CHAPTER X. 



THE HARVESTING OF THE CANE. 



Cane Cutting". At the time of writing the author is unaware of any 

 admittedly successful means of cutting the cane crop except by manual labour ; 

 the tools used are the machete or cutlass, views of which are shown in Fig. 25. 

 Some of the attempts at improved methods may be briefly mentioned here 1 : 



Paul devised an oscillating knife about 30 inches long, driven by com- 

 pressed air ; Lewis employed a small circular saw ; in these devices a portable 

 engine works an air compressor connected by tubing with the tool which is 

 light enough to be carried by one man; the engine follows the operators 

 through the field. The Hilton Bravo device is shown in Fig. 85; electric 

 power is employed in this case, power being transmitted to the saw by means 

 similar to that employed in the grinding tools of dental surgeons. 



Of the larger power devices, that of Chivers and 

 Hopkins utilized a circular saw, and those of Luce, 

 Gaussiran, and Sloane circular knives; all of these are 

 based on the principle of wheat harvesters and none 

 of them attempted to top the cane. Cockerell's device 

 was an endless chain connected to two traction engines 

 on opposite sides of the field; the chain was dragged 

 across the field by the engines and was at the same time 

 moved in a horizontal plane. 



Cane Cars. A number of years ago the majority 

 of cane cars were constructed with fixed ends and sides 

 made of angle iron ; the successful adoption of mechanical 

 train unloading necessitated a change in design. In the 

 Hawaiian islands the cars used are either as shown in 

 Fig. 87 (PLATE X.) with drop sides, which on being let 

 down form a platform bridging the space from the track 

 to the sunken cane carrier, or else are plain flat cars with 

 sides formed of removable standards ; the track is in this 

 case close enough to the carrier to dispense with the 

 necessity of bridging with the drop side. In Mauritius and in Cuba much 

 cane is transported in thirty-ton steel cars on main line standard gauge 

 track; such cars are seen in Fig. 96 (PLATE XIII.). 



FIG. 85. 



159 



