154 



SUUAR. 



is made favorable mention of for its strength of growth, early 

 maturity., and juiciness ; arid Mr. Wray strongly recommends the 

 introduction into the West Indies of another fine variety, generally 

 grown in the Straits' settlements, where it is known by the name 

 of the Salangore cane. He considers they would ratoon better 

 than any other cane, and the return from it is on the average 

 3,600 Ibs. of dry sugar to the acre. 



" For my own part, I have always reckoned as an average, 3,6CO Ibs. of dry 

 sugar to the acre as the return this cane will give, on anything like good land, 

 in the Straits, according to the present imperfect mode of expressing and manu- 

 facture ; but, considering the surpassing richness of land in the West India 

 Islands, Demerara, and Mauritius, I should not be in any way surprised to find 

 that it would there give even three tons an acre. 



The Salangore cane grows firm and strong ; stands upright much better than 

 the Otaheite ; gives juice most abundantly, which is sweet and easy of clarifica- 

 tion, boils well, and produces a very fine, fair sugar, of a bold and sparkling 

 grain." 



Much discussion has arisen on the subject of raising the sugar 

 cane from seed, and the possibility has been universally denied 

 among the planters and agricultural societies of the "West India 

 colonies. Mr. Pritchard, a sugar planter of Louisiana, in the 

 " United States Patent Report for 1850," however, states : 



" It is an error to suppose that the cane cannot be propagated from the seed. 

 This may be the case when the seed is obtained from plants that have been pro- 

 duced for a number of years from buds, or eyes. All plants that have been 

 produced in this way for a series of years, lose the faculty of forming prolific 

 seeds ; and the sugar cane is governed by the same laws which govern the whole 

 vegetable kingdom. It cannot, therefore, be expected to produce seeds after it 

 has been cultivated for a great length of time." 



The sugar cane 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 w r ater, 10 per cent of woody fibre, 

 and 18 per cent, of sugar. 



The fluid contents of a cane, according to Dr. Evans, contain 

 90 per cent, of the entire structure of the stem. 



1,000 grains of sugar cane, being burnt, gave 7J grains of ash, 

 which, on analysis, furnished the following components : 



Silica . 



Phosphate of lime 

 Red oxide of iron and clay 

 Carbonate of potash . 

 Sulphate of potash 

 Carbonate of magnesia 

 Sulphate of lime 



1.78 



3.41 



.17 



1.46 



.15 



.43 



7.46 



The following is the quantative analysis of a portion of soil 

 taken from the surface of a cane field, on the Diamond estate, in 

 SI . Vincent, West Indies :-- 



Alumina soluble in acids 

 Organic matter 



12.87 



11.26 



.23 



