SUGAR CANE. 



n^O write an article of any value on Sugar Cane an industry 

 -*- growing in B.E.A. is rather a delicate task. The still in its 

 fact is that the industry is in its very earliest stages experimental 

 and accurate experiments so far are on so small a STAGES, 

 scale that it is rather dangerous to rely on them too 

 confidently. Yet, so far as these experiments go, 

 they point to great possibilities; and the matter is 

 certainly worth following up. 



I shall not here enter into any elaborate details 

 of culture or manufacture. Anyone who wishes to 

 go into the matter thoroughly should study the 

 numerous publications on the subject, a useful collec- 

 tion of which are now available in the Library of the 

 Agricultural Department at Nairobi. I propose to 

 give a very short sketch of what is at present known 

 of the Sugar Cane in this country, and to devote the 

 rest of my space to suggesting some of the more im- 

 portant factors to be taken into consideration by any 

 intending planter. Unfortunately, though it is not 

 hard to point out the existence of these factors, it is 

 as yet impossible to assign any definite value to each. 

 So a big margin is left for individual judgment and 

 willingness to take risks. 



The cane appears to grow at all altitudes in 

 B.E.A. from the Coast up to about 8,000 feet. 



It seems to have been grown by most of the native 

 tribes from time immemorial, but only for eating nr 

 as a source of tembo. None of the natives, so far 

 as I know, used it for sugar making. Their system 

 of extracting the juice consists in peehng and cutting 

 up the cane, and pounding the pieces in a wooden 

 motar. The resulting "megasse" is then taken in 

 handfuls, each handful wound round with a piece of 

 stout string made from wild Sansiviera fibre, and 

 wrung out as dry as possible by hand. The juice is 

 diluted and fermented by gentle heat, and the result- 

 ing tembo drunk at once. 



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