VOYAGE TO MADAGASCAR. 149 



After the canes have been cut, new ihoots 

 Ipring up from the old roots, ^hich at the 

 eEd of fifteen months afford a fecond crop, 

 but their produce is onljr one half of the firft. 

 Nothing but want of hands to replant, can 

 induce a proprietor to feek more than two 

 crops from his plantation. 



When the canes are cut, the next bufinefs 

 is to fqueeze them immediately in the mill. 

 This operation requires tedious labour dur- 

 ing the night ; for if the juice remains more 

 than twenty-four hours in the ciflern from, 

 which it is conveyed to the firft boiler, it 

 becomes four. From the fixft boiler, it is 

 fucceifively removed into others, till it is 

 converted into fugar. It is purified from 

 that gummy fubftance which prevents it 

 from becoming white and folid, by throw- 

 ing into the laft boiler a ftrong lixivium 

 of wood-a(h«s and quick-limc. It may be 

 readily perceived, that what contributes moft 

 L 3 to 



