There are two sugar districts in South Formosa, namely Takow and Taiwanfu. Taiwanfa is the name of the Southern prefecture of Formosa as known to trade, the new official designation of Tainanfu not yet having come into general use, Both in the Takow and Taiwanfu divisions raw sugar is manufactured, this being the only description exported from Formosa. Takow sugar is an ordinary brown variety, that is to say, it is the raw, undrained article, exported as it comes from the boiling pans. The only modifications in quality Known to the trade are those either consequent on an excess of molasses.e. inversion, owing to deficiencies in the mode of manufacture), or on a superfluity of moisture, due to atmospheric lyeer at which the Technically speaking, and in spite of the is numerous drawbacks which its crude method of preparation presents, so rich isthe quality of the cane, and so suitable the soil that. proportion of crystallisable sugar which "Takow Brown" at any time, contains a
compares most satisfactorily with varieties produced elsewhere, and under much more favourable conditions. Looking at this sugar merely as a saccharine material, Western refineries would be glad to get it, bat by reason of its gross adulteration with coarse extraneous matter it is said not to be well adapted to the machinery in ordinary use, and this to some extent modifies the advantages its composition would seem at first sight to offer. For this reason, and the fact that the average cost price in Formosa has been much above that which might tempt foreign buyers, an outlet through Western and American markets has been practically closed for several veers.
From the foregoing and certain local considerations, the "only two markets open for South Formosa sugars are japan and North China. Now in both these places, the popular taste is much behind that which obtains in other parts of the world. It is, so to speak, at the same low standard that prevailed in Europe in early times. The mass of the consumers do not care for, in fact will not have, refined sugar, or, what is the same thing otherwise expressed, crystallisable sugar, entirely deprived of its concomitant molasses, The Chinese taste in this respect, however, must be rated higher than that of the Japanese, for although they both agree in rejecting "refined sugar," still it cannot be doubted that in North China, at least, great numbers of the consumers, while adhering to the preference for sugar con-ug some melases, are not only willing, in many cases demand, that this latter reduced to the minimum compatible by what is, in tradal language known as "raw," as distinguished from "refined." Hence North China, South Formosa r that has been considerably drained of its molasses by means of the rough method known as "claying" finds a ready market while in Japan there is no demand whatever for it. The Japanese, on the other hand, advancing towards, but not reaching the Chinese standard, ask for a" brown" sugar, as light in colour certainly as is compatible with that description, but absolutely refuse to touch any that has been drained even to the extent of bringing it up to the class known as "Taiwanfu White." In other words, the Japanese, and, though toa lesser extent, also the Chinese palate, has not as yet been sufficiently educated to control its prejudice in accordance with the real requirements of the animal system, To gratify, therefore, what is only a fancy, these people demand a greater proportion of something, (molasses), which is in itself undesirable as a food, and necessarily more or less limits the quantity of that, which from a purely dietetic point of view, is really essential, viz: crystallisable sugar. That is to say, Takow sugar, containing the greatest proportion of erystallisable, in conjunction with the demonicd amount of molasses, commends itself, even to the rejection of the brown varieties produced in the "Taiwantu" district, to the Japanese, because they instinctively, though perhaps unconsciously, recognise its superiority over the qualities less possessed of this substantial merit. To supply this demand on that market, the whole of the crop at present produced in the "Takow" district is inadequate; and in consequence of this ready outlet, together with the causes previously detailed, prices at the source of production are kept at a figure cee of export to foreign countries for the purpose of "refinement."
This will also explain why no local refinery, in the European sense of the term, could be profitably worked here; and even if the foreign markets to which its outturn would be practically confined were sufficiently attractive, competition else where must in the end prove too strong. Again, supposing it were worth while to treat the raw material on the spot, instead
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.