SUGAR CANE 119 



cultivation and the use of fertilizers. Improvements 

 in manufacture have also kept pace with these im- 

 provements in production, and the business is now one 

 of the best examples of a scientifically conducted agri- 

 cultural industry. Sugar beets can be grown in many 

 parts of the region that it is intended to cover by this 

 volume, but since it is not yet a recognized South- 

 ern industry, no discussion of the question will be 

 undertaken. 



While these great improvements have been going on 

 with beets, methods of cultivating sugar cane have in 

 most countries practically stood still. The greater part 

 of the world's supply is still produced by the methods 

 in vogue a hundred years ago. Signs of progress are, 

 however, not wanting. In certain countries, par- 

 ticularly Louisiana, Hawaii, and Australia, cultural 

 methods have been revolutionized with the result of 

 markedly increasing the yield and lessening the cost 

 of production. These changes in method have largely 

 been due to the initiative of the agricultural experi- 

 ment stations which have been established in these 

 countries. In Java, too, where mucli good scientific 

 work has been done, there has been notable progress 

 along many lines ; but owing to the high price of 

 land and the abundance of cheap labor, cultivation 

 there is still done by hand implements. In the other 

 countries mentioned hand labor has been almost 

 completely superseded except in the harvesting of 

 the cane, with the usual result of greatly decreasing 

 the cost of production. 



Chief Uses. — Sugar cane is, of course, principally 

 used for the production of sugar, with molasses, rum, 



