188 



SUGAE. 



2ndly. A large supply of potash and silica, particularly the last. 



3rdly. That lime and magnesia are also essential ingredients (the 

 first in the larger quantity), while soda is not essential to its growth, 

 and that common salt while appearing also to be an essential ingre- 

 dient is not so in any large quantity, but if presented to the cane may 

 be absorbed by it to a great extent, no doubt injuriously. 



Dominica. — The following gives the exports for this island : 



Year. 



Sugar. 



Molasses. 



Eum. 







1867 

 1868 

 1869 

 1870 

 1871 



cwts. 

 56,337 

 68,942 

 65,650 

 73,203 

 66,220 



galls. 

 54,400 

 95,520 

 90,940 

 88,732 

 94,015 



galls. 

 55,063 

 49,740 

 45,719 

 36,021 

 40,615 





Montserrat. — The cultivation of the sugar-cane is carried on in 

 the different stages of preparing the ground, planting, weeding, and 

 reaping, generally on the task-work system. The work is hard 

 enough while it lasts, but the labourers, male and female, who com- 

 mence working at 6.30 a.m., finish their task about 11 a.m. A large 

 proportion of the agricultural labourers and rural artisans, carpenters, 

 masons, &c., are owners or renters of pieces of land ranging from 

 half an acre to two or three acres in extent, and planted in canes or 

 provisions. The lower slopes of the loftier and the summits of the 

 lower hills of this mountainous little island are marked by the clear- 

 ings of these small cultivators, and nothing can surpass the vigour 

 and energy with which this peasantry of African descent labour on 

 these holdings of their own. Here and there may be seen the creaking 

 cattle mill and even windmill which, with a little boiling house, 

 some labourer or mechanic, intelligent, frugal, and enterprising beyond 

 his fellows, has contrived to erect, and to this little factory his neigh- 

 bours carry their bundles of ripe canes to be converted into sugar, 

 one-third of which is kept as remuneration for the manufacturer. 

 The sugar lands of many proprietors of considerable importance are 

 cultivated more or less on the half system, a system by which the 

 peasant occupiers of small plots of land are bound to grow canes 

 which are brought at crop time to the works of the proprietor, who 

 retains half the sugar produced as rent for his land. 



The following statement shows the shipment of sugar and molasses 

 for seven years : 



Y'ear. 



Sugar. ' 



Molasses. 





hhds. 



puns. 



1865 



1039 



236 



i 1866 



1607 



393 



' 1867 



915 



176 



; 1868 



1662 



534 



1869 



1794 



503 



i 1870 



1879 



418 



1871 



1891 



466 



