Cultivation of Sugar and Cotton in the East Indies [pp. 511-543]

CULTURE OF SUGAR AND COTTON IN THE EAST INDIES. 511
* oi't mud obtained by clearing out the ditches. A better filling mate.ial for such a central ditch is used by some persons in the purest
sandi they can obtain. This prevents the burrowing of snakes, crawfish, and other small animals, which often make leaks.
Art. lIII,.-C(LlTERE OF SEGAR AND COTTON IN THIE EAST INDIES.
OUR attentive English correspondent, P. L. Siminonds, Esq., F. S. S., has, among
other important and valuable papers relating to the British Possessions, put us
in possession of sundry parliamentary reports and files of colonial gazettes, par:ieularly of the East and West Indies, which embrace a great variety of informalion upon Sugar and Cotton. These will be of great service to us hereafter, andi
will, without doubt. be found to contain much that is valuable, or at least interestingi to our planting interests. It is important that we should know precisely the
movements which are taking place in every section of the world, bearing upon
sugar and cotton, staples of such immense consequence to our whole country.
Having published a series of' papers upon our own culture, etc., we think no
apology can be needed for presenting the valuable papers, however lengthy, from
vlr. Sinmonds' work upon the culture of the INmDIES, our threatened rival.* They
were prepared by Geo. W. Johnson, brother of the celebrated agricultural writer
of the same Pame, and are based upon reports. etc., made to the East India Corn[,any a year or two ago from every quarter of India, with the utmost particularity
.1nd precision.
SUGAR.
TtIERE are three kinds cultivated in In(lia: 1. The purple; 2. The
white; and 3. A variety of the white, requiring a large supply of water. The epitome of the reports affords this information.
1. The purple-colored cane yields a sweeter, richer juice, than
the yellow or light-colored, but in less quantity, and is harder to
press. Grows on dry lands. Scarce any other sort in Beerbhoom,
touch in Radnagore, some about Santipoore, mixed with lighlt-colored cane. Grows also near Calcutta; in some fields separate, in
others mixed with pooree or light-colored cane. When eaten raw,
is more dry and pithy in the mouth, but esteemed better sugar than
ile pooree, and appears to be the superior sort of cane. Persons
who have been West India planters do not know it as a West Indian cane.
2. The light-colored cane, yellow, inclining to white: deeper
yellow when ripe, and on rich ground. West India planters say it
is the same sort as that which grows in the West India islands;
softer, more juicy than the Cadjioolee, but juice less rich, and produces sugar less strong; requires seven maunds of pooree juice to
nake as much goor or inspissated juice as is produced from six of the
Cadjoolee. Much of this kind is brought to the Calcutta markets,
adud eaten raw.
3. The white variety which grows in swampy lands, is light-colored, and grows to a great height. Its juice is more watery andl
yields a weaker sugar than the Cadjoolee. However, as much of Beclgal consists of low grounds, and as the upland,anes are liable to sui:fer from drought, it may be advisable to encourage the cultivation
of it, should the sugar it produces be approved, though in a less degree than other sugars, in order to guard against the effects of dry
* Col. lag., vols. ii. and v.