14 

 PERUVIAN SUGAR CANE. 



Three varieties of cane have thus far been observed the white, or 

 the whitish yellow, the greenish yellow, and the red or red purple. 

 An uncultivated variety grows along the roadsides which may be a 

 degenerated offshoot of the canes now in cultivation. The red or red 

 purple cane is not so extensively grown for sugar as the others, but 

 it is interesting on account of its resistance to alkali, and is selected 

 for certain alkali soils. 



While the Peruvian canes are affected by the borer, their rather 

 hard rind and high fiber protect them to some extent so that the borer 

 is not so disastrous as in many other places. 



The variations in the saccharine qualities of the cane grown in Pe- 

 ru are due chiefly to methods of growing. The percentage of sucrose 

 may be as low as 12 or as high as 17.5, but, generally, the cane is of 

 the high fiber, high sugar, low moisture class. The juice, usually, is 

 of good purity; its manufacturing qualities are excellent. The sugar 

 house products, syrups, first massecuites, are consequently clean, lie- 

 factory juices are rare. The sugars produced are of good color, rather 

 large grain, high polarization, and, in most cases, good shippers. 



The soil and climate are conducive to heavy yields. While in most 

 districts it requires from 18 to 22 or 24 months to mature the cane, it 

 is said that cane matures in some localities in 16 months. 



On certain lands under very favorable conditions it will probably 

 be found that 90 tons of cane can be grown on small areas, and that 

 some estates can be made to produce an average of 60 tons and upwards 

 an acre this, of course, under intensive cultivation. At present on 

 good estates, the average is probably from 35 to 45 tons per acre. 



The figures below give a fair idea of the qualities of some average 

 Peruvian canes: 



Sucrose in cane,% 15.77 



Fiber in cane,% 15.00 



Moisture in cane,% 66.02 



Density of juice, Brix 20.87 



Sucrose in juice, % 18.71 



Purity of juice, 89.68 



Ash in juice, .47 



Gums in juice, .45 



Tons of cane per acre, 40,00 



