Dfxember I, iSgi.l 
THE TROPICAL AOrHOULTOmST, 
419 
McCulloch hi his Commercial Dictionary, in 1832, tells 
us that “a lew years ago England was principally 
supplied with clean rice direct from Carolina ; latterly 
it has been much reduced. An improved mode of 
separating the husks, which throws out tlie grain clean 
and unbroken, has been lately practised in this 
country. As the giain preserves its sweetness and 
flavor better during a long voyage then when shelled, 
it is now |)rinoii>aliy imported rough from llengal and 
the Unitod States. No doubt tlie heavy duty (153. 
per cwt.) oil American cleaned rice has powerfully 
contributed to this result. “ He says the couBUmption 
which was lately only 2.IXX) to 2,500 tons annually is 
rapidly increasing,” partly owing to the late redaction 
of the duty on Indian rice from 1 5s. to Is. per cwt. 
It has nowl however, been very generally introduced 
among the middle and to a certain extent among tho 
lower classes; there can be little doubt that its con- 
sumption will continue to inorea.so accordiug as the 
various qiialitios of this cheap and highly useful grain 
come to 1)0 known. It is likely thorofore, that it will 
in the future form an article of importance in tho 
trade with India. 
Tho experiences of tho last half century show how 
these anticipations have been mure than fulfilled. 
The rice imports have dui’iiig that period increased 
a hundred fold ; the increase still oontinuos, and 
there is fair reason to suppose that the commercial 
enterprise, industry and mechanical ingenuity^ of tho 
English jicopio will, for many years to come, in spite 
of continental opposition, enable them to still farther 
develop and retain tho foremost position in the rice 
trade of tlie whole world. — Louisiana 1‘tanter and L'vjar 
Manufacturer. 
♦ 
.SUGAR IN INDIA. 
It may be remembered that in May last year, 
Messrs. Travers and Co., Limited, wrote to the 
Secretary of State for India on tho subject of sugar 
production in this country. Reference was made 
on the point raised to tho various local governments, 
and tho following is the letter from the Government 
of India to the Secretary of State, covering the 
correspondence, dated “Calcutta, 2Uh December, 
1889, ” and is as follows: — 
“Tho improvement of sugar production and 
manufacture in this comitry has boon the subject 
of attention both of the authorities and of cap- 
italists since the beginning of the century, and 
various attempts have been made to establish factories, 
none of which appear to have been attended with any 
permanent success unless supplemented by the sale 
of rum and liquors. Sugar refining alone has not 
proved siifficieiitly profitable to maintain a factory. 
If this had been the case, there appears to be no 
reason why the industry should not have been 
largely taken up by private capitalists. 
“ Some of the main difficulties against which the 
Industry has to contend are believed to be these: — 
“ (a ) Tho cultivation of sugarcane is limited by 
the supply not only of water tor irrigation, but also 
of manure. 
"(h) As cultivation in India is confined to small 
farms or holdings, each cultivator who is able to 
grow the croi) at all can only find manure enough 
for a small area, generally loss than half an acre, 
of Bugaroaiie. The plots of sugarcane ore therefore 
greatly scattered, even in a canal-irrigated tract. 
" (c) A central factory has accordingly to bring 
in Its supplies of cane in small quantities over 
varying distanoos, in many cases the distance being 
great. 
“ (tl) The carriage of canes over long distance 
even in a climate like that of tho IMaiiritins, is 
detrimental to the juice for piu'poses of sngar-maldng. 
It is much more so iu India, where tho canes ripen 
at tho season when the atmosphere is driest and siiner, 
therefore, tho maximum of injury. 
"(c) The Mauritius system of growing largq canes 
at intervals is not adapted to the greater part of 
iildia whore, in order to prevent tho ingress of dry- 
air into tho fields, small canes have to be growni in 
close contact. 
“ (f) The amount of cane which can bo grown, 
limited as it is by the supply of water and manure, 
barely suffices for the wants of the Indian population. 
It seems to be at present as profitable to produce 
coarse sugar for their use, as highly refined sugar for 
export. There is, therefore, no sufneiout inducement 
to capital to embark on the more difficult and expensive 
system. 
“ A further obstacle to sugar refining in India exists 
ill tho high diffierential rate which tho conditions of 
our excise system roquii'o to bo placed upon spirits 
made on tho European method, as compared with 
that levied on spirits manufactured bv the indigenous 
process. The sugar refiner in India is thus placed at 
a disadvantage in respect to the ntilisation of his 
molasses in the form of spirits. 
“ In view of the ciroumstaiioeB above noted, we are 
unable to advocate any attempt being made at the 
cost of the State to establish model factories. We 
are inclined to attach much confidence to the views 
and eonolnsions formed by Messrs. Thomson and 
Mylno, who have paid, for many years, practical 
attention to the subject of sugar cultivation and 
manufacture by ryots, and wore tho first to introduce 
the portable sugar-inilla which have now spread over 
India. They advocate tho gradual improvement of tho 
ryots' method of manufacture rather than tho introduc- 
tion of more expensive and centralising systems. The 
Provincial Departments of Agriculture have, of recent 
years, directed attention to this question, and may 
usefully be desired to continue to do so. 
“We are olso willing to advocate tho establishment 
of agricultural experliiienta in those comparatively 
limited tracts of the comitry (such ns Eastern Bengal, 
where there is a moist climate and a more or less 
abundant snpply of manure) in which the Mauritius 
methods of cultivation have jtriina facie prospects of 
success, and we are prepared to advise our local 
governments and administrations to give every reason- 
able support to sugar factories and refineries which may 
be established by private enterprise. ” 
Messrs. Travers’s reply to the correspondence is 
dated 21at February, 1890 : — 
“ We observe that while all the officials who 
have reported fully coufirni our information as to 
the groat, and indeed excessive, waste in Indian sugar 
manufacture, yet that they arc able in somo degree 
to explain the causes of tho existing state of things, 
while the opinion is general that it would not be 
wise for tho Government to establish eiporinieutal 
central sugar factories. 
“ It would bo presumptuous on our part to offer 
any coniinents on a question so fuily taken up by 
the iocol authorities on the initiative of tho Secretary 
of State. 
“ It only remains for ns, in concluding the corroa- 
poiidence, to acknowledge tho very great courtasy 
with which our necessarily imperfectly informed 
eiuarks have been rccoivod, and the promptitude 
with which action Inis been taken owing to the 
recognition by tho India Office and the local 
authorities of tho great importance of sugar manu- 
facture to India, and tho possibility of a great 
devoiopment iu it. — Wo are, &c., 
“ I'm. ,1. Travers and Sou, Limited, 
“ (Signed) .1. W. Rooers. 
“ I’.S. — Wo may mention that ‘ Gorman 'granulated' 
a small white dry crystal sugar made direct from 
the beetroot, is now being sTiippod from Hamburg 
to India; so that the ryots wili not have Mauritius only 
to compote with at home. We believe this sugar 
costs about l(i.«. per cwt. laid down in Bombay, and 
that tho bounty on its oxport does not exceed 64. 
to 9<f. per cwt." — I'iuncer. 
RICE CLEANING IN HONG KONG. 
Tho United States Consul at Hong Kong says 
that all tho rice received there is unclean, with the 
exception of that brought from China, the average of 
paddy being about 20 per cent. It is prepared for 
market at Hong Kong, with tho exception of those 
shipped to Canton, which, owing to the choapnesa 
of labour in comparison with liong Kong, is cleaned 
