2 



it falls off from 150-200 qantars, so that over a period of two years a 

 field will produce 400 qantars per feddan more cane or an increased 

 yield of over 30 per cent. On well cultivated good land " 105 " will 

 give in the neighbourhood of 900 qantars, and it has an additional 

 advantage in that it will produce a remunerative crop on poor land. 



This increase in production of the " 105 " variety over the 

 " Baladi " is due to the fact that the former grows much more slowly 

 than the latter in the early stages and some of the lower eyes grow out 

 giving a greater number of canes per set planted. On the other hand 

 " Baladi " cane is stouter and finer in appearance. 



The " 105 " cane, however, possesses one serious drawback, once 

 the cane is cut inversion of the sugars rapidly sets in. Consequently 

 it has to be passed to the factory after cutting with the utmost despatch, 

 a delay of more than twenty-four hours being sufficient to reduce the 

 available crystallizable sugar content. 



Sugar cane is grown in Egypt for three purposes : 



(1) Human consumption (chewing). 



(2) " Honey " manufactured in the villages for local con- 



sumption. 



(3) Sugar production. 



By far the most important of these is the sugar production and it 

 is chiefly with sugar cane grown for this purpose that the present 

 paper deals. 



The attached table shows the areas under sugar cane cultivation 

 for the last ten years, and it will be seen that the Provinces of Minya, 

 Asyut, Qena, and Aswan claim by far the greatest areas. These are 

 the provinces served by the factories of the Sugar Company ; the 

 other provinces, with the exception of Girga, only produce cane for 

 human consumption (chewing). 



The chief localities under sugar cane in the various provinces and 

 the factories by which they are served are as follows : 



