THE BATAVIAN AND OTHER SUGAR CANES. 
557 
are considered so much superior to the old 
canes, that their adoption has nearly banished 
the original Brazilian plant from our Islands. 
The Batavian cane is of a deep purple 
colour on the outside ; it is small in circum- 
ference, but bunches exceedingly, and vege- 
tates so quickly, that it springs up in one- 
third of the time that the common cane does. 
In new and moist land, such as the colo- 
nies of Dutch Guiana, the cane grows to the 
height of twelve, fifteen, or even twenty-feet. 
In arid calcareous soils, it sometimes does not 
attain a greater height than six feet, and one 
of ten feet is considered long. 
Dutrone mentions five varieties, which he 
classes in rather a fanciful manner. Perhaps 
these varieties may be merely the effects of 
different soils and situations. But even if this 
be the case, his observations are made with 
so much laborious accuracy and acute com- 
ment, that they may be found useful in irn- 
parting a thorough knowledge of the cane in 
all its beaiings ; he will therefore give a slight 
sketch of these varieties. He says, “ After 
the numerous observations I have made upon 
the changes and modifications which the cane 
receives, not only from soil, climate, and 
cultivation, but from the influence of the 
seasons, from the air, the light and the sun, 
from moisture or dryness, 1 believe I am able 
to enumerate all the varieties of this plant. I 
distinguish the cane as hardy and tender, 
and 1 again distinguish in these two states, 
particular gradations.” We will not be quite 
so diffuse as the author in describing these. 
The most hardy kind is firm upon its stole, 
resisting the wind which never lays or breaks 
it. It supports, equally well, much moisture 
or dryness, and goes through its progressions 
slowly ; it rarely begins to decay before eigh- 
teen or twenty months; This sort of cane is 
the best and most rare. The top part has 
fifteen or sixteen joints, the leaves of which 
are verg long and wide, their colour is of a 
fine green, the joints of the cane are very large 
and bulging, and about two or three inches 
long. They are yellow ; sometimes they have 
a green tint, especially when the land is new. 
The buds are very large ; the number of joints 
is ordinarily from thirty-five to forty-five. 
350 lbs. of very good sugar ; the juice came 
into sugar in the teache in much less time than 
is usually required for that of the other canes, 
and threw up very little scum. The produce 
was in the proportion of 3500 lbs. to an acre. 
The weather had then been so very dry, and 
the borer so destructive, that I am sure no one 
part of that plantation would have yielded 
above half that quantity from the other canes 
in the space of ground.— 
In April, 1798, two acres and a half of 
Bourbon-canes, in. St. Thomas in the Vale, 
one of the most exhausted parishes in Jamai- 
ca, yielded near eight hogsheads of above six- 
teen hundred-weight each, of clear and strong 
grained sugar ; which gives above 5,700 lbs. 
for the produce of each caue. 
A writer from Tobago says, this cane passes 
wonder, and renders the appearance of the 
old canes unpleasant- I could not, as a plant- 
er, have credited on report, what I have wit- 
nessed of \i,—Macpherson's Annals of Com- 
merccy 1805. 
This cane is very little affected by a backward 
season. Its juice is abundant. The great 
proportion of mucilage which it contains,. ren- 
ders it difficult of clarification. It is rich in 
sugar of excellent quality, the concentration 
of which is very easy especially when the de- 
gree of heat does not exceed 230^ of Fahren- 
heit. 'J'his cane must never be cut before 
eighteen or twenty montbsgrowth. The cane 
in the next degree hardy, must be cut at 
from sixteen to eighteen months. It has ge- 
nerally from thirty to thirty-five joints, not so 
large as the hardiest cane. Its juice is very 
abundant, and easy to clarify, yielding the 
essential salt abundantly. The cane in the 
third degree hardy, grows on high grounds, 
and requires abundance of rain : it ought to 
be cut at fifteen or sixteen months. The top 
has from ten to thirteen joints, with short 
straight leaves of a yellowish-green. The 
cane has from twenty to thirty joints, which 
are very little bulged, sometimes quite 
straight ; they are only one or two inches 
in length, their colour is yellow, a backward 
season has a very sensible influence over it. 
Its juice is not very abundant, but it is of very 
good quality, sometimes it has a great deal of 
mucilage, which renders the clarifying diffi- 
cult, and impedes the extraction of its essen- 
tial salt, especially when it is exposed to a 
great degree of heat ; 238° or 239°' of Fahren- 
heit is decidedly too high: when so highly 
heated, the mucilage is found in the greatest 
proportion, and is most prejudicial. 
The tender plants are divided into good 
and bad, the former is most general ; it grows 
in the plains. Its constitution is modified, 
but not changed, by the nature of the soil; 
much rain still further weakens and renders 
it bad. Extreme dryness causes it to wither ; 
its maturity is dependent on the season, it 
being commonly completed at eleven or 
twelve, but sometimes not until fifteen or six- 
teen months. The wind often lays and some- 
times breaks it. It is frequently bent and 
crooked. The top part has twelve or fifteen 
joints, with leaves two or three feet long, the 
colour of which is a very delicate green. 'J'he 
cane has twenty or thirty joints, the thick- 
ness of which depends on circumstances ; 
they are about three or four inches long, very 
little bulged, often straight, and sometimes 
even slightly going in. Their colour is a 
deep yellow, with streaks of red, which ap- 
pear as they approach maturity. The juice, 
which is sometimes very abundant, is easy to 
clarify. In favourable seasons it is rich in 
essential salt of good quality . in a backward 
season, the juice is very poor; it requires a 
very moderate heat for its granulation. The 
bad sort of the tender cane grows in humid 
and marshy lands, it also grows iu lands which 
have been newly put into cultivation. Ex- 
treme dryness is favourable to it, as much 
rain always injures the formation and secre- 
tion of its saccharine matter. It is weak on 
its stole, as the wind always lays, and very 
often breaks it. Its period of decay is from 
fifteen to sixteen months. Its top has fifteen 
or sixteen joints, with long wide leaves, of a 
deep green colour. The cane consists of 
