838 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[May 2, 1892. 
Fort Scott. Foreign oonntriea had sent ambas" 
sadora to investigate and report noon this strange 
plant which under the influence of diffusion was to 
revolntionize the sugar world, odd ttie name of Fort 
Scott to the commercial sugar marts upon the blach- 
boarda of sugar oxchangoa, and make all Kanaaa rich 
and happy. It is a pity to say failure to all these 
high hopes and bright anticipations, but the truthful 
chronicfcr of hiato^ has so recorded, and the chemist 
in charge has officially announced ** the absolute 
failure of the experiments to demonstrate the com- 
mercial practicability of manufacturing sorghum 
sugar " which fell upon our intelligent Commiaaionor 
of Agrioulthre " like a wet blanket," to say nothing 
of the chagrin and grief, amomrtiug to almost dia- 
couragoment which followed. 
" Human fortitude is equal to human calamity ” 
was one of the impressive sentoneea contained in tho 
“ farewell address " of Lee to his army at Appomattox, 
and its truth has been fully verified in tho history of 
tho Parkerson Sugar Works. Undaunted by failure, 
and urged to renewed exertions by the unjust attacks 
of carptegTcritics, tho courageous managors calmly 
surveyed ihe field of disaster, reviewed the causes as 
far ^s known, and calmly resolved upon another 
trial. Defective and superfluous machinery was re- 
moved, uncertain or naelesa processes wero eliminated, 
pet theories wore abandoned and simplicity and pure 
science left to conduct a campaign, which baa at- 
tained a success that finally places sorghum sugar 
making among tho profitable industrica of this 
country. The success of '87 at Port Scott is due Ist, 
to the nlmoat comploto extraction of the sugars 
from the cane by efiffuaion. 2nd. Tho prompt and 
proper treatment of the juice in defecating and eva- 
porating. 3rd. The efficient manner in which tho 
sugar wAs boiled to grain in the strike pan. 
According to the report of General Manager Par- 
kerson, the cost of labour and fuel per ton of cleaned 
cane was The estimated cost of salaries, wear 
and tear of machinery etc., another dollar, making a 
total of two dollars per ton tor manufacture. Upon 
this basis with tho same yield of cane and product 
secured .this year, it requires but little figuring to 
show that we have dovmopod a business of great in- 
teroat and profit to our State and nation," is the 
conclusion of Mr. Parkerson. 
Tho total cane worked into sugar 2,643 tons ; tho 
total sugar made 23.'>,8261b. ; or per ton of cane 
worked 89'2 lb. 
No second sugars wore made — 
The sugar sold for 6J centa and netted .. Slll.-fififl !)H 
The State bounty was 2 cents per pound 4,716 52 
Total : • ■ ■ 17,2(6 60 
There were also 51,000 gallons (estimated) 
molasses at 20 cents 10,200 00 
Seed valued at 7,000 00 
Value of total product !S34,476 60 
EXrENSEB. 
Paid for oano and seed 8 0,61 1 00 
Labor 5,737 16 
Fuel 1,305 77 
Salaries 3,600 00 
Tnaii ranee. CtC 1,500 00 
Total expouaea $21,746 00 
Total value t , ,, •• $3-1,476 50 
^otal expenses:; ;; ;; ;; ;; ;; "'J 
Had the factory boon lu the South, and made the 
flame yieldfl, tho account would have been ditferent 
in the following: No State bounty; an increase 
of cost of fuel, and a probable decrease in tho price 
of molassea. r , , ^ 
There is however one feature of tho above account 
which it is hard to realize : on > i i m 
The cape with seed cost 00 
T?ho seed is valued at 7,000 cK) 
Making 2,0*13 tons cane cost only S2,r>14, or not 
quite per ton. , 
Tho tinanuial success of tho above, while higniy 
K^^Atifyiug W tim apparent upou 
close examination. Tho molasses and seed remain, 
and are ostimatod at §17,000. 
Since the company, as wo learn, has closed its 
works for the coming scasun, it is fair to preBumo 
that sumo of its stockholders do not regard the 
enterprise as profitable. However, the problem of 
making sugar from sorghum is solved, and tho 
question is now only a commercial one. 
THK CLOVI-: OKOi*. 
In a circular recently issued by a well known Rotter* 
dam firm of spice acalors appears tho following 
regarding the outlook for cIoveH 
“ Zanzibar reports, under date February 2 last, 
state that the total crop this season is by far tho 
largest on record, and is estimated at 8(X),000 fraziloh, 
or about tho double yield of former abundant crops. 
A frazilch is cqaal to 35 lb., and the total yield, there- 
fore, will be about 28,0()0,t)00 lb., while the average 
roquiromonts of tho whole world are estimated at 
only just over 11,000,000 lb. I*riortol871 tha price 
of fair Zanzibar cloves in London averaged n*om 
3^d to 3Jd per lb., and although since then an 
export duty of 15 per cent, of tho value has been es- 
tablished, the difference between the prices moutionod 
and the actual (juotation of, say, 'Ijd to 4.1d is 
much larger. The largo yield is undoubtedly a con- 
sequence of the replanting which has been going on 
in Zanzibar after tlie hurricane in 1H72, tlio trees 
having now attained their full growth. The fact that 
tho tree boars fruit every second year only loads 
to the supposition that tho next crop will bo a small 
one, bur it is said that a mnch larger number of 
trees has been planted sinoo the humcane than ever 
existed before. At any rate, the current crop ia 
much in excess of the requirements, and concurrently 
with this exceptional Zanzibar crop tlie yield of cloves 
in the island of Amboina (Netherlands Indies), though 
of much less importance commercially than Zanzibar, 
has also been greatly m excess of tho average.'’ In 
reply to these alarming statemonts, it is said, accord- 
ing to tho Chemist and Dnujtfist, that no European 
house can possibly have any means of correctly esti- 
mating tho crop of Zanzibar cloves, as the bulk of thia 
article is produced on tho HUiall island of Pemba, 
north of Zanzibar, which is entirely in the hands of 
the natives, who do not allow any foreign trader# to 
obtain accurate nows of tho crop; but the estimate 
given by tho Dutch firm is thought to bo muc cx- 
aggerated.-^Oif, Paint and Drug Iteporlcr. 
THE OUTLOOK FOR. INDIAN AND 
CEYLON TEA i^LANTERS. 
TOTHK EDITOR OF THE “HOME AND COLONIAL MAIL.*’ 
Sir,— Indian and Ceylon plautera are undoubtedly 
coming face to face with and every day drawing 
nearer to a crisis in the history of the tea indufltry, 
unless they take eteps, which I believe they can, to 
prevent it. 
When wo consider there is certainly not lees than 
£20,000,000 of llriliah capital sunk in tea property, 
the subject, from Ha magnitude alone, is deserving of 
more than a passing attention. 
I would first doairo to explain bow 1 arrive at thiv 
immense sum of twenty milliooa sterling. 
India and Oejlon last year produced in round 
figures 180 million lb. of tea, and the average yield 
per acre may be taken at 3G0 lb. We tbua 
have an area of 500,000 acres under tea, and Ibo 
average cost of tea estates in India and Ceylon 
be taken at £10 per acre, the result being a capH^' 
outlay of twenty millions sterling. 
Tins sum does not include ihe outlay on rail^^fl-y"* 
roads, and public works constructed for tho purpose 
of serving thia enterprise, which must amount to 
few millions more. . 
Year after year then^ has been a steady ..q 
the price of tea, and 1001 resulted in a gross P 
of lOd. nor lb- being loalised for the teas of *n 
and Ccylou. 
