76 SUGAR 



while Austria-Hungary and Russia each contribute over 

 1,000,000 tons. 



In the East, the largest and most important of the 

 foreign cane-sugar crops is produced by the island of 

 Java. Here cane cultivation is most zealously pursued 

 on scientific lines. Reaping is begun in May, and prior 

 to the cutting of the canes a harvest festival is celebrated 

 with much ceremony. Java has long been famous for 

 producing raw sugar of the very best quality ; and at 

 the present time it is gaining a considerable reputa- 

 tion for white sugar, particularly in our Indian 

 markets. 



Among Western cane-lands, Cuba is predominant. 

 Indeed, this island is supreme among the cane-sugar 

 producing countries of the world, although Java, as 

 leader in the East, runs Cuba very close for the world's 

 championship. Both islands annually produce about 

 1,000,000 tons of cane-sugar. British India is the 

 only other centre of the cane-sugar industry which 

 can boast a crop yielding sugar by the million tons ; 

 but she is very behindhand in her methods of cultiva- 

 tion and manufacture. 



The cane-sugar producing centres which are fast 

 pushing their way to the fore in the East and in the 

 West respectively are Hawaii (the Sandwich Islands) 

 and Porto Rico. 



Sugar-cane was first grown in Australia in 1823, by 

 New South Wales. Some twenty years later Queens- 

 land began cultivating sugar-cane, and it was this 

 Colony's enterprise which created an Australian sugar 

 industry. Queensland has always been the supreme, 

 generally the sole, source of supply, and to-day the term 



