276 



N. YAMASAKI ; THE STATE OF CANE SUGAR 



The northern part of the island has a much greater rain fall 

 than the southern part ; in the former the rainy season predomi- 

 nates in spring, in the latter in summer. Frost occurs but very 

 rarely in the former and never in the latter, in which the cane 

 harvest amounts to about 80% of that of the whole island. 



There exist two regions of cane cultivation, one on the 

 southern plain and the other in the river basins in the north. 

 The soil is principally sandy with loam soil of the tertiary and 

 quaternary ages. 



After the ground has been ploughed and dug, seed cane 

 (head of cane) is planted. Afterwards ridges are formed at 

 distances of from three to four and a half feet, and of a foot high. 



Until the cane has reached a height of from two to three 

 feet, the ground is weeded and furrowed two or three times, but 

 no further attention is paid to the crop afterwards. 



Irrigation is nowhere resorted to. When the cane shows 

 signs of withering its growth will suffer, but even in that case 

 the farmers do not resort to irrigation. 



Seed Cane and Plantation. 

 The seed cane, planted once in three years, must always have 

 three or four knots and large and healthy buds. They are first 

 soaked for several days, until the buds begin to sprout, and then 

 placed from 8 to 18 inches apart obliquely in holes made by hand 

 or with a kind of sickle. The principal manures used are human 

 and animal excrement, vegetable refuse, sometimes also oil cakes, 

 and rarely bone dust. Mineral manure has not heretofore been 

 applied. 



Kinds and Crop of Sugar Cane. 



There are cultivated three kinds called (a) bamboo cane, 

 (b) red cane, and (c) wax cane or white cane with much broad- 

 er leaves than the others. 



On examining the three kinds from the same district I 

 obtained the following results : — 





a). 



b). 



c) 



Spec, gravity of juice. 



1.064 



1.07 1 



1.07 1 



Sncrosc % 



13.08 



16.34 



15-44 



Glucose „ % 



•32 



•44 



.46 



Coefficient of purity. 



84. 



95- 



86. 



Fibre of cane. 



13-46 



11,42 



II-7S 



(I) Between January and April. 



