The cane is planted at the beginning of the rainy season and is harvested from 12 to 18 months later in the southern states and from 11 to 14 months in the northern states. From 4 to 6 crops are cut from one planting. The yield of cane per acre varies from 15% to 16% tons, depending upon the character of the soil and season. The sugar extraction is low compared with other cane-growing countries and ranges from 4 to 9 per cent of the weight of the cane. The low yield is due mainly to continuous planting in the same soil for many years. The sugar production in recent years is as follows: 1912-13, 343,000 tons; 1913-14. 203,394 tons; 1914-15, 240,000 tons; 1915-10, 194,000 tons.
The principal markets for Brazilian sugars are Great Britain, the United States, Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Cape Verde and France. The exports to the United States increased from 312 tons in 1910-11 to 14,937 tons in 1914 15 and to 9,095 tons in 1915-16.
Colombia.— Sugar cane grows in the rich valleys of Colombia year after year without replanting, and it is said that there are fields in the valley of Cauca that have been har vested every year for nearly a century without renewal, although in Cuba the cane yields only from 5 to 10 crops, and in many sugar-pro ducing countries it must be set out every year. The yield of each hectare (2.47 acres) is also very high, being 800 to 1,000 quintals (112 pounds), in comparison with 600 to 800 in Cuba and 900 to 950 in Hawaii; and with irri gation, which is available without much diffi culty on account of the nature of the land, the yield would be still higher.
There are no statistics available, other than the exports to the United States, that would indicate the production of sugar in Colombia, though it is well known that the industry has shown a rapid development in recent years. The imports into the United States in 1910-11 amounted to 2,447,314 pounds, but for some un accountable reason there appears to have been no receipts from that country either in 1911 12, 1912-13 or 1913-14. In 1914-15 the imports reached 3,675,812 pounds, and in 1915-16, 3,376, 700 pounds.
Next to coffee, sugar is the most important crop of Guatemala. While the cane flourishes in almost every region from the level of the sea to an altitude of 5,000 feet, the chief sugar districts are in the provinces of Escuintla, Mazatenango and Solola, all on the Pacific coast. The principal variety cultivated, known as was brought into the republic from Jamaica. The area devoted to
sugar in 1916 was 76,352 acres. The average production is about 4,200 pounds per acre. In the Pacific coast region there are 20 sugar mills. The grades of sugar manufactured are 86 to 89 brown sugar and from 96 to 99 white sugar. The quality is said to be excellent and there is a large local demand for the product. The sugar exported is principally the raw prod uct known as 4( moscabado.° The following are the estimates of the production of sugar in tons for the years named: 1913, 10,884 tons; 1914, 11,338 tons; 1915, 13,605 tons. In 1915 10,918,800 pounds, equal to 4,952 tons, were ex ported, all of which was sent to the United States and Central American countries. The exports to the United States for the years named are as follows: 1913-14, 1,258,202 pounds; 1914-15, 3,193,297 pounds; 1915-16, 3,459.144 pounds.
Costa The cane sugar lands of Costa Rica are located in the central and Pacific coast regions. About two-thirds of the cane area is in San Jose and Alajuela, and one third on the Pacific coast. The area devoted to cane increased from 25,590 acres in 1905 to 27,636 in 1907-08, to 32,331 in 1910, but de creased to 29,474 in 1914. The high prices and great demand for sugar has, however, undoubt edly resulted in a considerable addition to the area since 1914. This is plainly evident from the fact that Costa Rica exported to the United States 1,598,737 pounds of raw sugar in 1915 and 4,947,289 pounds in 1916, whereas previous to these dates the crops did not meet the local demand and sugar had to be imported every year. The cane grown along the coast ripens in about 18 months, while that grown in the more elevated regions of the interior requires 24 months to ripen.
The high great de mand for sugar have resulted in plans being consummated for its manufacture on a large scale in Venezuela. The progress already made is evidenced from the large increase in the ex ports of raw sugar the past two years. The sugar plantations in the vicinity of Caracas are all under irrigation, and the same is true in lesser degree of the plantations in the states of Aragua and Carabobo. The most remarkable cane in the republic grows around and especially at the south end of Lalce Maracaibo, where four big centrals are in operation. It is said that the cane at the south end of this lake produces readily for 25 years.