SUGAR — MOLASSES — RUM — CACAO. 241 



other matter, 1*09. Thus not only the unripe cane, say the top, 

 contains 50 per cent, less sugar, but the proportion of foreign 

 and fermentable matters is much larger. The unripe portions 

 of the cane yield only a poor juice, and difficult to operate upon, 

 and give sugar of inferior quality. Again, in canes which have 

 suffered injury, there are found anormal matters more or less 

 injurious. The cane juice is a liquor easily affected by external 

 influences, and quickly undergoes chemical changes, especially 

 under the action of heat. Planters, therefore, should be ex- 

 tremely careful to avoid anything which may bring such changes; 

 they should, without hesitation, cast out all injured canes and 

 unripe portions of healthy ones ; as little trash as possible should 

 be allowed to pass through the mill. The greatest cleanliness 

 should be enforced in every department of manufacture — from 

 grinding to potting ; all utensils used in the manufacture should 

 be washed several times in the day ; also the gutters and coppers 

 well, so as to prevent fermentation and the formation of acids 

 and inverted sugar. It will be objected that such minute pre- 

 cautions will entail trouble and expense. Undoubtedly ; but the 

 question is, whether a better article and more remunerative prices 

 would not be obtained. Of this, again, I have no doubt. 



There are but few water-mills in the island ; no wind-mills ; 

 steam-engines are preferred, some turning twelve to eighteen 

 hogsheads a day, the majority from six to ten. The sugar is 

 put up in hogsheads, tierces, and barrels. 



The quantity of molasses shipped in 1879 amounted to 

 1,777,540 gallons, of which 727,418 gallons were shipped to the 

 United Kingdom; 548,465 to British North America ; 314,506 

 to the United States ; and 116,100 to the French West Indies. 



The Trinidad rum has been much improved lately, owing to 

 the introduction of the most approved stills. The quantity 

 exported in 1879 was 73,892 gallons, which, however, might be 

 much increased. 



Cacao * (Tkeobroma cacao) is the article which ranks next 

 in importance to sugar. Quantity exported in 1879, 11,614,170 

 lbs., of which 7,646,878 lbs. went to the United Kingdom ; 

 3,283,460 lbs. to France, and 660,690 lbs. to the United States. 



From its first settlement, Trinidad exported cacao ; and that 



* " Cacao, not Cocoa," as remarked by Professor Lindley, " ought to be the 

 name for the Tkeobroma." 



