SUGAR. 



161 



sugar-cane has greatly iucreased. It is mostly in the hands of the 

 Chinese. 



The extraction of the juice from the canes and its manufacture 

 into sugar are carried on in a very primitive manner, without any of 

 the modern improvements to obtain from the cane the largest possible 

 quantity of a superior quality of sugar. The greatest quantity of 

 sugar is made in the neighbourhood of Bangkok and the adjacent 

 provinces, to where the tidal waters extend. Here irrigation in cases 

 of drought may be carried on with the greatest convenience ; and 

 were there sufficient labouring hands to attend to its cultivation, ten 

 times the quantity of sugar now produced might be raised in those 

 localities to which the tidal waters extend, setting aside other places 

 appropriate to its cultivation. With better machinery the manu- 

 facture might be greatly improved, and the culture is very careless. 



White or clayed sugar, red unclayed, and yellow, are the three 

 descriptions brought to market. The yellow is always deficient in 

 grain. Most of it comes from up the country, and from Chantibon ; it 

 seems to be a peculiar description of sugar, and the Chinese manu- 

 facturers say they are unable to granulate it ; it is usually pretty dry. 



The best sugar is procurable in March and April, that which is 

 made in the two following months is mostly from the second boiling 

 and is much lower in quality. The quantity produced in each of the 

 years 1857 and 1858 was about 100,000 piculs. In 1862 the ship- 

 ments were 82,700 piculs, being 47,000 piculs less than a five years' 

 average. The exports in 1867 amounted to 137,532 piculs ; the 

 greater part was sent to China ; in 1870 the shipments were 101,307 

 piculs. Palm sugar is manufactured to a considerable amount at 

 Pitchabure, but it is all consumed in the country. This is not the 

 same as the date sugar known in Europe. 



A company called the Indo-Chinese Sugar Company was esta- 

 blished here a few years ago, who received a large grant of 3000 

 acres from the Government at a yearly rental of 2s. Sd. per acre for 

 the land under cultivation. The inland duty on sugar has been 

 reduced to 9d. per picul on white and 4^(^. on brown. Instead of the 

 old hoe system of cultui'e, steam ploughs and cultivators have been 

 introduced, and large sugar mills on the newest principles erected. 



China. — Although we have no data to guide us as to the sugar 

 production of China and the local consumption, yet by going through 

 the trade returns of the several ports, we glean some idea of the export 

 trade as shown in the shipments for 1871, which were as follows : 



Piculs. 



Svatow, brown 461,420 



„ white 516,595 



Canton 316,183 



Shanghai 538,533 



Amoy 194,406 



Formosa, brown 560,510 



white 26,544 



Chefoo 7,930 



Total 2,622,121 



Equal to about 3,277,000 cwts. 



M 



