, 1875-04-28

ing in the mill whatever the weather and how
ever bad the state of the plantation roads and
public highways.
1t is a solution of the vastest Importance to
the Cane, AMI it behoves the planting inter-
est in these colonies to lose no time in acting
up to it. 1t means steady returns to all, thou.
sands a year to many, and general prosperity
to these countries. Carried out with intelli.
gent energy by the West India interest at
large, it may mark out a new epoch in COLONIAL
history industrially and financially considered.
It is perhaps we'll for US that. the difficulties
of muddy roads and the resultant expensive
carriage prevent US cutting the canes for
grinding in the wet months of the year, for
the liquor of the unripe Cane is of course
poor in saccharose, and besides that the cost
of production (having a larger hulk of poor
material to treat) would be greater, we should
be destroying, what, with a little patient wait
ing, sun and siccity would elaborate for US into
q rich and abundant sweetness. Experiments
have proved that canes cut towards the end Of
the dry weather are richer in sugar, ripper in
fact, give a greater yield to the ton of cane,
q much larger per centage of sugar than those
out in the earlier part Of the season. 1t is thus
OF some consequence to increase the productive
mill-power, not alone or principally as hitherto
merely to enable the proprietor to reap q
greater breadth of cane, but that from the
same acreage, the same feld-expenditure, he
may gain a greatly larger return. The plant
will need to be on a much larger scale for the
work of the season to be accomplished $50 far
at least as cutting and making the raw product
are cOncerned) in one. third the time now con.
sumed, and a few are at present inclined to
listen to the proposal, but the gain in Sugar.
and superior Sugar, is 50 great, we think it
should pay. However, without pressing that
idea at present, il is very important 70 coGsl~
der the immense advantages ObtanabIe by
working the mill continuously in making erys.
tails and rum from the raw sugar (and mo-
iaSses) reaped in crop time. "A mill that now
makes 1000 hhds. IA season, will then, suppos-
ing it to be fitted with the apparatus for turn
ing out crystals, at very little increased exc
pense whore any, for plant, salaries, repairs
and ward -rates, make 1900 or $500 hhds. in
the year; and one that now makes 5000 1--WE
have only ongsucb) may then, without adding
to its apparatus and at only the cost OF fuel.
labor AMI noir animal, make 5000 or Z 1000 hhds.,
if it have a supply Of the raw material in
browns or concrete awaiting tn completion
of the ordinary crop made direct from its own
canes. Thus, capital in mill and machinery
will go twice as far as it now does, fewer mills
will suffice for the crop, and cane sugar will
meet beet on better terms than it has been
able to do for some years.
Few concerns, few propriotors in these ISL
ands are prepared, uraSsisted, to erect the
great mills fitted with vacuum pans, c%entrifu-
gals, and other apparatus necessary for the
production of the frst-claSs sugars. They
must be erected by joint action, and one aud
two in every sugar district are much required
and the sooner established the better. But ell
may erect conoretors, by which a great saving
on the old copper wall method Is effected, and
= sugar produced that will keep the year
round, if need be, with little loss of weight,
and which will furnish a raw material obtain.
able at, ii. e.. that can be bought, and stored
against any season of the year wanted by the
Central mills for conversion into the higher
products.
The experience of the Colonial Company
in this island, as worked out by Mr. Fryer
from data furnished him by the Directors,
gives the very remarkable, We may say the
very portentous result, as the average of last
three years, of a net gain Of 46 per 100 gallons
of cane juice from 34 in IA to 612 in '72l
when worked into concrete instead of muscova.
do and mOiasses. That is to say, the concrete
produced from 100 gallons Of cane juice gave
24I2 in nett proceeds, while the raw sugar and
molasses from other of the COmpany's estates
in this island made from a like quantity of
liquor yielded in nett proceeds only 1918. No
wonder the Company, as soon as it understood
this vastly important fact, ordered out three
concretors of the largest size for E SOcorro.
And when the state of the case is generally