20 CHAPTER III 



In Africa Madeira (33 N.), Egypt (4-3O N.)> Natal and Zululand 

 (28-3O S.), Portuguese East Africa (io-28 S.), and Mauritius and Reunion 



(I 9 -2I S.). 



In America Louisiana, with isolated instances in Arizona, Texas and 

 Georgia (3O-32 N.), the whole of the West Indian Islands (8-22 N.), 

 including therein Cuba, Porto Rico, Santo Domingo and Hayti, Jamaica, 

 Martinique and Guadeloupe, St. Vincent, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Thomas, 

 Virgin Islands, Barbados, Antigua and Trinidad ; British and Dutch 

 Guiana (6-8 N.), Mexico and the Central American republics (8-25 N.), 

 Brazil (o-23 S.), Argentina (22-28 S.), Paraguay (2O-22 S.), Venezuela 

 (o-8 N.), and Peru (3-i8 S.). 



In Australasia New South Wales and Queensland (i6-3O S.), Fiji 

 (i5-2i S.), and the Hawaiian Islands (i8-2i N.). 



In Europe Spain, in the extreme south-east (36-37 N.). 



Apart from these commercial centres the cane may be found growing 

 as a garden plant in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Cape Colony, Mesopotamia, 

 Persia and Arabia. 



In the middle ages Sicily, Malta, Cyprus and the Levant were the centres 

 of a considerable industry, and the seventeenth century saw an attempt 

 to grow the cane in the south of France. It still survives in these localities. 

 As a matter of curiosity it may be recorded that at the Great Exhibition 

 of 1851, Dr. Evans showed sugar made from canes grown in Surrey, England, 

 by Mr. H. Perkins. 3 



The Temperature of Cane-growing Districts. As the cane is grown in 

 countries widely differentiated, both as regards latitude and altitude, there 

 is a wide variation in the conditions under which it is produced. The hottest 

 localities are not those which lie at or near to the equator ; such have 

 a temperature distinctly lower than many a number of degrees remote 

 therefrom. Actually the heat equator at o longitude lies close to 20 N. 

 latitude. Passing east it leaves Africa at its most easterly point, 13 N., 

 and then runs parallel to the equator, crossing southern India, whence it 

 turns south and crosses the equator at 80 E. It remains south of the line 

 to 120 W., when it rises abruptly to meet the American continent at 25 N. 

 Crossing the continent it runs S.E. closely following the east coast of Central 

 and South America, and leaves the most westerly point of the continent 

 at 2 S. It then runs in a north-easterly direction till it again meets the 

 parallel of Greenwich at 20 N. 



The mean annual temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and that of the hot- 

 test and coldest months for each five degrees of latitude are thus given by 

 Spitaler.* 



NORTH LATITUDE. SOUTH LATITUDE. 



30 25 20 15 10 5 o 5 10 15 20 25 30 



January 58-3 65-1 71-1 74-9 78-3 79-2 79-2 79-0 78-6 78-3 77-4 76-5 73-0 



July .. Si-i 82*4 82-6 82-2 79-5 79-0 77-9 76*8 75-2 72-7 68*9 64-6 58-3 



Year .. 68-5 74-7 78-3 79-3 79-5 79-1 78-6 77-9 77-0 75-6 72-9 69-6 65-3 



These figures refer to the parallel as a whole, and generally continental 

 areas exhibit greater extremes than do the maritime regions. The hottest 

 localities occur in Africa, India, Central America and Northern Australia, 

 where mean annual temperatures of 85 F. are recorded. 



"These temperatures refer to sea level. The U.S. Dept. of Agric., Weather Bureau, assumes a fall of i Tfor 

 each 325 feet rise in altitude. 



