Fbb. 1, 1901.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
521 
to the export tax ot about three half-pence per 
pound jilaced by the French upon all rubber sold 
by natives outside their protectorate. Notwitli 
standing this prohibitory restriction upon the 
native rubber vendors, there are several rer;ular 
traders who firinish to the market a good quan- 
tity of Foulah rubber every season. This rubber 
is almost invariably adulterated with clay, yet 
it grades well in the local market, and brings a 
better price. In former jears Freetown was a 
better depot for rubber than at present, but 
frince lire establishment of the French protector- 
ate, which controls the output of tiie valleys of 
the adjacent northern rivers, the trade has been 
directed to the French port of Konakry, seventy- 
two miles distant from Freetown. The dry 
season from November until May is the gathering 
season. Native chiefs supervise and control the 
sale of the output of tlieii' respective territories. 
The method of gatherins- the sap is very simple. 
The body of the tree is tapped and the juice flows 
until it is exhausted ; later, new incisions are 
made. The juice is usually caught in cups or' 
calabashes attached to the tree, so as to prevent 
impurities appearing in the rubber. The neglect 
of this pretiaution is responsible for a percentage 
of the incidental adulterations, of otherwise good 
rubber, fiequently found in the local marker. 
The native, in his efforts to increase his stock, 
frequently bleeds the root as well as the body of 
the tree; this is fatal to the tree. Tlie product is 
known as " root rubbe;-," and, besides containing 
large quantities of impurities, is very inferior to 
any giadeoftree rubbn-, and would be refused 
altogether by local buyers in order to discourage 
the destruction ot the forests, were it not for the 
sharp competition for export trade. The rubber 
is brought to maiket overland by caravans of 
natives, or Uiost frequently by canoes. These 
cargoes are generally consigned to some particular 
agent, (hough they are often sold to the one 
maki:!g the best otter. For convenience rubber 
is arranged in three classes or grade"-, known as 
No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, the character of the 
tissues and freedom from impuiities being tbe 
determining factors, as well as the kind of adul- 
terants. Considerable ability on the part of tiie 
agent is necessary to enable him to properly assort 
and select tlie rubber and to detect) adulterptions. 
There are two classes of these — incidental and 
intentional. The former is the result of careless- 
ness or, the part of the gatherers wlio do not use 
proper receptacles for the juice. Intentional 
adulterations are due to efforts to increase volume 
and weight by use of dirt, sand, bark, and some- 
times stones. Another species of fraud is the 
mixture of other non-elastic gummy substances 
with pure juice J still another is to soak rubber by 
placing it in pits close to the water for a long 
time. Kubber so treated is seriously injured in 
quality, and at the same time increased in bulk 
and weigiit. 
The Co'onial airthorities, as well as the Chambers 
of Commerce, are endeavouring, by proper instruc- 
tions to those concerned, to discourage these abuses 
and to emphasize in every way possible the 
importance of improving the quality of the rubber 
brought to Freetown market. Tliere is being 
inaugurated by the Governor and officials a plan 
to foster the planting of rubber trees and vines 
in the colony. To this end they have caused to 
be issued pamphlets ot instructions in regard to 
peeding, transplanting, etc., through the depart- 
ments of agriculture and horticulture. It is 
hoped that there will be a decided improvement 
in the quality and quantity of the exports in 
the near future. i he value of the rubber 
exported from Sierra Leone in 1898 was about 
£51.000, of which the amount shipjied to Germany 
was £6,700. The remainder went to England. 
—Imperial Institute Journal. 
^ 
THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN INDIA. 
[The Profits of Sugar-cane Cultivation 
AND OF CaNE-SUGAR MANUFACTURE IN InDIA 
By F.N.G. Gill. J 
Now that the indigo industry of India is in such 
^ depressed condition, and it has become a ques- 
tion with the planters of adopting cane cultivation 
more or less, the writer's experience niay be of in- 
terest to them and others owning stiitable land. 
The sag*ir planter's business should be separate 
from that of the ininufacturer, and where it is 
not it would be well if the planter treated the two 
branches of the business as separate businesses, 
each with its own account. In the present paper 
this course will be adopted. 
Making jaggery will not pay if the planter can 
sell his cane to a cential factory on the basis of 
K16-8 per 500 lbs. of jaggery yielded by it. Re- 
sults of ryots' milling in South-Arcot was found 
to be 7- tofis of cane crushed by two mills in 
twei.ty four hours and obtained 18,744 lb. of 
jaggery, c((ual to 3 75 candies of 500 lb. (11'62 per 
cent on cane) : — 
l^s. A. 
3"75 candies of jaggery at K16-8 61 14 
Feed of 12 paiis of bullocks at 6 as . . 4 8 
15 candies firewood at Rl-4 18 12 
4 men to mill, 8 men to boil, 2 men to 
collect bagasse, and 2 sundry men, day 
and night working 3 0 
12 gunnies at 3as 3p 2 7 
Sundries, repairs and interest on capital 
say _ 4 7 
K9o 0 
making cost on spot R25 5 3 per candy of 500 lb. 
And to make the concrete with large si earn 
mill, crushing one ton of cane in four minute*, 
and Fryer's concietor, the writer fovrnd the co.st 
of the conciete I{24 jier 600 lb. bagged and on the 
spot. The ryots' working shown above is un- 
necessarily wasteful in fuel, even for open boil- 
ing ; but as ihe jaggeiy in quantity would pro- 
bably not fetch more than HIS to K22 on the spot, 
there is little hope ot a margin in any case in 
sucli system of work. 
The following are the results for 18 years 1879 
to 189G, of cane cultivation in the South Arcot 
district of the Madras Presidency, obtained by 
native ryots with ' Ribbon " cane grown under 
channel irrigation, and manured chiefly with 
ground-nut oil-cake, and by the richer ryots with 
indigo trash. The cane suffered considerably 
from water logging through neighbouring paddy 
cultivatioD, and its seasons of planting and 
cutting were forced into unfavourable season* 
of the year by the requirements of paddy culti- 
vation. The whole of the cane of the are» of 
cultivation referred to was sold to the sugar- 
mills on the basis of the weight of jaggery (con- 
creted juice) yielded by the cane. It might be 
good or it might be iadifierent— really bad caftQ 
