletij for 190.5 contains an interesting account 

 of the West Indian seedlings that have been imported 

 into Queensland : — 



In 1900, this society obtained a shipment of seedlings 

 from the West Indies, which included the following varieties: 

 B. 147, B. 1.56, B. 176, B. 208, B. 244, B. .306, D. 115, 

 D. 116, D. 145, and D. 95. These varieties were specially 

 selected by Mr. J. B. Bovell, F.L.S., F.C.S., under the 

 auspices of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, and 

 were the best of the seedlings then under cultivation. 



Kepeated mention has been made of the success of these 

 canes, in previous numbers of the Agricultural News (Vol. Ill, 

 p. 180 ; Vol. IV, p. 274), and an extensive distribution of 

 these seedlings has been made by the society to the planters. 

 The report comments upon the success of the seedlings, 

 and mentions that it will be desirable for the society to 

 arrange for another shipment of the best of the more recently 

 raised varieties, as considerable advance has been made in 

 the West Indies since 1900, the date of the last shipment. 

 The following extracts concerning these imported canes are 

 taken from information forwarded by the planters, and 

 published in the society's report : — 



The Colonial Sugar Refining Company at Cairns reports 

 that B. 147 and B. 176 are ' promising,' having yielded 14'7 

 per cent, and 16'1 per cent, of 'possible obtainable cane- 

 sugar ' on new scrub soil of poor quality, as against the 

 standard variety which yielded 143 per cent. 



The manager at Ingham states, that B. 208 is still 

 considered to be ' by far the best cane ' out of these 

 importations, and promises very well. 



Dr. A. J. Gibson at Bingera plantation has prepared the 

 following table, which gives the results obtained with six of 

 these varieties: — 



From this, it will be seen that B. 208 has again given 

 the largest yield of canes per acre, the highest percentage of 

 sucrose, and the highest quotient of purity. 



NOTES ON AGRICULTURE IN DOMINICA. 



The following notes on the cultivation of the estates 

 in the Lasoye District, Dominica, have been taken from 

 a report furnished by Mr. J. Jones, the Curator of the 

 Botanic Station in that island : — 



The principal cultivation in this quarter is the lime, 

 which thrives excellently. The land is probably well 

 suited for other members of the citrus family. Cacao is not 

 much grown, but where the land is well sheltered and well 

 drained, it thrives well. 



At Hattou Garden, I saw for the first time, some con- 

 siderable fields of the spineless lime just beginning to bear. 

 A defect of this variety appears to be its erect growth, 

 causing it, when three or four years old, to form rather 

 a heavy top, and so to be more easily uprooted by the wind 

 than the spiny variety at that i)eriod of growth. Fruiting 

 will rectify this, as the weight of the crop will bring the branche.s 

 down, and give the trees a more shrubby habit. The old 

 trees of the spineless variety at the Botanic Station have the 

 same appearance as trees of the common kind, but the erect 

 growth of the new type, when young, is very distinctive. 



Experimental rubber cultivation is being carried on at 

 Otley, Governor, and Hatton Garden. The plots of Castilloa 

 and Funtumia, three years old, at the last-named estate, are 

 excellent. In this district there are large areas of land 

 which will probably prove to be suitable for rubber cultiva- 

 tion. 



* This should probably be B. 300. [Ed. A.N.} 



