I40 NEW SOUTH WALES. 



circular Mr. Knox informed the cane-growers under contract to tlie 

 company that "the removal of each £1 of the j^resent duty of £5 a ton 

 must cause a reduction in the price wo pay for your cane of 2s. a ton." 



Should the cane-growing industry continue after the duty has been 

 removed, it can only be by superior cultivation, a greater yield per 

 acre, and an improvement in the quality of the cane. In the October 

 Bulletin of the Botanical Department, Jamaica, appears the following 

 important paragraph : — " The improvement in yield and quality of 

 sugar from canes may be looked for in two directions — selection of 

 the best canes on an estate for planting, as determined by chemical 

 analysis or otherwise, or by growing some of the new seedling canes 

 of proved high sucrose content." 



In the Bulletin for January, 1894, a list of seedlings were given 

 which had been received from Mr. Jenman, Superintendent of the 

 Botanic Gardens at Demerara, and are now growing at Hope. Speci- 

 mens were sent to Dr. Stubbs, Director of the Louisiana Sugar 

 Experiment Station, and the following communication has been 

 received : — 



I send j'ou herewith the analysis of the canes which survived with us. From them you 

 will find that No. 96, the richest cane, is far ahead of anything that we have had during 

 the past year. We have here seventy odd varieties, besides our home cane, and this is 

 fullj' 25 to .33 per cent, better than the best of these. I am this year propagating it 

 quite largely, and will try to have enough to have a thorough test in the sugar-house 

 next j-ear. ... I am greatly encouraged by the results of this cane, and 

 hope that in this way I may be able to obtain what I have failed in every direction, that 

 is, getting a cane with a high sucrose content. 



The extraordinary improvement in the sugar-beet of late years, and 

 the wonderful advance of the sugar industry in Europe is causing 

 those dependent on cane-growing- to set about improving the sugar- 

 cane if possible. " The crop of beet-sugar in Europe in the season of 

 1877-8 was 1,420,827 tons. The crop of the season 1894-5 reaches 

 4,800,000 tons, an increase in seventeen years of 350 jDcr cent." 



Considerable attention has been directed lately to the possibility of 

 manufacturing sugar profitably from beet-root, as it has been found 

 from carefully conducted experiments that in many localities the sugar- 

 beet thrives admirably, and yields a very high percentage of sugar. 



Some years ago, experiments were made at Bathurst in beet culti- 

 vation and sugar manufacture, but they failed. Sugar was made, and 

 beet grew well enough, but the cost of manufacture was altogether 

 too great. It is said that the variety of beet groAvn at this time con- 

 tained a very low percentage of sugar. 



The matter of sugar-beet cultivation, and sugar manufacture, has 

 been taken in hand very warmly by Mr. Clias. A. Lee, M.P., of Tenter- 

 field. He has induced many of the farmers to try experiments, and 

 the results of yield per acre of the beet-root, and percentage of sugar, 

 are considered extremely satisfactory. These experiments were con- 

 ducted under the supervision of Mr. C. Van de Velde, the seed having 

 been obtained from Europe by the Department of Agriculture. Mr. 

 Van de Velde says that 



The prospects of the introduction of the beet-sugar industry in the tablelands of this 

 colony are extremely brilliant. He can safely state tliat no country where this great 

 agricultural industry is carried out has soil and climate equal to those of New South 



