June i, 1802. 1 
THE TROPICAL AORltJULTURIST- 
factories in suitable districts, whether by Govern’ 
ment or by private individuals, encouraged or 
subsidised by Government, would yield beueftcial 
results, Messrs, Mylne and Thomson, in their letter 
dated 28th February 1880, to the address of the 
Collector of Shahabad, reported that they had for 
years been trying whether cane could be profitably 
purchased ana worked off at a central factory, and 
the conclusion to whicli they came was, that the 
price demanded for cane by the growers, which 
price the growers realised by making it into imn\ 
was so high, that the experiment was not deemed to 
be profitable and was discontinued. Messrs. Mylne 
and Thomson added that the Rosa Sugar Works at 
Shahjehanpore hod not found it advisable to make 
arrangements for crushing cane and making refined 
sugar from the juice direct, and the inference would 
seem to bo that central factorie-, such as are sug- 
gested by Messrs. Travers and Sons, will not pay. 
Tlie reason given for this is, that the factory could 
not work at a profit, if it paid as high prices for 
the cane as the cultivators realise by making it 
into fjoor. Rut this is only stating the fact in another 
shape, and is no explanation of the problem— why 
is it that with cheap labour, cheap raw material, 
refined sugar cannot be manufactured in India at 
a lower price than that for which it can be import- 
ed from the Mauritius or England? A similar 
question may be asked as regards other products, 
for example iron— why is it that with cheap labor 
and cheap iron ore at lianigunge, it is found 
profitable to import manufactured iron articles from 
England f I am not at present in a position to 
furnish an answer.*’ 
The letter from the Government of India to the 
Secretary of State, covering the correspondence is 
dated “Calcutta, 24th December, 1882,’' and is os 
follows:— 
“ Tlie improvernent of sugar production and manu- 
facture in this country has been the subject of 
attention both of the authorities and of capitalists 
since the beginning of the century, and various 
attempts ha\*e been made to establish factories, none 
of which appear to ba\*o been attended with any 
permanent success unless supplemented by the sale 
of rum and liquors. Super refining alone has not 
roved sufficiently profitable to maintain a factory, 
f 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 baa to contend are believea to bo these: — 
“(a) The cultivation of Hugarcane is limited by the 
supply not only of water for irrigation, but also of 
manure. 
“ (/>) As cultivation in India is confined to small 
farms or holdings, each cultivator who is able to grow 
the crop at all can only find manure enough for 
a small area, generally leas than half an acre, of 
sugarcane. The plots of sugarcane are 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 
distances, in many cases the distance being ^eat. 
“ {d) The carriage of canes over a long distance, 
even in a climate like that of the '^'auritius, is de- 
trimental to the juice for puiposes of sugar making. 
It is much more so in India, where the canes ripeu 
at the season when the atmosphere is driest and 
suffer, therefore, the maximum of injury. 
“(«) The Mauritius system of growing large canes 
at intervals is not adopted to the greater part of 
India where, in order to prevent the ingress of dry 
air into tho fields, small canes have to ne grown in 
close contact. 
“(/) Tho amount of cano which can be grown, 
limited as it is by the supply or water and manure, 
barely suffices for the wants of the Indian popula- 
tion. It seems to be at present as profitable to pro- 
duce coarse sugar for their use, a.4 highly refined 
sugar for export. There is, therefore, no sufficient 
inducement to capital to embark on the more diffi- 
cult and expensive system. 
“A further obstacle to sugar refining in India 
939** 
exists in the high differentia] rate which tho conditions 
of our excise ^'stem require to bo placed upon spirits 
mode on tlie Enropean method, as compared with 
that levied on spirits manufactured by the indigenous 
proooBs. Tho sugar refiuer in India is thus placed at 
a disadvantage in respect to the utilisation of his 
molasses In the form of spirits. 
"In view of the circumstances above noted, weave 
unable to advocate any attempt being made at the 
cost of the State to establish model faetorios. Wo 
are inclined to attach much coiifidenoe to the views 
and conclnsions formed by Messrs. Thomson and 
Mylne, who have paid, for many years, practical 
attention to the subject of sugar cultivation and 
inanufacture by ryots, and were tho first to introduce 
the portable sugar-mills which have now spread over 
India. They advocate the padual improvement of 
tlie ryots’ iiiothod of mauuiacturo rather tha ■ the 
introduction of more expen five and centralising sys- 
tems, Tho Provincial Dopartineuts of Agriculturo 
havo of recent years, directed attention to this question, 
and may iisefmly be desired to continne to do so. 
"We aro also willing to advocate tho establishment 
of agncultnral experiments in those comparatively 
limited tracts of the country (such as Eastern Bengal, 
where tliere is a moist climate and a more or loss 
abundant supply' of iimniire) in which the Mauritius 
methods of cultivation have pnma facie pros- 
poets of success, and we are prepared to advise our 
Local Goverunicnts and Administrations to give every 
reasonable support to sugar factories and refineries 
which may bo established by private enterprise." 
Messrs. Tnvvors'a reply to the correapondenoo is 
dated 2tat Eebruary, 18!K): — 
"We observe that while all tho officials who have 
reported fully confirm onr information as to the great, 
and indeed excessive, waste in Indian sugar manii- 
factiire, yet that they are aide in some degree to explain 
the causes of the existing state of things, while the 
opinion is general that it would not be wise for the 
Government to establish experimental central sugar 
factories. 
“ It would he presiiniptnous on our part to offer any 
comments on a question so fully taken up by the local 
authorities on the initiative of the Seorotary of State. 
"It only remains for us, in conclnding the corre- 
s|iondence, to acknowledge the very groat courtesy 
with which our necessarily imperfectly informed re- 
marks have been received, and the promptitude with 
which action has been taken owi' g to tho recognition 
by the India-office and tlie local authorities of the 
great importance of sugar inaniifoctnre to India, 
a d the ymsaibility of a great devolopment in it. — 
We are, Ac., 
“ Pro. J. Travers and Son, Limited. 
“(Signed) J. W. Rogers. 
“P.S, — We may mention that ‘ German grannlatod,’ 
a small white dry crystal sugar made direct from tho 
beetroot, is now lieing shipped from Hainbnrg to 
India; so that the royis will not have Mauritius 
only to conipoto with at home. We belive this 
sugar costa about lOa. per owt. laid down in 
Bombay, and that tho bounty on its export does 
not exceed Cd. to 9d. per' owt .” — Journal of the 
Sorieli/ of Jiis. 
LIME A.S A PREVEXTIVK OK MILDEW 
AMONGST CUCUMBERS AND MELONS 
AND FOR I’OTATO DISEASE. 
In cases of mildew among cucumbers and melon* 
and disease among potatoes, lime is an invaluable 
article. If applied wherever tlie disease has mani- 
fested itself, it will prove an effectual remedy, but 
if any part of tho plants afiected is not touched with 
the lime, tlie disease will not bo effectiinlly stMped. 
The heat way to apply it to cucumber vines affected 
by mildew is to sprinkle the powdered lime under 
as well as over the leaves by means of a small 
sieve. Tliis should be done early in the morning 
when the loaves aro damp from the night’s dew’. 
Plants that have been nearly dried up by the dis- 
