AREA AND VIKI.D 



- 



SACCHARUM 

 OFFICINARUM 



Cultlvft 



Indian retun^ of raw sugar into tin- . r\ stallised article, the proportion U 

 3 raw to 1 refined sugar. The Indian rane to the acre 



does not appear to be ever publish-- k t the r-l. the 



Indian stock to that of other countries cannot be ascertained. 



The cane areas of the omitted province* (7 .. l< n.< itmive above) 

 can 1).- a- .-named, l>ut not their yield of su^ar. In 1 1 1904-5 



came to about 140,000 acres, so that if that area be added an. 

 proportionate figure be worked out for the outturn, the retmlt would not 

 materially disturb the calculations based on the r . s only. The 



area returned in 1905-6 as under cane in the six provinces was 2,110,800 

 . ami in 1906-7 was estimated at 2,348,800 u -res. The ascertained 

 yield was 1,725,300 tons in 1905-6, and 2,223,400 bOM in 1'.*". 7. The 

 .L/i-K-.n'.iral Statistics still further show that in 1899-1900 the total area for 

 all India under sugar-cane was 2,541,470 acres ; and the subsequent figures 

 manifest a shrinkage, right down to the returns of 1905-6, both constant 

 and serious, though the improvement in the succeeding year is more 

 hopeful. This may be exemplified as follows : 



, . 



OfATM. 



1890-1 

 1891-2 

 1892-3 

 1893-4 

 1894-5 

 1895-6 

 1896-7 

 1897-8 



Average of 

 8 years : 



Acres. 

 2,758,000 

 3,100,000 

 J.TIts.ooo 

 2,897,000 

 2,764,000 

 2,930,000 

 2,651,000 

 2,648,000 



2,818,250 



IV..S 

 IV.'.' I '.MM I 



l!m I 

 1901-2 

 1902-3 

 1903-4 



Il'i4 .'I 

 1905-6 



Average of 

 8 yean: 



Acre". 

 UMgOOO 



I'. '.'.'.-5. ..... 



2.522.000 

 2.474.000 



Actual AT*-. 



2,280,000 

 2.110,800 



2,429,700 



Thus, according to these returns, the area for the eight years preceding 

 the enactment to countervail bounty-fed sugar in 1899. showed an annual 

 average of 2,818,250 acres, and for the eight years subsequently, of 

 2,429,700 acres. But it is possible these returns are not very accurate 

 for the provinces of minor production and for the Native States. They are 

 possibly low estimates, but doubtless are relatively correct, and there- 

 fore would seem to justify the opinion that the sugar-cane acreage of 

 India has for some years past steadily manifested a contraction. 



Turning now to the provincial returns, the United Provinces head the 

 list with 49 per cent, of the total area, namely 1,228,900 acres in 1905-6 

 and 1,386,700 in 1906-7. Then follows Bengal with 19 per cent, or 

 approximately half a million acres. Next Eastern Bengal and Assam 

 with 11-2 per cent., or 201,500 acres in 1905-6 and 199,900 in 1906-7. 

 The Panjab, 13-7 per cent. ; the North- West Frontier Province with 1 per 

 cent. ; and Madras, 2'5 per cent, of the total Indian area under sugar-cane. 

 " In the North of India and in Bengal 20 tons of cane per acre is con- 

 sidered a good crop, and an outturn of 1J to 2 tons of gvr per acre is 

 obtained. In peninsular India, where sugar-cane is extensively grown 

 under well irrigation and is very highly manured, the product U much 

 higher, 6,000 to 7,000 Ib. of gur per acre being an ordinary outturn. 

 With very careful cultivation and high manuring, even double the yield 

 has been obtained from soft varieties of cane" (Imp. <>':., iii., 41). 

 Moilison and others have often said that the experiments conducted at the 

 Government Farms have proved that sugar-cane can l>e more economically 

 produced in India than in any other country in the world. [C/. O'Conor, 



939 



Influence 

 of Bounty- 

 fed Sugar. 



RcUtire 

 ValuMof 



1 . .. . . \ . 



! : .-. V . 



