The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-02-24

whether this plan could be approved
from chemical analysis or not. but as
the cane is not stripped of its leaves.
thus hindering ventilation and drying.
aud as the round. -.a. IS very wee. taF
cane has q tendency g. throw out aeT-
l-s. roots and suckers Consequently the
sugar content ard ,he purity of the
juice falls. The excess IF water in the
cane also affects tn quality Of the first
three or four weeks output Of sugar.
The proper time for planting and mill
ing are questions 10 De settled by the
Division Of Agriculture here.
Nearly all Of the mills used in this
province are Of three rollers, manufac-
tured in Glasgow from ten - thirty
years ago. The average roller is ABOUT
one by three feet. Steam is the usual
motive power. but some mills are still
turned by carabao power and few
rear the mountains are run by wa.er
power The efficiency of these mills is
very poor. BY the rough methods of
Weighing the cane and the baGasse it Is
estimated that about 20 per cent of the
juice IS extracted. 1t usually requires a
whole day Of bright sun with moderate
wind to dry the baga sse sufficiently II
burn under the watts.
a few houses possess tanks for heat
ing the juice after il leaves the mill. bug
in most houses the juice passes directly
to the boiling vat. The open watts Tor
boiling the juice are usually arranged
in n row of six above the furnace flue.
The fire Is kept up under No. g. and the
juice passes from the mill into No. l. Be
tween Nos. and are one or two set
Ting tanks, many of which are large
trees followed out. An indefinite guam
nf lime l. into n nrlI he
juice is then dipped into the settling
tanks. where IL remains as long as thu
supply for Nos. 4. ; and VIII permit. In
no instance, however. have l seen the
settling process complete enough to re-
move much OF the solid impurities. AS
the syrup in No. approaches readiness
to sugar, the milk from two or three
handfuls of cocoanut pulp Is squeezed
into II. 1t il claimed that this makes
capitalization more complete. At fire.
quent intervals a bamboo stick IT thrust
into the syrup ana held in the air. When :
the strings become brittle the syrup Is
poured into a large PAN being stirred the
while with shovels until it begins 20
foam. When the mass falls IT is stirred, |
pounded and rubbed with shovels until |
1t is well pulverized and dry.
Chemistry has part in any of the !
processes of sugar making. Whatever |
may be the nature of the land, juice or !
lime, the treatment il the same; conSe- |
qutHlly several grades OF sugar may De !
obtained under apparently the same con- |
ditions. Because of the loose methods |
almost every plantation produces a char |
acteristic quality of sugar of its own !
The product is dark brown mass, usu- !
ally containing syrup Jumps in abund- |
ance. 1t is put up in Hala bags ana |
sold for the most part to local dealers !
in Iloilo and Manila. At the opening of !
this season the price was about S37 per !
ton (S5 Mexican per pico of 137 lbs.) Now |
1t has dropped 10 about $3.50 per ton, ,
owing to the imposition of import duties, !
mainly in Japan.
Under the present conditions the sugar
industry is not very profitable. During !
b9S and 1899 the Ladrones or robber !
bands burned many of the sugar houses
throughout the province, and in 1900 the
Rinderpest carried away about go per
cent of the caraboos. Because of these
losses many of the planters have gone
heavily into debt. The present conditions
however are no measure of the resources
OF the country for producing sugar The
soil is deep and rich, the rainfall is
abundant and for plantations near the
mountains, there is sufficient water for
power. The Introduction of better vari-
cites of cane and of machinery and jul
dicious land and crop management, is
what the industry needs. At present a !
number or large planters are anxious to
sell out. a few days ago a Spaniard was
$4,000 (Mexican) for his plantation or
1000 hectares with its improvements
The industry even here is not free from
the labor problem. During the sugar
season laborers are in demand. and fire.
quently they are induced to come over
from other islands. More wages Will not
settle the problem either. for the average
Nisayan cares for little beyond his pres
ent needsA If he is paid the price OF two
days living for one days work he VIII
-F~s. u.
ployer may get along as best he can
1t is a common practice to keep the Ia
borer in debt by advancing him supplies
etc. and then according to law he will
be obliged to work out his Indebtedness.
Yet a more perfect solution would be
10 let Chinese laborers come in and do
he work. which they are well adapted |
for. and which the Filipino refuses to do |
The following comparative statement
nay assist in summing up the results
IF the work:
Operations from planting of cane to
per acre-In Negroes, ST.; in
Hawaii (abouD, $3.50.
Cutting. hauling and factory expenses.
YER acre-In Negros, SIS: in Hawaii
about, $40.
Yield of cane per acre-Negros, 80 tons;
laval, "A tons.
Amount of cane for = ton of sugar
Yield of sugar per acre-Negros, 20;
laval 9.5.
In the above expenses no consideration
made of rent of the land or interest on t
he money. f
I