Jan. 1, 1900.] 
THE TEOPlCAL AGElCULTURIST. 
473 
the labour difficulty pi-events any rapid ex- 
tension of pla,iitations in the 20,000 square 
miles of the coast provinces which are con- 
sidered to be adapted to the cultivation. 
Turninar to another cacao-producing country 
— Mexico — we direct attention to the interest- 
ing letter (given on page 483) from an old Cey- 
lon colfee planter, Mr. E, O. Darley, so long- 
resident in the Knuckles district. Who 
would not hasten to Mexico if all Mr. Darley 
states be realisable ; but how can our corre- 
spondent exolaiji the failure of the group of 
hard-headed Ceylon men who visited Mexico 
in 1897 and 1898 to take up land or make in- 
vestments? Surely they had information, 
such as is now offered to us, placed before 
them 'i And yet going to see the country 
and the plantations for themselves, they 
deliberately declined to make an investment 
And yet Mr. Darley tells us that a profit 
of £120 to £150 per hectare- to £60 per 
acre— is to be got after an outlay of only £8 
per acre for any one who will wait ftve years 
— the crops being equal to over 16 cwt. of 
cocoa per acre. This is, we fear, too san-. 
gtiine an estimate to be at all reliable. In- 
deed, Mr. Darley's own figures of value of 
crop will scarcely allow the profit he names 
and surely 40 cents of a dollar (or say lOd) 
per lb is too high a price for Mexican cacao, 
being close on 90s a cwt ? No doubt the United 
States supply a grand market for the produce 
of Mexico ; but it must be under extremely 
favourable circumstances when even £50 
worth of cacao per acre as the gross result 
is realized. So in the case of rubber; to 
secure £2,000 worth of rubl)er for an outlay 
of £1,600 spread over five years should be 
tempting enough to draw abundance of 
capital to Mexico ; but, as we mentioned, the 
Ceylon visitors of 1897-8 did not see their 
way to recommend investments. At the same 
time, it may be said that if Mr. Darley's 
estimates are halved in their next result, 
they should be g'ood enough. Siigar, it will 
be seen, is estimated to pay £36 an acre ; 
and coffee is without disease. Mr. Darley 
must really tell us a little more about this 
*' Paradise of the West." Let him give iis 
his own experience — a plain nnvarnislled tale 
as a practical planter -since he first landed 
in Mexico. What about labour, taxes, police ? 
Let us hear some of the dravk'backs, and the 
reason why British and American capitalists 
have not long ago taken up all available land 
to grow products so much in request in the 
adjacent extensive markets of the United 
States. 
THE SUGAR INDUSTKY. 
We have received a copy of a GlasgoAV 
paper with information as to new sugar 
machinery prepared by a Clyde firm for the 
important Penang and Straits Sugar Com- 
panies, represented by the gentleman who is 
anxious to inspect North-Central and North- 
East Ceylon with reference to the location 
of a similar industry. It would be supposed 
that the further development of extensive 
operations in the Straits Settlements would 
be more than enough for the enterprise of 
Sir John Ramsden and his fellow-Directors 
anel Agent; but appiarently not, there being 
abvmdance of capital available for nay pro- 
posal recommended by their trusted Manager, 
Of course, the result of the reqviired in- 
spection has yet to be made manifest. But 
meantime we append the extract above re- 
feiTed to from our Glasgow contemporary ; 
and it will be observed that Porto Rico is 
to receive new machinery from the Clyde, as 
well as the Straits Settlements : — 
The well-known firm of sugar machinery en- 
gineers, Messrs. M'Onie, Harvey & Company 
(Limited), of this city, liave just completed some 
specially heavy cane crushing machinery for the 
Penang Sugar Estates Company, of London and 
Penang, cf which Sir John W. Ramsden, Bart., 
of Huddersfleld, is the proprietor. The machinery 
consists of tvo sets of regrinding sugarcane 
mills, the rollers being 36 inches diameter by 72 
inches long ; these are fitted with steel shafts 
of great strength, having journals 17 inches 
diameter by 24 inches long, and are carried on 
side frames of extra strength, which have 
through side and main top bolts of heavy section 
of steel, the latter so arranged as to give the 
narrowest possible return plate. The returner 
is of the Kocker tj-pe, and consists of a deep 
beam of cast steel supported on strong brackets 
from the bottom of bedplate up tJirough the 
side frames. The rollers run in heavy gun- 
metal bearings, which are cast hollow for the 
purpose of water circulation, thus assisting 
to keep the bearings cool, which is a considera- 
tion, owing to the great pressure now exerted 
by these large mills so as to extract all tlie juice 
out of the canes. The mills are litted witli strong, 
self-acting carriers for feeding the canes into the 
mill, also mechanical carriers for removing the 
crushed cane to the steam boilers. The mills 
are driven by powerful horizontal engines of the 
Corliss Frame pattern, having piston valves, the 
steam cylinders being 28 in. diameter by 48 in. 
stroke, are fitted with link reversing motion and 
sensitive high speed governor. The Hy-wheels are 
extra heavy, and built in centre, arms, and seg- 
ments for siupment abroad. These engines trans- 
mit their power through strong double gearing to 
the mill ; all the spur pinions of this gearing and 
the large pinions on the roller shafts are made of 
the best Siemens' cast steel ; the main and inter- 
mediate spur-wheels are built, and the segments 
of these wheels are also of cast steel ; the shafts 
of these wheels are of best forged steel and large 
proportions, suitable for the work required. The 
whole as erected in the works has a very fine 
appearance, and has just been inspected by Sir 
John Ramsden, Bart, and Mr. Underdown, Q.C. 
of London, along with Mr. Arnold, the secretary' 
and Mr. Turner, the company's administrator iii 
Penang. 
Messrs. M'Onie, Harvey & Co. (Limited) have 
also in progress another powerful plant, the 
first of several to be erected for the Straits 
Sugar Company (Limited), of London, in which 
the same gentlemen are interested, consisting of 
engine, mill, and gearing, being duplicates in all 
respects of these already described, but this 
plant is for the manufacture of what is called 
in the Straits "basket sugar," or Muscovado; 
but in place of the usual copper wall used 
genei-ally in the manufacture of this quality of 
sugar Mr. Turner intends using a Harvey triple 
eftet evaporator, which will be a saving in fuel 
and labour, as well as improved recovery in the 
sugar obtained. After the syrup is brought to 
a high density it is treated in a special manner 
by a patent process of Mr. Miller, the chemist 
of the above company in Penang. By the Miller 
process the syrup is kept at a low temperature 
so that there is no danger of its being charred' 
as sometimes occurs in the usual copper wall! 
Thus all the water is taken out of the syrup at 
a low temperature, and is then run into ariotheoc 
