The Supplement to the Tropical A griculturist 



seen in the analysis, nearly three-fourths of 

 the dried substance consists of nitrogenous 

 compounds. 



Experiments on the digestibility of castor- 

 cake show the protein in it to be well dig- 

 ested, but low figures are given for carbohyd- 

 rates and fibre. It is unnecessary to point 

 out that castor meal for dietetic purposes 

 should be made of the fresh white * kernels 

 from which the fibrous and nauseating husks 

 have been removed. — Indian Trade Journal, 

 April 2. 



THE SALE OF CAMPHOR. 



Since the camphor industry became a mono- 

 poly of Japan, nine years ago, a British firm has 

 acted as sole selling agent but its agreement 

 terminated on March 31st and it is understood 

 that in future the Japanese Government will 

 conduct the sales through Japanese Commis- 

 sioners in London, Paris, Berlin, and ISlew 

 York. The Japanese Government has been 

 moved to this change by a desire to get into 

 closer touch with camphor buyers. The out- 

 look for camphor does not improve. Not 

 only has Japan to reckon with increased pro- 

 duction of camphor in China ; synthetic cam- 

 phor is becoming a formidable competitor and 

 the Japanese Commissioners are likely to 

 find it difficult to maintain present prices, 

 which are only about half what they were a few 

 years ago. — Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, 

 April 3. 



LEMON JUICE. 



The preservation of lemon juice in a fresh 

 state can only be accomplished by the addition 

 of some preservative. Salicylic acid is recom- 

 mended for this purpose. The objection to the 

 use of preservatives of this nature is because 

 they retard digestion and are particularly harm- 

 ful to infants in this connection. However, as 

 babes are not in the habit of taking lemon 

 drinks, and but such a small quantity of lemon 

 juice is used at one time, the objections dis- 

 appear in this case. In the first place, the 

 greatest care must be taken to have the juice 

 free of all vegetable matter, and, to this end, 

 it must be thoroughly cleared by repeated 

 straining. The preservative is added at the 

 rate of 5 grains to the pint, and care should be 

 taken to add the correct quantity, and no guess 

 work conducted. Having measured out the 

 correct proportion of salicylic acid, it should be 

 worked into a paste with a little juice, and then 

 added to the bulk, which should be shaken a 

 little. If bottled, the bottles should be filled 

 quite full, thoroughly corked, and stored in a cool 

 place. Earthenware jars, such as sulphuric 

 acid jars, make excellent receptacles for storage 

 and hold a fairly large quantity, about two gal- 

 lons. Lemon juice prepared in this way should 

 with care keep for about twelve months, and it 

 is, I believe, worth about 5s. per gallon on the 

 local market. It can also be preserved by the 

 addition of 10 per cent, pure spirits of wine, 

 either alone or with salicylic acid, but this 

 makes the juice somewhat expensive. — Natal 

 Agricultural Journal for Feb. 



JAVA'S SUCCESS IN CANE SUGAR. 



The extraordinary development of the cane 

 sugar industry in Java has been a bui prise to 

 the sugar world, says the "Louisiana Planter 

 and Sugar Manufacturer." When the Hawaiian 

 reciprocity treaty was first negotiated 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 gene- 

 ration, 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 war the production 

 fell to almost nothing, and its rapid recovery 

 under the Cuban Republic and American in- 

 fluence has been extraordinary, but hardly yet 

 even exceeds, relatively, the development of the 

 Java sugar industry. 



In Java in 189.6 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 area planted in sugar cane in Java reaches 

 about 283,000 acres. There has been a slight 

 increase during the last two or three years, but 

 no increase of any great moment, all of which 

 indicate that the present production of sugar 

 in Java of about a million tons, is about the 

 limit of of its successful production under the 

 competitive conditions environing that colony. 

 It is a fact that the Javanese had the example 

 of the Hawaiians in modern cane sugar manu- 

 facture, and they have worked up to it most ad- 

 mirably. It is stated now that the production 

 of cane sugar per acre in Java is about double 

 the average beet sugar production per acre in 

 Germany. Readers are doubtless familiar with 

 the fact that, under the control of the Dutch 

 Government, the sugar lands of Java are re- 

 tained, so far as their title is concerned, either 

 in the Dutch Government, or in the native land- 

 holders, and much of the land boars but one 

 cane crop, and the following year goes into rice 

 culture, which is the mainstay in the way of 

 food supply of the native Javanese. To what- 

 ever extent this is done, and as we understand 

 it the greater part of land is thus cultivated, the 

 Dutch sugar planters in Java lose the advantage 

 of ratooniDg. On the other hand, they get 

 larger crops by having constant plant cane crops, 

 and by shifting the land annually they get some 

 advantage in the way of greater fertility, and 

 the cost of labour is probably as low, or lower 

 there than anywhere else in the cane sugar- 

 producing world. 



The yield in sugar in Java on the weight of 

 the cane during the last ten years has averaged 

 about 10£ per cent, of the weight of the cane, 

 or about 210 pounds per short ton. This is con- 

 siderably below the yield of sugar from beets, 

 which in Germany in the season of 1905-06 was 

 15'28 per cent.; that of Austria-Hungary 15'27 

 per cent.; that of France I3'19 per cent.; 

 that of Holland 14'47 per cent.; and 

 that of Sweden 15"02 per cent. Cuba is reported 

 to have realised in sugar slightly under 10 per 

 cent, of the weight of the cane. — Indian Trade 

 Journal, April 2. 



