, 1885-02-04

moved from 1t Will DE replaced Dy a OeD0-
VIOLENT nature without any care on the
part of those who interfere with Natures
own agency, by simply for a time desisting
from that interference during twenty or a
hundred years.
In opposition to the conduct of the Porto
Rico planter Mr.. H. tells us of Peru, Bar
bados, Martinique and Guadeloupe, where,
by applying ~"abundantly" artificial manure,
the planter has in the latter years succeed
ed in bringing about a very considerable
development of the cane-sugar industry.
I will here add, that I lave read in a
book on st. Croix of 1895 by the father of
the late General Fritz Oxholm, that at
that time when the island had already
been, partly at least, fifty years and more
in cane cultivation) the best quality of
land gave 1000 lbs and less goodland 3 and
1900, lbs. of sugar. How is it now ? | will
also mention a case to show, that at a
time, when, generally speaking, few among
the planters had an idea of the immenSe
Importance of manure this Indifference
was not without its exception At that
time you might see occasionally a cart
from other estates, but there was one from
which the carts were sure TO be met with
in ChriStlanSted. moving about from stable
to stable, to collect manure; this Estate
was Annals Hope, and an anecdote was
told Of a former owner, who on taking a
new manager i'll his employ, told him
Nj. - it is a strict rule on This Estate,
that every day two carts are kept going to
town, to return filled with stable manure
mind, that whenever | find that rule not
to have been complied with, that day you
receive your discharge. At the same time
for many years when the other estates were
suffering from the effects Of dry weather,
this was in IA far less degree with Annals
Hope, and not only was it so, but every
body seemed to look Oh this as a matter of
course: SO it was, and otherwise you could
not expect. Neither Was anybody in doubt
that this was owing to the long followed
system OF abundant and regularly CONT
nued manuring. But then why did not all
the rest take this as a lesson, and follow
the same plan Yes, why
After exposing the agriculture in use on
Cane Estates, our writer goes on to describe
the manufacturing part of the business.
AS shewn above, | find no obj rction to his
calling the first part, the agricultural one,
q robbery procedure, because those who pur-
sued 1t, were aware, or ought to be aware,
that what they were doing was wrong, and
because their excuses for not doing other
wise, cannot be admitted as a justification.
But | do not think that he has a right to
apply the same term to the manufacture of
the sugar; for this reason, that the defects
OF the system cannot, as in the case of the
insufficient %manuring, be attributed to a
fault on the part OF the planter.
When the planter pleads in his defence
that he can't AFFORD or can't find the means
to spend ,, 8, or 500 or a thousand dollars,
although he knows that it will repay itself
with rich profit, already out of the first
crop, 1T is not unreasonable to answer: if
you can fnd $4,000, $1,000 or $4,000 to
cover the years expenses, it is only want
of ener gy, if you can't find the compare
lively small, but richly profitable addition
for manure. The same answer cannot how
ever with propriety be made, when the
question is of an outlay of thousands and
thousands of dollars. In all that Mr..
Hagemann says about the faultiness of
boiling the liquor in open pans, with it's
accompanying evil of intentionally reserv-
ing some of the saccharine matter in the
megass. for the purpose of serving as fuel
ETC., there is nothing that is not known, [
suppose, to every planter in the island
but, besides the obstacle against a change
in that direction, which is already men
toned. viz: the difficulty of raising the
requisite money, without prospect of an
immediate return, how many estates are
there in the island, whose yearly crops are
large enough to warrant the heavy expense
of a vacuum pan with appertainings?