900

SUGAR.— Sugar Cane.

preparing the land by manual labour was followed ;it is sometimes so still, and the consequence of nothaving the soil sufficiently disintegrated to theproper depth required by the plant made itselfapparent in the defective harvests of the plantationswhich followed ; besides, by the practice of utilizingfor fuel the megass or expressed cane, called canestraw and cane trash, instead of returning it to theland, the latter was rendered deficient in humus,and therefore not suited to retain the proper quantityof moisture, which in the warm climates of itsgrowth the cane absolutely requires for its properdevelopment. And although the ashes of the refusemight be consigned to the soil, yet this, instead ofimproving, rather defeated the objects which thecultivators had in view, as by the use of too muchmineral matters as a manure, the sugar secreted bythe plant was rendered uncrystallizable, and so, ina comparative sense, lost to the planter. An excessof soluble salts should always be guarded against inthe cultivation of the sugar plant; but the fertilizershould be rich in humus and nitrogenous con-stituents, as the consumption of both these classesof bodies by the plant is greater in a much largerproportion than of mineral fertilizing matters. Theknowledge of these facts has led to the desire ofemploying such matters as blood, decomposed flesh,rotten fish, wool refuse, and the like, for manure inthe sugar plantations.

The frequent droughts which occur in the countriesadapted to the cultivation of the sugar plant, renderthe artificial prevention of the too rapid evaporationof the water, which would be very injurious to thefreshly-planted ratoons, of the highest importance.The great bulk and solidity, and the richness inmineral constituents of the stem of the sugar cane,would cause a rapid impoverishment of the soil,were not some adequate return made to it. Bothpurposes are effected by surrounding the stems ofthe newly-planted ratoons with the megass, or canefrom which the sugar has been extracted.

Canes require a soil well drained, but still richand moist. Land with much saline matter is fre-quently found to prevent the canes ripening ; theyremain green and watery.

One variety greatly in cultivation in Jamaica camefrom Otaheite . When this cane is well cultivated,and in favourable soil, it rises in the first year to12 or 14 feet in height, being 6 inches in circum-ference, and having joints 6 inches apart. No field,however, will give an average so high as this. Itsometimes attains maturity in ten months. Itsfoliage is of a pale green; leaves broad and muchdrooping, and flowering or arrowing in a mannergraceful and ornamental. It requires a rich soil.The yellow-violet may be put in poorer soil. It givesa fine sugar, but not so much as the Tahiti cane.It has a dark-green foliage. The purple-violet isfrom Java, and is 8 to 10 feet high, and 6 inches incircumference. On the joints of the cane there isa large amount of a resinous film, which sometimescompletely shades the purple beneath. This resinis very hard and troublesome to grind. The cane

itself is hardy, and is sometimes used in Jamaica asa border to other canes, defending them against thetrespassing of cattle.

The large red cane of Assam is said to flower ineight months, and to give similar sugar to the Tahiti cane. In Bengal a large red cane is cultivated whichgives excellent sugar. The China cane is said to beextremely hardy, standing both cold and drought,and, with abundant rain, giving out as many asthirty shoots. It resists the inroads of the whiteants, which cannot penetrate its hard crust, whilstit is also safe against the teeth of the jackals. Itrequires, however, a stronger mill for grinding thanthe other varieties mentioned. Wray asserts thatthe Salangore cane is the finest in the Straits ofSingapore , and perhaps in the world. He says thathe has out five from one stool, which were of aweight of from 17 to 25 lbs. They have been knownto produce 7200 lbs. of undrained sugar per acre,equal to 5800 of dry sugar for shipping.

A dry, smooth, brittle skin, a heavy cane, a greypith, approaching to brown, and a sweet glutinousjuice, indicate the maturity of the cane. The canesshould be cut so that the juice may not be dilutedat a dry season. The canes are cut as close tothe stole or root as possible, as well because thelower joints are found richer in sugar, as to givevigour to the ratoons which are to spring from theold stock; the tops, with one or two joints, if theybe not sufficiently ripe, are cut off, and the canestied in bundles and conveyed to the crushing mill.It is absolutely necessary that the cane be cut justbefore being expressed in the mills; for, if allowedto remain any length of time at the high temperatureof the climate, the sugar ferments, and a considerableloss is consequently occasioned. The following tablesare from Payen :—

OTAHEITE CANE AT MATURITY.

Centesimally.

Water,.. 71*04

Sugar,. 18*00

Cellulose, ligneous matter, pectin, and pectic acid,.. 9*56

Albumen and three other nitrogenous matters,. 0*55

Cerosin, green matter, yellow colouring substance, 1substance capable of being dyed brown, and car- !mine, fatty matter, resins, essential oil, aromatic j

matter, and a deliquescent substance,.

Insoluble salts 0*12; soluble 0*16; consisting of]phosphates of lime and magnesia, alumina, [sulphate and oxalate of lime, acetates, malate of ^ 0*28lime, potassa, and soda, alkaline chlorides, and J

sulphates,.J

Silica,.... 0*20

100*00

CANE ONLY AT A THIRD OF ITS DEVELOPMENT.

Centesimally.

Water,. 79*70

Sugar,. 9*06

Cellulose and incrusted ligneous matter,. 7*03

Albumen and three other nitrogenous substances,... 1*17

Starch, cerosin, green matter, yellow colouring'!substance, and bodies colourable to brown and >• 1*09

carmine,. J

Fatty, aromatic, and hygroscopic substances, es-'l

sential oil, soluble and insoluble salts, alumina, > 1*95

and silica,.)

100*00