( 5 ) 
Under favourable conditions, the average weight of 
cane per acre from plants in this country is twenty 
five tons, yielding about two and a half tons of raw 
sugar. A sugar content of twelve per cent, and a 
recovery of ten per cent, on the weight of cane 
would be a fair average for the types of cane 
previously grown in this country, but there is no 
doubt that by careful selection and breeding it is 
possible to produce improved strains, as is now the 
case in other cane-growing countries. 
Manufacture . — There are two methods of manufac- 
ture, one in which Vacuum Pan sugar is produced 
and the other in which a product known as Basket 
sugar is obtained. The former process is elaborate 
and expensive, whilst the latter is somewhat crude 
ar»d requires less machinery, with the result that 
the product is less valuable. In both cases the first 
operation is to express the juice from the cane; this 
should be done as quickly as possible after the canes 
are cut, as the juice is normally acid and fer- 
mentation, which lowers the content of sucrose or 
crystallisable sugar, sets in very quickly. 
The canes are passed longitudinally between heavy 
crushing rolls, and this either crushes or macerates 
the cane. 
With ordinary metal rollers it is possible to extract 
about eightv-five per cent, of the juice in the cane, 
but with modern machinery as much as ninety to 
ninety-five per cent, can be extracted. 
The fibrous material left after the extraction of the 
juice is known as “ Megass ” or “ Bagasse ” and is 
used as fuel for raising steam for the evaporating 
pans and for power purposes in the mill. 
