Tucumán produces between 80 per cent and 85 per cent of Argentina’s total crop, the remainder coming largely from Jujuy.
From the “Boletin Mensual de Estadistica Agricola,” Buenos Aires, August, 1913, the following figures are taken:
| PROVINCES | NO. OF FACTORIES | RAW SUGAR TONS | YIELD PER CENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tucumán | 28 | 121,551 | 6.8 |
| Salta | 1 | 1,290 | 8.9 |
| Jujuy | 3 | 20,052 | 7.9 |
| Chaco | 3 | 2,762 | 5.9 |
| Formosa | 1 | 231 | 6.0 |
| Santa Fé | 2 | 838 | 6.3 |
| Corrientes | 1 | 525 | 6.6 |
| 39 | 147,249 | 6.9 |
At the present time, Argentina has over 200,000 acres in sugar cane, and this area can be considerably increased. The present production about takes care of the country’s needs, although a round amount of American refined sugar was imported in the latter part of 1916.
Field methods admit of great improvement. Little care is exercised in the selection of seed cane and disinfection is never practiced. Planting is done in September and October, when the rainy season sets in. Irrigation from rivers and streams is the rule; fertilizers are seldom used, and no preventive measures are adopted to combat diseases of the cane. The yield of cane per acre in poor soil is from nine to fifteen tons, in average soil from eleven to seventeen tons, while on the best lands it is eighteen tons.
Ratoon crops are raised fifteen or more years in succession without replanting, and the period between frosts is too short to admit of the cane reaching maturity.
Grinding is begun about June 1st and usually takes one hundred days, depending, naturally, upon the amount of cane to be crushed.
INGENIO NUEVA BAVIERA, TUCUMÁN, ARGENTINA
