.Vol. V. No. 113. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



259 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Antigua Central Sugar Factory. 



Mr. H. A. Tempany, B.Sc, Acting Government 

 Chemist, Antigua, has written as follows to the Imperial 

 Commissioner of Agriculture : — 



I have the honour to inform you that the Antigua Cen- 

 tral Factory has now finished work for the season. 



This year's crop has amounted to 2,300 tons of grey 

 crystal sugar. The effect of last year's severe drought has 

 been shown by the high fibre content of the canes handled, 

 and this has caused the quantity of cane taken to manufac- 

 ture a ton of sugar to be abnormally high. The quality of 

 the juice has been good. 



This j'ear the factory has purchased a considerable 

 quantity of cane from outside estates which have been unable 

 to take otf the whole of their crop on account of labour 

 difficulties, incident on the extensive emigration of the 

 labouring classes to Panama, a fact which speaks highly 

 for the usefulness of the undertaking. 



The Value of Sugar in Cattle Feeding. 



The following is reprinted from the International 

 Sugar Journal, for July: — 



Our attention has been called to some correspondence in 

 the Farmer and Stock Breeder and Chamber of A(/ricidture 

 Journal on the advantage to be derived from the addition of 

 soft, moist sugar (muscovado) and cane sugar molasses to the 

 daily rations of farm stock, especially on dairy farms. It is 

 well known how rapidly the live stock kept on our sugar 

 plantations fatten up and im[irove after crop time commences, 

 and they get the addition of cane tops and other saccharine 

 ■wa.ste with their daily rations. 



We are aware of the introduction of ' !Molascuit ' and 

 ' Molassine ' as cattle foods ; the former from cane sugar, 

 and the latter from beet sugar products. The sugar contained 

 in these foods is virtually denatured, and therefore has been 

 very properly e.xempted from all duty. This is as it should 

 be. But there is still room for a greater development of the 

 principle of providing sugar for cattle feeding. In France 

 we understand that steps are being taken to allow sugared 

 cattle food to be prepared in bond, so that the denatured 

 sugar may be exempt from taxation. 



It remains for farmers and stock breeders to put to the 

 test of experiment the suggestions contained in the following 

 letter by ' Ragus,' which we have taken from the above- 

 mentioned journal. All that remains is for farmers to 

 order 1-cwt. parcels of the cheapest, soft, moist cane sugar 

 (muscovado), and give the same to their stock in the 

 proportion suggested by the correspondent. After a trial for 

 a month the results might be made known : — 



SUGAR AS A FOOD FOR LIVE STOCK. 



'Sir, — As soft, moist cane sugars are now arriving from 

 the West Indies and being sold at low prices, the attention of 

 all dairy farmers and otliers should be given to the value of 

 mixing a small quantity of this soft cane sugar with the rations 

 of their cattle for improving the quality and increasing the yield 

 of milk, an allowance of 1 lb. to 2 ft. of this sugar being sufficient 

 ff)r milch C(jws per head per day, mixed with their rations. 

 Sugar has also been used with most satisfactory results for 

 fattening pigs, allowing each pig 1 fb. to 1^ lb. of sugar per day, 

 mixed with skim milk and barley meal. Pigs, after a time, eat 



sugar with relish and never seem to get tired of it. A reference 

 to the authoritative work of L S. Ware (Philadelpliia, 1902) 

 will prove from the records of several official experiments the 

 inunense value in cattle feeding of simplj- mixing witli the food 

 some cane sugar If dairy farmers and others would only use 

 some moist cane sugar or cane sugar molasses to mix with the 

 rations of their cattle, horses, and pigs, and keep a record of 

 the results, the value of cane sugar as an addition to ordinaiy 

 food stuff would soon be manifest. — I am, etc., 



Ragus.' 



Porto Rico. 



The following information in regard to the sugar 

 industry in Porto Rico is contained in the Consular 

 Report for 1905 :— 



The most notable fact of the year is the great advance 

 made in the sugar industry, which, thanks to the free 

 market of the United States, is attracting capital. The 

 moderate boom of last year is being rapidly imjjroved upon 

 and undoubtedly will continue until every acre fit for cane 

 cultivation is so occupied. Two new centrals came into 

 work during the year ; five more will be ready for the next 

 crop, while various bona fide projects are in hand for other 

 factories. To feed all these schemes every acre suitable in the 

 vicinity of the localities cho.sen is already engaged, and 

 arrangements are rapidly being completed to make the more 

 distant places available for cane supply by connecting them 

 with the factories by means of light railways or branches of 

 the existing railroad system. 



Good sugar land now is worth anything from £10 per 

 acre, from which a planter can expect a return of from 

 £15 to £20 per acre, but the sugar manufacture itself can 

 be profitably undertaken only by capitalists. 



The average sugar production of the island is about 

 2 tons to the acre, which yield is capable of much improve- 

 ment through the use of fertilizers and the practice of 

 modern methods of cultivation and extraction. 



The crop of the year exported, including molasses, was 

 valued at £2,760,417, an advance on last year of £74r.3,I61. 



MAYAGUEZ. 



Mr. Vice-Consul Stetfens reports as follows : — 

 ' Owing to the high range of prices, the plantings of 

 cane have been very important, in consequence of which 

 there is now considerably more cane to be ground than 

 the existing factories can possibly attend to, although all 

 of them have increased their machinery, some even doubling 

 their capacity.' 



PONCE. 



Mr. Vice-Consul Toro reports as follows : — 

 'The year 1905 was a prosperous one for this district, 

 principally due to a very high sugar market and a large sugar 

 crop. As a consequence, land suitable for cane growing rose 

 in value, and some sales were made as high as £50 per acre, 

 and, furthermore, some land was leased for cane growing, 

 under five and ten years' contract, at £3 to £5 an acre per 

 annum. Two new central factories were organized; one, of about 

 4,000 tons, by name " Central Florida " will take off its first 

 crop next year, and the other one, of about 8,000 tons sugar, 

 is under construction and will be ready in 1906. 



' Xo clear or definite statement can be obtained about 

 the new system of difi'usion of bagasse; an increased extraction 

 seems to have been obtained from canes, but the extra 

 expenses for fuel are reported as extremely high. 



' Prospects for the 1906 crop in this district are very 

 good, and a large increase in exports is anticipated. 



'Molasses continue to decrease in this district, as little 

 muscovado sugars are now made.' 



