THE HARVESTING OF THE CANE 177 



Although the direct loading of the cane has not been successfully accom- 

 plished, the transfer of the cart load to standard gauge railroad wagons is 

 readily performed. In Plate XIX is shown, from a photograph taken in 

 Cuba, a cartload of cane in the act of being dumped into a railroad wagon. 

 A full load for a cart drawn by three yoke of oxen is 7,500 Ibs., six of which 

 loads go to fill the capacity of a standard gauge wagon. In order to obtain 

 these capacities the cane is cut into six-foot lengths and carefully packed 

 in the cart by hand. 



Transport of Cane. The methods adopted for the transport of cane 

 from the field to the factory may be summarized thus : 



1. Animal power on roads. 5. Mechanical traction on light railwaj^s. 



2. Animal power on tramways. 6. Mechanical traction on public railways. 



3. Animal power on canals. 7. Aerial ropeways. 



4. Mechanical traction on roads. 8. Fluming. 



Animal Road Traction. This method is now only used on small properties 

 or on larger ones as a means of bringing the cane to a central loading station. 

 The capacity of a mule on the roads usually to be found on plantations is 

 about half a ton of cane at a speed of two miles per hour ; oxen are frequently 

 used, and a typical team and load is shown in Plate XX. 



Animal Tramway Traction. The following data comparing the cost of 

 mule transport on roads and on tramways 1 may be usefully given. 



A tramway was constiucted two miles long of 2-ft. gauge with rails 

 weighing 14 Ibs. per yard ; the average load in each car was 1,900 Ibs., the 

 train load averaging 11-25 tons ; this was drawn by two mules at a little over 

 3 miles per hour ; the capacity of a mule on a tramway may then be taken 

 at from 15 to 20 times its capacity on a road. 



Animal Canal Transport. This method of transporting cane is used 

 to the exclusion of other methods in Demerara and the Straits Settlements, 

 where the estates are intersected with canals dug for this purpose. The 

 punts used in Demerara are flat-bottomed receptacles, constructed out of 

 wrought-iron plates with heavy wooden bottoms ; they are about 25 feet 

 long by 8 feet wide and 3 feet deep, and hold from 2-5 to 3 tons of cane ; 

 a mule will haul four of these punts at a rate of from 2 to 3 miles per hour. 

 Water carriage is also employed in parts of Louisiana and of Australia. 



Mechanical Road Transport. Where good roads exist traction engines 

 form a cheap and efficient means of transporting cane. In Plate XX is 

 shown a view of such a scheme. An engine weighing 6 tons and of 20 h. p. 

 will haul 20 tons of cane at a rate of three miles per hour. 



Mechanical Railroad. Undoubtedly the most important and efficient 

 means of transport is a system of railways. The gauge adopted generally 

 lies between 2 and 3 feet ; one of 2 feet 6 inches is very commonly employed, 

 but for large properties it is more advantageous to have a gauge of not less 

 than 3 feet, as otherwise the number of wagons required becomes excessive. 

 With such a gauge wagons having a platform area of 50 square feet can be 

 used ; such vehicles will hold from 2j to 3 tons of cane, a perfectly safe rule 

 being to allow half a ton of cane to every 10 square feet of platform area. 

 A locomotive weighing approximately 15 tons will haul, at a rate of 10 to 12 

 miles per hour, twelve to fifteen wagons, each holding about 3 tons of cane. 



N 



