ToL. VIII. No. 182. 



THE AGKICULTUIIAL NKU.s 



11" 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Cultivation of Ratoon Canes. 



The tillage operaiicins given to ratoon cane crops 

 in the West 'indies api)ear to vary considerably from 

 island to island, and the amount audcharacter ofculciva- 

 tion which may be carried out with advantage depend 

 iiossibly iiywn "the. nature ot the land on whieli the 

 ratoons are growing. This matter is discussed in the 

 iiamphlet report on Manorial Experiments with SugMr- 

 cane in the Leeward Islands, 11)07-8, lately issued by 

 this Department, and also received attention at a hue 

 meeting of the Barbados Agricultural Society, when 

 Dr. Fra'ncis Watts, C M.G., gave a. brief address on the 



subject. 



Ill the Leeward Island.^, it would seem that tillage 

 operations in connexion with the growth of ratoon canes are 

 much more generally carried on than^ at Barbados, where, on 

 the majority of estates in the ratooning districts, the land is 

 -simply trashed after removal of the plant cane crop^ but 

 little or no cultivation is done. At Antigua and St. Kitt's, 

 wi the other hand, it is a common practice to break up the 

 -soil between the young ratoon stools to a considerable depth, 

 when the cane shoots are in a stage of vigorous growth, and 

 liave reached a height of 'J or 3 feet, with the object of 

 bringing the land into good tilth. Either the plough or the 

 fork^'is used for these operations, T^ie cultivation thus yiven 

 is more than a mere surface tillage to provide a dust mulch ; it 

 involves dt-ejj tillage, and the soil is tut-ned over and broken up. 

 Planters who cultivate their ratoons in the manner 

 mentioned, state as a reason for the.-e operations, that they are 

 neces.sary on account of the degree in which the soil has 

 consolidated and hiirdened, but if the land wa.s thoroughly 

 tilled and prepared previous to setting out the plant cane 

 crop, it should seldom require the treatment referred to on 

 the removal of the first crop. On heavy classes of land, 

 where two or three crops of ratoons are grown, some amount 

 of tillage may be advantageous for the purpose of lightening 

 and acTating" the soil, but these operations would best be 

 carried out as soon as possible after the previous crop has 

 been reaped. If deferred until an extensive growth of .shoots 

 and roots has taken place, the injury to the young roots may 

 fntail considerable damage, and further, the loss of moisture 

 which i.s involved by inverting the soil is more harmful than 

 at an earlier stage of growth, although, of course, always to 

 be avoided, if possible. Loss of moisture during the period 

 of vigorous growth is a very .serious matter, and may entail 

 a check on the young ratoons, from which they will not 

 easily recover. *" 



Before the work of tillage between the rows of ratoons 

 is proceeded with, planters would do well carefully to 

 fxamine their fields by actually digging across the banks 

 which they propose to fork or plough, in order to satisfy 

 themselves that the soil is in as great a need of tillage as they 

 imagine, and to assure themselves also that the operations 

 which they perform improve the si HI as much as they think. 

 On turning over the beds of trash ' underlying a young cro]. 

 of ratoon canes of satisfactory appearance, the soil below will 

 usually be found in a condition suitable to promote good 

 growth. 



The following notes on this matter are quoted 

 fCom the pamphlet on Manuriat Experiments with 

 .Sugar-cane in the Leeward Islands, already referred to. 

 It is mentioned in the report that the notes are 



subini'.ted for cimsideratioii and diM-u^sion. rather 

 than as direct recommendations: — .'. 'Vm. 



It would appe-.ir that the soil when well covere.l by the 

 tra.sli from the recently cut plant canes is frecpiently in fair 

 tilth, and not unduly compact. If kept covered, it retains 

 both it< tilth and its moisture. If the trash is removed, and 

 the soil is turned up to a considerable depth, and afterwards 

 exposed to the sun, it loses moisture, and sets liack into 

 a hariler condition than befoie. If, howevei-, the tilth is 

 imi)erfect, and cultivation is regarded as essential, the soil 

 should be stirred as .soon ag possible after the plant canes are 

 cut, anil before the ratoons begin to grow to any appreciable 

 extent. Following this, the rough soil should be harrowed 

 at once to break any lumps, and .should then be covered with 

 trash, or should be constantly stirred to a depth of about 2 

 inches in order to form a dust mulch. 



When, after the cutting of the plant canes the soil is in 

 fair tilth, good results may often follow from spreading the 

 trash evenly on the banks, and leaving the soil unstirred. 

 The amount of tra.sh so spread should be sufficient to keep 

 down weeds. If the trash in a field is insutKcient to keep 

 down weed.s, it should be distributed over a portion of the 

 field only, say on alternate banks, but in such thickness as 

 is necessary to effect the desired object. The remaining 

 clear portion, i.e., the banks which alternate with those 

 that have been trashed, should be stirred frequently 

 to a depth of about 2 inches in order to create and main- 

 tain a dust mulch, which will go far to .supply the effect of 

 trashing in conserving moisture in the soil. 



Much of the cultivation now given to ratoon canes is 

 possibly injurious. 



It is repeated that these remarks are intended to draw 

 aitentiou to the problems to which they refer, and are not 

 here gi^■en as rules for practice. It is hoped that planters 

 will di.-cu.ss them, and that next season a number of co-oper- 

 ative experiments will V>e laid out in order to demonstrate 

 the soundness or un.soundne.ss of the suggestions made. 



E-xoeriments of the kind required are easily arranged, 

 and it is hoped that wdien the crop of 1909 is being reafted. 

 planters and officers of the Department of .Agriculture will 

 consult together, and plan several useful series. 



As already mentioned, this subject was brought 

 forward at a recent meeting of the Barbados Agri- 

 cultural Society, when an interesting discussion took 

 place. 



Dr. Watts referred to his observations made at Antigua. 

 No hard and fast rule on the matter could be laid down, ami 

 it was important that the planters .should make experiments 

 for themselves on their own estates. The real facts in this 

 case, as in every other line of agricultural work, could only 

 be learnt by daily observation. The loss of soil inoisture 

 was a very serious mattei) and he had investigated this point 

 at Antigua in connexion wTtTi the cultivation of ratoon canes. 

 He hacAnvlted planters to have a part of the trash turned 

 up where the soil had been cultivated a few days ]irevious!y, 

 and in every ca.se it was seen that the breaking up of the 

 land had caused the loss of, moisture, which would not have 

 been lost had the soil been left undisturbed. 



■ In conclusion, the Cqnnmissioncr urge<l planters who 

 grew ratoons to carry oute.xpe'riments on the matter discussed. 

 They might arrange" to set apart certain sections of their 

 fields, and treat these by other methods than those commonly 

 adopted. The results would certainly be useful to themselves, 

 and if they w:ere communicated to the Imperial Department 

 of Agriculture, they might be made useful to a wider 

 community. 



