The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1860-09-20
Correspondents Of the Pacific Commercial Advertiser
The Manufacture ofsugar.
MAKAwAn. Sent. 4. 1sGO.
CCon,iuu-d from our la-t.)

MARAWAo, sept. 4, lopo.
I will now proceed to review his letters in success
sion, presuming that P. and Mr.. Penuie are the same
person {; if they are not, I beg pardon Of each for con
f~guaiing MIN with the other.
In lis letter published in your paper of the 18th
July, lie seems TO condne himself entirely to canes
growing on Iow lands. where only the canes arrow or
tlssel and altogether ignores the fact that cane
natures at different ages, according to the height
above the level of the sea at which i, Is grown. For
instance. At Mlkawao it ripeus in tSo years, anl
does no; arrow at all, excepting in very vet seasons ;
but At Koloa. the canes are planted in July, aud
always arrow in the November Of the following year,
excepting in cases Of extreme drought. He says that
the people here are Of the opinion that cane will not
make sugar until it has shed the arrow. l have
spent some six years on one of the island plantations
where the canes arrowei every year as above stated,
and | never heard that opinion expressed by any one
connected with the plantation. Butt it Is very certain
that the cane on low lands i not mature until the
arrow i formed, and that it yields the best and
greatest proportion Of sugar subsequently TO the
arrowing. lie says that as soon rs the cane shows
the slightest sign Of going to seed it has done making
sugar, and Is going fast to decay. The extent OF that
decay may, I think, be safely estimated by the guam
tity and quality Of the sugar made during and suose-
quently to the decay Of the arrow. At holoa | have,
in March, nearly three months after the arrow has
completely died of, made as good sugar and with as
great ease as at any previous time. The only differ
ence 7 noticed was, that the cane yielded less juice,
but the juice was richer, rs was evidenced 10y the
more rapid concentration, ami by the more rapid
filing of the coolers from the same bulk Of juice.
Thus showing that the effect produced up TO that
time was not decay, but merely a concentration Of
the juice. Later in the season n red streak would
begin to form in the center of the cane, showing that
decay had then commenced.
DO not state this rs arguing against the manuflc-
turing 0f the sugar ut an earlier period; on the con-
trary, I consider that great benefit would be derived
from taking off the canes as rapidly as possible after
maturity, but not before. An immediate benefit
would be derived from the necessarily more rapid
boiling, aud a prospective benefit from the additional
time allowed for the cultivation OF rattoons. The
machinery Of q plantation ought TO be such that the
boiling may DC carried on night and day without in
Permission, as juice laying over night in the kettles
will always yield a smaller proportion and poorer
quality of sugar than that which IS boilel off imme-
after Qualification. The juice should never be
allowed to cool after it is once heated in the CHARTERS.
Thus. in Louisiana, the mill aud kettle are, with
some very few exceptions, kept going night and day,
the Sabbath included, no stoppage being allowed ex-
CtDllhE III NaAoN1 "a NNAA1 Va NNNANAAN thA N"AAA
1t is, however, a matter of greater Importance there
than here, as there is danger there of the cane being
injured by frost. Hence the necessity of grinding on
the Sabbath. By premature cutting Of the canes, it
IS true. A still greater time will be allowed for the
cultivation of the succeeding crop, but it is Il question
vet 10 be determined whether the gain in this case
or would not be more than counterbalanced by
the poorer quality and smaller proportion Of sugars
Welded by the canes so cut In my opinion it would
be so. | have not had an opportunity Of experiment
ny on the subject, and consequently cannot make a
positive assertion either way. But in all the works
have yet read on the subject, | find that the West
india planters are considered as working to disad-
vantage in prematurely cutting their canes, and l
-ully believe that they do so. (See Evans Sugar
Manual, pages 232, 1887
Mr.. Penuie lays great stress upon the " successful
practice of first class sugar estates" 1 presume, he
,IIudes to the estates of the West Indies. What has
,een the cry from the West Indies since the passage
the Emancipation Act OF 1888; The cry has been
,eneral failure, by the planters attributed to the
fleets of that act, and by others who have investi-
rated the matter, to, in a great measure, their own
Encouragement, and also to the manner in which i'm
,rovement in the character of their produce was pre-
rented by the operation of the Sugar Duties. These
luties were altered in 1916. with what effect l cannot
ny.
If examples are needed, I do not think we should
20 to the West Indies for them, but rather to Louisi-
ma, where, in the face of great natural disadvan-
ages, a tropical plant has been acclimatized and n
ruIy successful result arrived ut. Mr.. Pennie should
,e,r in mind that the former success of the West In
liam estates before, and for sometime subsequent to,
he emancipation of the slaves, is mainly to be attri-
,uted to the excessively high prices obtained for their
,roiuce, consequently failure could have been the
esult only of the most gross mismanagement and
But when these prices fell, in conse-
Iuence Of the reduction of the duties on foreign SUI
,ars. to something near the present rates, what was
he consequence Hundreds of estates were immeli-
teIy thrown out of cultivation.
His observations upon distillation AMI sugar FRY
NJ. | have considered in a former letter. His Errara
will consider in its turn.
| cannot see what was the object aimed at in his
etter Of August 4th. | 10 not know of one planta-
ion to which his remarks are at all applicable. lido
know what system the Chinese planters ut llilo
,ursue. but I believe that they are considered as
.avinr resulted more successful than any others on
be islands. So much for his remarks upon John
7hinaman.'' He says that it ought to be the aim Of
he planter to make his plantation a permanently
rcftable establishment, aud to 10 so requires merely
ystem and proper arrangements. He there stops
living no description of the system to be pursued, and
o leaving nothing on which to pass comment.
| will here endeayor to show one way in which
have been seriously injured. and the cause
+ which injury. If removed. would render a COM
,arativcly small plantation capable Of doing as much
: our large estates now do. After the cutting Of the
anes. i; has been the practice Of our island planters
o burn of the trash preparatory to the cultivation Of
he rattoons. The land has thus been robbed Of the
manure which ought to have been returned to it.
ne plea was that if the trash was left On the land,
~loughing would be almost impracticable or would
been attended by so much extra labor that the
would cost too much. Rlttoors ought to
e the main dependence Of sugar planters. The cane
already in the ground, there is no expense in pre-