The Early Days of the Natal Sugar Industry, with Special Reference to the Introduction of Varieties

The events in Natal of 100 years ago are of particular interest at the moment, as in those days the foundation was being laid of an agricultural industry which was destined to become one of the largest in South Africa. It is also of importance to realise that the cultivation of sugarcane was the early outcome of the trial of many crops, all of which eventually disappeared or only played a small part in the agriculture that evolved; and the object of this paper is to present a brief summary of the events in these historic days.