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from a greenish yellow and a yellowish green to a deep purple, depend- 

 ing upon the variety. Some varieties are striped, others are uniform in 

 colour. The leaves are somewhat narrower, but otherwise resemble 

 those of Indian corn. In Louisiana, the seed never ripens, in fact the 

 flowers are never seen. In more southern latitudes where its growth is 

 not interfered with by frost, it matures in about iS months. It is a 

 perennial. Its seeds are small and its flowers form an open panicle. 



On the North American continent, Louisiana has ever held the 

 position of the sugar manufacturing centre. The centennial of the first 

 manufacture of sugar was celebrated at the sugar experimental stacion 

 of Louisiana on June 30th, 1894. The southern half of the State is almost 

 exclusively devoted to this industry, and but little cane is grown north 

 of this. The sugar cane is propagated by a modified form of cuttings. 

 The stalks, or sometimes portions of them, are laid in a horizontal 

 position, generally two along side of each other, in furrows from four to 

 eight inches deep and covered with finely pulverized earth. These 

 stalks serve the same purpose as the planted potato. The buds develop 

 into the new plants and the stalks serve to supply nutrition to them till 

 they are able to draw food from the soil. The rows of cane are generally 

 about five or six feet apart, formerly they were from three to five feet. In 

 the rows the plants appear about every six to twelve inches ; but, as the 

 season advances, these multiply bystooling, tillering, or suckering,in direct 

 proportion to the fertility of the soil. With favourable conditions an 

 acre will produce upwards of 30 tons of cane, and each ton gives 175 to 

 200 lbs. of sugar. 



In Louisiana, where frost that injures the cane,frequentlyoccursinthe 

 latter part of December, harvesting is generally begun about the middle 

 of October, and continued for two or three months. The cane 

 is cut by hand with very wide thin-bladed knives about 18 inches long. 

 The leaves and top of the cane are removed at the same time and the 

 and the stalks conveyed by carts, or on the larger plantations, by cars 

 to the sheds of the factory. Here it must not be allowed to accumulate 

 too much ; for, like sorghum (and other plants from which sugar is 

 occasionally made), cane deteriorates soon after it is cut. At present, 

 the majority of planters have their own sugar houses. These are, 

 however, gradually being replaced by central factories, and in the course 





