These two spans of oxen will comfortably plough and harrow twenty
    acres per month, and the cost will thus be about 7s. per acre.

    Now, let us suppose that a person wishes to put in twenty acres of
    canes, the expense would be about as follows:—­

  4 Ploughings and harrowings, 80 acres at 7s.  L28 0 0
  Drawing canefurrows, 4 acres per day, 5 days at 6s. 1 10 0
  2,000 Cane tops per acre, at 50s. 100 0 0
  4 Horsehoeings, at 2s. 6d. 10 0 0
  4 Handweedings in the rows, at 2s. 6d. 10 0 0
  Cutting and carrying out canes, at 30s. 30 0 0
  Carriage to Mill, thirty tons per acre, at 2s. 60 0 0
          
                                             ----------
                                                       L239 10 0

or L12 per acre.  To this must be added the rent of land, say 10s. per acre, with right of grazing cattle, for two years, when the first crop will come in, would bring the expense to L13 per acre.  The cane yielding say only three tons of sugar per acre, of which the planter would, most likely, have to give the manufacturer one-third, he will receive forty tons of sugar, costing him L6 10s. per ton, and worth on the spot, according to advices received from England and the Cape, L15 per ton, at the lowest estimate, or L600.

The greatest expense, you will perceive, is the article of tops for planting; but this ought not to discourage persons.  The plants which I imported from the Mauritius some years ago, cost me, on account of many of them not vegetating, at the rate of L30 per acre.  Parties who begin planting now have the great advantage that they can get plants, every one of which, if properly treated, will grow, at one-sixth of that price.

How many crops cane will give on good soil in Natal, I am of course unable to state, as the oldest cane I have got has been cut only three times—­the last yield (second ratoons) was much finer than the preceding ones, and by adopting the improved manner of cane cultivation, viz., returning all but the cane juice to the soil, I am confident that replanting will be found quite unnecessary; the expenses for the second and following years will therefore be very trifling.

Comparative Statement of the ruling Prices at Natal and the Mauritius of Land, Live Stock, Implements, Labor, and other requirements connected with the cultivation of the Sugar Cane.

MAURITIUS NATAL
L s. d. | L s. d.
|
LAND, per acre, L3 10s. to 20 0 0 | LAND, per acre, 10s.
| to 1 0 0
RENT OF LAND.  It is not | RENT OF LAND, 6d. to 0 5 0
customary to let land at |
the Mauritius, except on |