231 



increase, especially if the extensive irrigational 

 schemes in contemplation are carried out. 



It is needless to remark of sugarcane, what has 

 been noticed of Indian agriculture generally, that the 

 description of produce, as also the different processes 

 of manufacture, are of the rudest possible description, 

 and a great annual loss is incurred by the clumsy and 

 imperfect mode of extracting the juice. 



Sugarcane is composed of water, woody fibre, 

 and soluble matter, or sugar. In round numbers, 

 it may be stated that the proportions are 72 per 

 cent, of water, 10 per cent, of woody fibre, and 18 

 per cent, of sugar. The average outturn on a 

 good soil is about 25 tons per acre, yielding from 

 15 to 16 cwts. of sugar. 



A thousand grains of sugarcane, on being burnt, 

 yielded 7 grains of ash, which, on analysis, 

 furnished the following component parts : 



Silica 1-78 



Phosphate of Lime 3*41 



Alumina and Iron 0-17 



Carbonate of Potash 1*46 



Sulphate of Potash 0'15 



Carbonate of Magnesia 0'43 



Sulphate of Lime 0.06 



7'46 



During the regime of the East India Company, 

 inquiries were instituted relative to the cultivation 

 ,of the sugarcane in Hindustan, and the information 

 pbtained was published in a large folio volume. 



