Houma Ceres. [volume] (Houma, Parish of Terrebonne, La.) 1855-18??, 1855-07-26

tOH CSLUUs
Cultivation of the SuSslr Cane In
.t. the East. -
The Following interesting paper was
addressed to the officer in charge of the
agricultural branch of the Patent Office,
by the Hon. J. Balistier, who, it will be
recollected, has spent many years in the
East as United States Consul at Singa-
pore, and as a diplomatic agent of this
government in other far distant quarters of
the globe: sl.sa ,; p,
@ WASHINGTON, May II, 1855.
SIR: My attention was arrested some
time ago by a newspaper paragraph sta
ting that oneofou national ships had been
sent to the island of Penang, in the Straits
of MALAGA, at the instance of some South
ern ugar-planters, to procure supply of
sugar canes to be used as seed for their
use. Subsequently, the same public chan
mel gave notice Of the arrival Of the ship
with the desirable supply of cane; and,
finally, more recently, while in conversa-
ton with you, learned that the effort to
introduce that species of cane had failed,
in consequence of their decay in the home
ward passage.
On this subject I beg leave to make
some remarks, which may not he inappro-
priately laid before you in your official sit
uation, which the more readily do, as it
may deter further attempt at bringing into
our unsuitable climate the Salangor cane,
which. from personal knowledge, | know
to be almost exclusively planted on the
sugar estates of Province Wellesley,
the only sugar fields near Penang, for ON
the island itself, the are no plantations.
Province Wellesley, close opposite the
Prince of Wales Island, commonly called
Poolo- Penang, lays near the equator, in
north latitude 50 90, and east longitude
1909 80. The cane in question, where
first it originated | know not, but it takes
its name from the river and district of Sa-
Tango, about IL south and east of Penang,
in the straits of Malacca aforesaid. This
cane, which is large and heavy, is unusu-
ally hard, land it requires the pressure of a
powerful mill to extract its juice, which,
be it allowed, is renowned for its sacha-
rine properties. Bnt the objection, which
Judge to be fatal to it in any southern re-
gion of the United States, is that as under
the equator as at Singapore, and near to ii
as at Province Wellesley, it does not ma
ture under sixteen to eighteen months, it
could be of no use for the purpose of ma
king sugar, or even syrup, in Texas or Lou
isiana, where the regular order ofthe sea-
sons require the cane to be ripe and ready
for being cut in ten months at furthest from
the time of planting, and before the setting
in Of the frost.
I After many years ofpersonal experience
OF, cane cultivation IN the Western and
Eastern hemispheres, am warranted in
stating that of all the varieties that have
fallen under my observation, l have met
with none that require so long time to
come to maturity as the eSalangor, and
am equally warranted in declaring thai
whoever recommended its introduction in.
Ito this country for a useful purpose could
not have taken into account the shortness
of our hot season, at the end of which this
description of canees would be found tt
contain juice but very slightly sweet, and
consequently, untitled for the use Of ou'
sugar planters div sius,negrg1ge obs
| But though the salangor cane is no Q
adapted to the requirements the country
for the reasons above given, the same OBJ
lection may not hold against another spe
cies of sugar .cane obtainable in the sam'
locality, viz: Proyince Wellesley, Malacca
anb Singapore, the three principal ports il
Malacca, where it is cultivated under tn
name of t'eboo-tillor, or eggg-cane, becaus.
of the swelling between the joints, whicl
fgivesit, according to the fancy Of the Ma
lays ansegglike appearance, there !,tlo .
signifying egg, and t'eboo cane. Ihl
llspecies isless robustand hard than theothe
tand is furthermore unlike it, being .yello'
when ripe, smooth and CLASSY, whereas tn
1.-the Salangor, is deep gseen, and hzzy Q