The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-10-06
Varieties of the Sugar-Cane.
NUMBER XIV.

Mr.. j. Horne, lDc SUI
the ROYAL Botanical Gardens, Maurl-
tins in his valuable Report tor 1879,
states that the introduction and prop
aoation of new varieties OF the sugar
cane have been given up, for the
present at least. 1t has been OF GOOD
service to the colony, and, instead of
the sugar crops depending upon the
health of three or four varieties OF
the sugar.cane, the planters have now
a choice of nearly one hundred.
These are not all good canes, and
some OF them are better adapted to
certain localities than others. AT The
propagating grounds, where they
were we'll watered, manfred ana at
tended to, nine or ten OF the varieties
proved to be positively bad. These
were either subject TO disease OF
various forms, or deficient in saccha'
rine, or they did not ratooh freely
after being cut once or ottener,or they
produced few five OF six canes 10 the
plant. Two of each variety have
been planted in reserve ground Ill the
gardens, in order that none OF them
should be lost to the colony. "A
great matter is the choice OF healthy
cane tops for planting. None but
tops of the most vigorous and health
lest canes should beselecttG. Through
neglect OF this, the canes deterlorate,
till at last whole fields come 10 be
planted with cane tops which are
unhealthy and positively diseased,
The Sandwich Islands, and perhaps
New Guinea, are the places to which
the planters Of Mauritius will have
to look for new varieties, more pro-
life, hardy, and healthy than those
they now possess. In the Sandwich
Islands the sugar-cane is said to be
indigenous, and there are thirty-hve
to forty varieties, OF which there are
two in Mauritius. One variety called
"Puollea," has been known to yield
an average, per acre,of 10000 pounds,
equalling six hogsheads Of No. 16
sugar, on an extent Of thirty acres OF
good land, which had been irrigated.
Il is reported to be hardy and to
grow freely, in its native country, at
an elevation OF 1000 feet above the
sea.
The principal improvements made
's:Ee 1nanupacture are the'>yaeuppm
pan, of which tive are now at work,
and the centrifugal drying machines,
OF which there are many at work,
particularly in the higher parts OF the
district, where. from the nature OF
the climate, they are Indispensable.
The advantage of both are undeniably
great. Samples of sugar made with
the two improvements combined
shows that sugar can be made d.
rectly from the cane juice which will
bear comparison with ii e best refined
sugars; the crystals are larger, better
defined, and when "clairced' are per.
tectly white, even without the aid Of
animal charcoal. The superiority OF
these methods over all others is in
contestable. The sugar far exceeds
IN quality sugar made in any other
way it is made, dried, and is ready
for shipment the day after the oper-
alton is commenced. All the incon
venience of the old system, which re-
quired at least fifteen days TO perform
what is now done in torly.eight hours,
have vanished. Enormous purging
houses with all the necessary encum-
brances OF casks, "caissoDs," etc, are
no longer required. The syrup,
which formerly renamed in large
tanks till it was termented and unfit
for any other pIrpose than 10 make
rum, is now converted into sugar i'm
mediately, and almost all the crystal
liable portion at once obtained.
The Improvement next i'll impor'
lance is the process Of making sugar
called Wetzelps, from the name of
the inventor. The operation is not
so perfectly performed as in the vacu-
um pan. The quality Of the SUGAR is
consequently inferior; but still 1t is
a great Improvement on the cid
melhod, the apparatus is less ex-
pensive, can be made in the colony,
and with the aid OF "turblues" sugar
OF fine quality is produced, The
crystals are, however, smaller and
moi so clear and well defined as III
vacuum-pan sugar. These machines
are employed on many estates and
the result obtained is satisfactory.
in report by Sir Henry Barkly,
he states: Some allege that Maui
thus has seen its brightest days; that
sugar cultivation reached It's maxi
mum limit several years ago that