Vol. V. No. IIG. 



THE AGRCCULTURAL NEWS. 



307 



Seedling Canes in Louisiana. 



In a ' Review of Louisiana's Sugar History,' 

 Dr. R. E. Blouin, Assistant Director of the Louisiana 

 Sugar Experiment Station, makes interesting references 

 to the varieties of canes grown in the state. The 

 following is a brief summary of hi^ remarks in this 

 connexion : — 



The first variety grown was the Ci'^ole. In 1797 the 

 Talieite variety was introduced and supplemented the Creole 

 in furnishing cane for the sugar planters. The introduction 

 of the striped and purple varieties from lSl7 to 1825 marks 

 a great advance in cane varieties. These varieties soon 

 replaced the Creole and Taheite canes and are now the chief 

 varieties grown. In 1886 some twenty-five varieties were 

 introduced from foreign countries, but none of them showed 

 any superiority over the purjjle and striped. 



Then came the introduction of seedling canes. Large 

 numbers of these were experimented with, and the Sugar 

 Experiment Station has distributed large quantities of two 

 varieties, which originated in British Guiana, and were 

 known as D. 74 and D. 95. These varieties have proved 

 themselves eminently adapted to conditions in Louisiana. 

 Large areas are now in these canes, and D. 74, especially, is 

 being extended very rapidly. The reports from the planta- 

 tions last season were, without exception, highly favourable 

 to their superior merits, both in sugar content and tonnage 

 yields. It is estimated that they will increase the sugar out- 

 put at least 25 per cent, per acre and reduce materially the 

 cost of harvesting and manufacture. They commend them- 

 selves highly, on account of their erect habit of growth, as an 

 aid to the perfection of the cane harvester. 



Dr. Blouin makes the following interesting announce- 

 ment : — 



' After numerous trials to germinate the seed of 

 sugar-cane at the Sugar Experiment Station, this year we 

 have been successful for the first time, and now have seedling 

 canes originated in Louisiana, and hope for greater success 

 with these.' 



Ecuador. 



The position of the sugar industry- in Ecuador is 

 reviewed as follows in the Consular Report for the 

 years 1899 to 1905:— 



The production of sugar throughout the Guayaquil 

 district, which is encouraged by an import duty on foreign 

 sugar of about 7s. 6(/. per 100 ft)., has been continued during 

 the past five years ; the sale price in Ecuador being kept up 

 by the above-mentioned import duty. The actual sale price is, 

 and has been for some considerable number of years, 10 

 Sucre (£1) per 100 ft. of fine white sugar, equals 2-ic?. per lb. 

 In 1904, by a miscalculation of the syndicate, an excep- 

 tionally large exportation of sugar occurred, so much so that 

 for the months of May to August the whole republic was 

 short, indeed almost bare of sugar. Although the syndicate 

 did not raise the price above the 10 sucre per 100 lb., the 

 actual consumers were bled by the middlemen, many of 

 whom. made as much as 25 to 30 sucre (£2 10s. to £3) out 

 of the sack they bought for 10 .sucre, or £1., In consequence 

 of this, a serious attempt was made to get the import duty 

 on sugar reduced to 2c. per kilo* (or 3s. 9(/. m all per 100 lb.), 

 so as to allow the Peruvian sugar to compete with the native 

 product and keep the price down below £1 per 100 ft., but 

 this proiect did not pass Congress. 



The sugar producers, since 1902, have been making 

 a great effort to introduce Guayaquil sugar to the markets of 

 the interior, but, owing to the excessive cost of conveyance, 

 were unable to do so until the opening of the railroad to 

 Riobamba gave them increased facilities. They have taken 

 so considerable an advantage of this that the previous importa- 

 tion of Colombian sugar to Quito and some of the other 

 Andian markets has been practically stopped. The consump- 

 tion of Ecuadorean sugar has been increased over 50 per cent., 

 and the poor crop of 1905(127,000 quintals t) was wholly 

 consumed in the country, and the syndicate still find 

 themselves short and will have to import from 800 to 1,000 

 tons. Considering that in previous years only about 60,000 

 to 80,000 quintals could be sold i\\ Ecuador, and the excess 

 had to be exported at a considerable loss, this has been 

 a great advantage to the sugar producers, and as they can 

 easily increase their production, the outlook tor this industry 

 in future years is distinctly encouraging. 



* 1 kilo =2-2 lb. 



Molasses as a Feeding Stuff. 



The following note on the use of sugar foods in 

 England is extracted from the Report from the 

 Analytical Department, contained in the Journal of 

 the Soutli-eastern Agricultural College, Wye, Kent, 

 for July 1906 :— 



A noteworthy feature this year has been the great 

 number of sugar feeding stutt's sent in, all prepared from 

 molasses, one of the by-products in the manufacture of sugar. 

 Molasses is the name given to the mother liquor left after 

 crystallization has proceeded as far as possible. It is obtained 

 during the manufacture both of cane and of beet sugar, and 

 contains invert sugar unavoidably formed in the evaporation 

 process, unchanged sugar, and a quantity of dissolved salts. 

 The average composition of beet molasses is somewhat as 

 follows : sugar, 50 per cent.; other organic matter, 20 per 

 cent.; mineral matter, 10 per cent.; water, 20 per cent. It 

 has for some time been known and valued as a farm food, but 

 there are several drawbacks connected with its use. Some of 

 these are economic. The ditticulty and cost of transporting 

 a thick viscid liquid from the sugar factory to the farm are 

 considerable, and it has also been found that the farm 

 hands may use the molasses themselves. There are also 

 physiological disadvantages ; beet molasses has purging 

 properties, from which cane sugar molasses appears to be 

 free, and cannot be fed in any quantity to stock. It is 

 said that either variety of molasses is bad for breeding stock, 

 inducing sterility, especially in males. 



Of recent j'ears, various absorbing materials have been 

 mixed with the molasses, and a fairly dry powdery substance 

 has been finally produced. The absorbent varies in different 

 makes, megass (sugar-cane stem), fine peat moss, lucerne 

 hay, rice, ground maize stem all being in use, while other 

 makers use a mixture of seeds with other substances strongly 

 suggestive of mill screenings. The amount of sugar in the 

 food varies from about 15 to 50 per cent. 



The makers of the foods examined claim to have over- 

 come the difficulties attending the use of raw molasses. 

 A powdery substance is easier to handle than a liquid, and 

 there is no fear of theft by farm hands. It is further claimed 

 that large quantities of molasses in the form of these foods 

 can be taken with advantage, and ; no injurious after-effects 

 will follow. 



t 1 quintal = 100 ft. 



