Farm and Garden.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 429, 4 August 1904, Page 2

Farm and Garden.

ORIGINAL ARTICLES.

GEO WING SUGAB CANE JOB PEOFIT.

has shown that sugar jKW c * ne re( 3 aires «■ moderately but "fflzgg aofc too rich soil; sandy loam

seems most desirable. Canes grown on red soil, that is soil impregnated with salts of iron, produce a liquor on. expression whioh, by the addition of lime, becomes an inky coloured solution; and sugars made from canes grown on red soil are always dark coloured, and invariably produce a larger, yield of molasses in manufacture. The presence of sugar pre* vents the precipitation by alkalies (as lime) of many metallio oxides, especially the salts of the sesquioxide of iron; ana the.reason is that the hydrates of these salts ara soluble in a solution of sugar to which alkali has been added,- or in other words, Bugar his the property of oauaing water to take up, retain, or render soluble more mineral and saline matter than water by itself. For instance, water by ' itself will only take up five grains and six-tenths of lime in ten ounces of water. But if a small portion o! refined sugar be added to the water it will then take up more than seventy grains of lime in the Bama quantity of water. It is desirable that the land for growing canes should not be too flat nor very much broken, as water lodges about the roots, and drainage under those circumstances is difficult and the cost of working is increased. There is but little limestone formation in those portions of land favorably situated for the growth of the sugar cane, and it is particularly desirable that the sugar case should have a fair amount of lime during its growth. As previously explained in these papers, lime renders soluble the ingredients in the soil, and is, so to speak, the key to the whole arrangement of growing crops. But through ignorance, old custom and gross prejudice, lime is used in the wrong place, notwithstanding what has been asserted. Lime is used in the muiufacture of sugar, and sometimes causes mush loss . ans trouble. Lime should be distributed on the land and not used in the manufacture of sugar. Now if any further proof was needed to prove the assertion of the necessity for lime on the land, I would point out sugar cans is very liable to rust disease, especially some of the Boft wooded varieties, although such are oftsn good sugar producing oanes, Sugar cane, wheat, and most of the grasses are liable to rust disease, but I have never yet found rust disease on a limestone formation, and I do not thiak any one else has. The writer of this article lived many yews in Kent, England, and very much wheat and other crops are grown there, but rust disease is unknown there, and both East and West Kent abound in limestone.

The albuminous matter in sugar cane (which is sugar in embryo) is about fifty per cent., and lime liquifies albuminous matter, which is very desirable in the growing? plant but very undesirable in manfacturing sugar; but if the lime is not there in the soil, or insufficient in quantity,, it is obvious that this gummy mucilaginous or albuminous matter is liable to bacome stagnant ox retarded in its circulation, a state of things which is greatly accelerated by a sudden fall in the temperature, and when albuminous substances begin to decay they possess the property of inducing an acid fermentation. Lime in the presence of sugar is largely absorbed, and a superabundance in the soil is essential for its growth and the perfection of its chemical processes. The pnosphatic element greatly assists the conversion of the chemical constituents in the growth of sugar cane, therefore that also is necessary for its well being, and should be supplied to the plant as a fertiliser. But some manufacturers use acid phosphate in manufacturing sugar as though the albuminous matter could be converted into crystal sugar instantly, but that is a great fallacy, because it can only be performed by a slow natural process in the growth of the plant, and the phosphates liquify albumen, and so are quite useless for clarification. Besides, very much copper is in use in manufacturing sugar; copper vessels and pans are used right throughout the process, and the acid phosphate acting on that forms phosphate of copper, a very dangerous element in the sugar basin. Lime enters somewhat largely into the constituent element of sugar cane, and it appears very necessary for its well being.,' Much less difficulty is experienced in making good sugar from properly limod soils, therefore it should be put oh tUe land and not used in manufacturing sugar.