Edible Products. 



122 



[Feb. 1908. 



keeping higher than conditions really 

 justify. There seems no doubt, from this 

 and other indications that, if there was 

 a large supply, there would be a corres- 

 pondingly larger consumption. The 

 total available deposits of cacao to cover 

 the demand during the non-productive 

 months decrease annually, seeming to 

 present a growing excess of consumption 

 over the visible production.— Agricul- 

 tural News, Vol. VI, No. 147, December, 

 1907. 



WEST INDIAN BROOM CORN, 



Reporting on a trial shipment of 

 broom corn sent from Antigua, Messrs. 

 T. S. Simms & Co., Ltd., St. John, New 

 Brunswick, write as follows to the Hon. 

 Francis Watts, C.M.G.: — 



The shipment of broom corn has come 

 to hand. We find that it compares 

 favourably with the com we are getting 

 from Oklahoma, although it is not quite 

 equal to that raised in Illinois. If any- 

 thing, the fibre is a little finer and the 

 colour is better than that of the Okla- 

 homa corn. 



The particular objection we have, 

 however, is in regard to the length. The 

 bales sent contained straw a good deal 

 too long for use in our largest brooms, 

 which necessitates cutting and wasting 

 the heavier part. We are having the 

 same trouble with Oklahoma corn, and 

 we think perhaps that, if it were sown 

 a little more thickly, this would prevent 

 the straw growing to such length. On 

 the whole we can use this corn to good 

 advantage, but it Avould be more pro- 

 fitable, both to the grower and to our- 

 selves, to have it shorter. 



We usually buy in bales of 250 to 300 

 lb, each, bound with wire bands. If you 

 made a business of raising the corn, the 

 bales shipped should be more tightly 

 pressed together in order to save space 

 and so reduce freight. 



We are allowing the same price for 

 this small shipment as Oklahoma corn, 

 delivered here, costs us. 



If this corn can be raised with you as 

 cheaply as in the Western States, we 

 think it should be a profitable crop, and 

 you would have some advantage by way 

 of freight, as much of the broom corn 

 we buy comes entirely by rail from 

 Oklahoma. 



We are using about 300 tons of broom 

 corn every year, and, should you wish us 

 to do so, we could probably dispose of a 

 much larger quantity if you can raise it 

 so as to compete with the United States 

 product. 



We shall be glad to hear from you 



again as to the prospects of your con- 

 tinuing to raise this crop, and what 

 quality you would be likely to have. 



In this connection, too, Mr. W. Robson, 

 Curator of the Botanic Station, Mont- 

 serrat, reports that a small shipment of 

 broom corn (250 lbs.) was, in May last, 

 sent to Canada from Montserrat by the 

 Hon. W. H. Wilkin. This was disposed 

 of by Mr. J. Russell Murray, and real- 

 ized a price of 4£c per lb., or $11*25 for 

 the bale. 



From experiments that have been 

 carried on at the Botanic Gardens, Mr. 

 Robson is led to believe that a return of 

 600 lbs. of brush per acre is about the 

 yield that may be expected with the 

 broom corn crop. — Agricultural News, 

 November, 1907, p. 373. 



[This crop is rarely cultivated in 

 Ceylon, but might prove valuable in 

 the North.— Ed.] 



JAVA'S SUCCESS IN CANE SUGAR. 



The extraordinary development of the 

 cane sugar industry in Java has been a 

 surprise to the sugar world. When the 

 Hawaiian reciprocity treaty was first 

 negociated some thirty -two years ago, it 

 was said that the total product of Hawaii 

 could probably never exceed, even if 

 reach, 100,000 tons. During this gener- 

 ation, however, the production of Hawaii 

 has reached up to about 400,000 tons. 

 Cuba reached a production of about a 

 million tons before the Spanish war. 

 During that Avar the production fell to 

 almost nothing, and its rapid recovery 

 under the Cuban Republic and American 

 influence has been extraordinary, but 

 hardly yet even exceeds, relatively, the 

 development of the Java sugar industry. 



In Java in 1896 the crop was about a 

 half million tons, and rose constantly 

 until during recent years it seems to 

 have struck its own natural equilibrium, 

 at about a million tons, The exact figures 

 are given as follows for the eleven years, 

 1896 to 1906 inclusive : 



Year. 



Production 





in tons. 



1896 



534,390 



1897 



586,299 



1898 



725,030 



1899 



762,447 



1900 



744,257 



1901 



803,735 



1902 



897,130 



1903 



931,206 



1904 



... 1.055,013 



1905 



... 1,039,178 



1906 



... 1,048,275 



