CULTIVATION OE THE SUGAR CANE. 



drainage on the voyage, and as the present freight is 

 charged upon the quantity of sugar landed from the vessel, 

 it is evident that he will realize his freight upon the twelve 

 per cent, of sugar, which, from the present faulty mode of 

 manufacture is lost by drainage in the ship's hold. 



It is true that in improving the manufacturing process, 

 capital must be embarked to make the necessary alterations 

 in the machinery and apparatus, and to effect some changes 

 in the buildings in which these operations are conducted : 

 but it is obviously the interest of those who can command 

 the means to lose no time in effecting such changes, as 

 the benefit to be derived from such a course is so great, 

 that the increased and improved production of a single 

 year will go far to repay the expenses incurred ; and even 

 in the case of Planters who cannot command sufficient 

 capital to purchase new T machinery, if a system of manu- 

 facture were adopted based on a knowledge of the nature 

 and properties of the substances to be operated upon, the 

 quality of their sugars would be greatly improved. 



It is difficult to conceive any thing more rude than the 

 usual method of sugar-boiling ; but it is not surprising 

 that no improvement should have taken place in the pro- 

 cess, when we reflect that the persons who direct it are 

 ignorant of the nature of the substances contained in the 

 cane-juice, and what knowledge they have of the manu- 

 facture has not been obtained by employing their reasoning 

 faculties, but simply by watching an empirical process 

 until they become acquainted with its details — a process 



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