The Hawaiian gazette., 1881-11-09
General .RrrfEIaHdisr.
GppTuAI-- nF THE cHESEIRT
DsmerurA Crystals
FROM til, London 7y-., Q, sept. is'Al


described as. at the present, vast manufae-
tory Of "Demorara crystals" These sugar
''erystals " fetch fancy" prices IN the Eu-
rcpean market: they are held IN high esteem
in ENGLISH households, and there is little mar
vel in this 70 one who has visited the home oil
their rrpdpction. Il is probable that the
:. rber;strv Of common life - has no more dis
tine, illustration Of success. The whole sys-
rem Of production is scientific to the last de-
r-ree ana when NC remember that the system
results in an annual output valued, even at
present low prices, at not less than e, 100000,
We see We are dealing with system Of very
rraciical interest 20 consumers as well NJ 10
prpducers OF "sngar" Moreover, there is
already &. OOO, 900 worth Of machinery at
work in the colony the annual Importation Of
English manufactured goods now exceeds
81 ,OO0, 900 the total tonnage leaving the port
already exceeds zoe, 900 tons. This comm
nitv, Il will be seen, is a great customer Tor
cur home producers, and the sole present
basis Of its prosperity IS sugar, and that
chiefly in the form Of Demerara crystals.
The sugar planters out here have taken
their cue from the retiners in England, and
have with vigor ioined the loud throng whr
with superstiiious unity Of feeling attribute
every evil incident Of sugar to the influence o!
the bouniies. This mysterious term has been
erected into scapeguat, and made to carry all
the blame which is in reality due to endless
other influences. But even trade depresslons,
bad seasons, and overstocking Of markets have
not always 90 much effect rs new Developments
Of manufacture; and this is a class OF lnhu-
once altogether ignored. DeDerara crystals
constitute one signal and important instance ct
this class. The planters here have devised a
u, fssl ~baf
with raw sugar fl to 20 into English con-
sumption without further refining We have
thus sugar produced under the cheapest con-
ditious and directly competing on the very
breAkiasi-iable with other sugars the result
Of extensive growing operations in one part Of
the world and extensive refining operations IN
another part Of the world. The English max
ers Of this particular class Of refined sugar-ot
cvrstals-whethcr in Bristol or in Glasgow,
will by degrees accumulate experience suth-
sient to accept this fact and no longer 60
wsilius the country over that French sugar
bonnties alone have ruined their business.
But II Demerara CRYSTALS are thus indiciable
for iniusnces hitherto attributed solely TO
bounties, these crystals are also acting most
preiudiciaily on those obnoxious bounties
themselves Il is not merely matter Of sup
plying sugar at the cheapest scientific cost,
but system is now being introduced here,
tue Weinrich system, which puts in the mar
ket what is practically loaf sugar. And as
We are told that loaf-sugar manufacture has
almost entirely gone out in England, this is
an item Of news OF significant interest to our
bouuty-ied Continental competitors. There Is
thus much reason for detailing the present
condition and the prospects Of the sugar in
dustry in this thriving colony.
British Guiana is : business-like colony.
Others, envious Of its success, term it the
" mud colony" But this mud is the
stable basis OF its high prosperity. 1t is re
ported 10 be "an alluvial deposit composed
chiefly Of blue clay, impregnated with marine
salts and rich IN decumposed vegetable natter
This mud extends far: the great majority Of
the "a. 900 acres planted with sugar-cane are
actually below the level OF the sea, fenced
round and about with sea-walls and dams,
and Welding an area Of soil, all alIuvial for
100 feet in depth, that's practically ine1haust
ible, and Yet most easily worked. The area
so utilized is comparatively mere strip
along the coast, reaching never more than a
few miles inland, 10 the belt Of tropical
furest" which iuterposes the barrier of a soil
that is nothing but loose piling up Of yese-
table debris nowhere sufficiently compressed I
TO he even good peat. But beyond this. again,
wien higher land is reached up tie rivers, /
there are reports Of experimental yields Of
enormous growth: Of sugar-C1uo attaining q
Of seven inches.
Only, to utilize this alluyia! area consider |
able capital has been needed: 100000 TOT a
sea-wall on one single estate was considered Z
a mere incidental expense. But tins habitual I
Investing Of capital has, in the course Of years,
produced an artificial sugar-gruwing area that 4
gives facilities for the production If sugar I
that must strike dismSy into tue hearts Of /
beet-sugaT growers.
1t will be valuable briefly to point out the .
advantages enjoyed here in the different pro-
cesses by which sugsr-cane is transformed 4
into sugar St for the table. First, then, in I
regard 70 the growing Of the cane itself, 1t is .
found that the variety of cane has far less 10 \
do with the percentage Of sugar yielded than I
the soil and mode OF tillage, combined with .
the season. For instance, TO make my mean /
ing clear, in the cane grown in the "stif blue I
clay," it is found, there is often produced 10 .
to Is per cent. more woody fibre than in that /
grown in lighter soils, aud woody fibre is /
Of course, 10 good crushing. But
then IN droughts these heavy soils suffer but 1
water means diretul scantiness of crops. I
amount Of richness Of the crop.
This question of water supply is being here /
set to rights by az elaborate system Of drain
age, which, as It becomes realized, so lessons
the cost Of cultivation. Even 4
now fresh water is always to be had in sufii-
Gent quantities. As 4 sign Of the progress \
and improvement in this direction, It may be 4
well 10 notice that, BY skiliul leyeling, natural
drainage has been made in great measure TO 4
supersede pumping a task Of no little e1-
pense where neither coal nor labor is cheap. 4
Most estates lie between the high and the low 1
water level, and this substitution has thus 4
been found widely feasible. 1t has been esti-
mated that on some estates this substitution Of 1
natural for artificial drainage has reduced the 4
cost Of producing I ton Of sugar by no less 1
than e.
But, besides this, these irrigation schemes
have aided in developing the system of water
carriage which already forms the main feature 4
Of every estate in this colony. Small Canals .
intersect the cane-helds, and on
these ply light barEes, towed by mules. One
mule can thus " haul as much as 10 tons Of
care at time. Il has been calculated that
this system Of water hauling costs actually
ons-sixth ouly Of the expenditure Incurred by
the tramway" hauling it has superseded;
and II IS, Of course prUporuunaliy more ad-
vsntsgeoGs than tie system Of 81 hauling" BY
draws and oxen, which Is most expensive at all
times, and in wet weather often altogether
impFacticable. Economists would be inter
ested in the small detail that these hauling
barges are now made Of iron and built il
Glasgow. This is found far cheaper than
baiIdIng them with the woods Of the country.
Bot here, again, improved irrigation aids the
good result. In the old days with insufficient
supplies Of fresh water, salt water had to be
let IN 10 supply sufficient depth. This salt
tn. iron was unable to stand, and its use in