228 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
locomotives that look almost like toys. Here it is unloaded by 
machinery and taken by a huge earrier to the knives which cut 
it up into short lengths. Then it passes through a series of 
rollers which crush it, extracting about 94 per cent of the 
juice containing the sucrose. Last season 47,965 tons of 
undiluted juice were extracted by this factory. The ‘“‘chewed 
up’’ residue of the cane is known as ‘‘megass’’ and is trans- 
ferred by carrier to the furnace where it provides enough fuel 
to supply the heat and power needed for the treatment of the 
juice, which is too complicated to describe here. 
From an article entitled ‘‘Review of the Work of Two West 
Indian Sugar Factories’’ in the ‘‘ Agricultural News’’ of Septem- 
ber 7, 1918, I gather the following items regarding the Antigua 
factory. There were 64,282 tons of cane treated during the sea- 
son, from which 7,316 tons of commercial sugar were extracted ; 
that is, it took 8.8 tons of cane to yield each ton of sugar. Mo- 
lasses to the extent of 332,239 gallons was also manufactured. 
The cane was found to be composed of 68.3% of water, 16.05% 
of fiber, 13.1% of sucrose, and 1.04% of glucose, with 1.51% of 
‘“non-sugars.’’ 
We were shown every courtesy by the management and visited 
the factory several times, both by night and in the daytime. 
Although largely ignorant regarding the sugar business, the 
writer was impressed with the up-to-dateness apparent through- 
out the establishment. There was a feeling that here was an 
enterprise managed in a thoroughly modern and scientific man- 
ner by men who knew their business. It seemed more like 
United States push and energy than anything else I saw in the 
islands. 
As before indicated, the most delicious vegetable product that 
we found at Antigua was the pineapple, or ‘‘pine.’’ One cannot 
help feeling that if this superbly flavored, and juicy pine could 
be made known to the American public it would command a 
very satisfactory market. In its golden lusciousness, it is fit to 
set before the gods, and one experience is enough to make a man 
long for more during the remainder of life. It seems that the 
pines are subject to a disease called ‘‘black heart,’’ which 
causes them to become rotten inside without any external evi- 
dence. The many delicious specimens brought to us by the na- 
