Vol. IX. No. 224. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



371 



SUGAR-CANE YIELDS AND DISTANCES 



OP PLANTING. 



The tiilldwing account of experiments rlealintj witli 

 the relationship between yields of sugar-cane and 

 distances i>f planting, carried i>ut at the Porto Rico 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, is given in the Porto 

 Riio Horticultural Ne^vs. for August and October 

 191(t:— 



In distance of planting cane, the prime object is to 

 obtain the greatest amount in a given area and with least 

 cost. A series of experiments was carried out with a total of 

 eighty-one plots of .^'u'^^re each, for the purpose of determining 

 the amounts of cane produced when planted 10 by 10 feet, 

 7i by 7i feet, and 5 l>y 5 feet. The plantings were made in 

 series of three plots each adjoining each other. The prepara- 

 tion was the same in each case and the cultivation similar, 

 as far as the nature of the planting would permit. The wide 

 planting necessarily permitted of longer cultivation than the 

 narrow planting, not only with ploughs but also with hoes. In 

 estimating the results, it .should be borne in mind that the 

 wider the planting the greater the expense necessary in 

 bringing the crop to maturity. This is by reason of the fact 

 that gra.ss and weeds grow longer in wider plantings than in 

 the narrow ones where the ground is sooner shaded. The 

 following table shows the results for two year.-;. Each 

 instance represents the average amount of cane grown on 

 twenty-seven plots: — 



Distance, Yield per acre, 



feet. tons. 



1 10 by 10 .32 4 



Plants 7 J, by Ih 37 



40-7 



Eatoons 



Total for two vears 



It will be seen that in every instance the narrow planting 

 gave the largest yield, not only for the plant canes, but for 

 the ratoons. 



The following table shows the results of close and wide 

 planting, where diti'erent amounts of manures were applied: — 



10 by 10 feet. 7i by 7 A feet. 5 by 5 feet. 



lb. ' n>.' lb. 



The cane plant has a comparatively small root system 

 for the heavy growth above ground. The roots are very much 

 in a bunch below the plant, and pj-ovided there is aliundant 

 plant food present, they do not extend very far. Our 

 results show that close planting is more profitable, not only 

 in giving large yield.s of cane but economy in cultivation. The 



more the ground is shaded, the less tendency there is for the 

 grass and weeds to grow. 



The diti'erences in the yield in wide and narrow planting 

 are greater where heavy manuring is practised. The more 

 abundant the plant food is in the soil, the closer the cane should 

 be planted. When the plant food is deficient, the cane plant 

 must have a wider range for its roots in order to obtain the 

 elements necessary for its growth. The results of eighty-one 

 plots in this experiment indicate strongly that, in Porto Pico, 

 in order to obtain the greatest profit, we .should plant close 

 and fertilize heavily. 



At the Cuba Experiment Station a number of experiments 

 were carried on by F. S. Earle (Estaciiin Central .'^gronomica, 

 Cuba, Pidletin 2) on distance of planting. The usual system 

 there is to plant in drills about 3 feet apart, with a distance 

 of 4 A to 5 feet between the rows. The soil is prepared and 

 cultiv.atcd the first season, Ijut no further tillage is given. In 

 the so-called Zaj-as system, wider planting is followed, usually 

 9 by 12 feet, and continuous cultivation is given throughout 

 the year with modern imjilements. Stable manure is used, 

 but no commercial fertilizers are applied under this system; 

 and when harvesting, all canes that are not ripe are allowed 

 to remain for continued growth The Zayas system proved 

 to be more costly and to give a smaller crop than the usual 

 method of planting. Also, leaving the unripened canes proved 

 luisatisfactory. Kesults obtained by cane planters in other 

 l)arts of Cuba showed that the Zayas .system does not always 

 give as food a yield the first year as the usual system. Some 

 of this is due to injuries to the roots caused by continuous 

 cultivation 



At the Queensland Sugar Station {Annual Rej/ort of 

 the Buriau ot (J\ieen4aiiJ Sitijar l-'xprrimint Stntioiia, 1905-6, 

 p. 29), cane from rows planted 4 feet apart gave 20 tons per 

 acre more than cane from rows 7 feet ai)art. This diH'erence 

 was gradual between tlie.-c two distances. The wider the rows 

 apart, the lower the yield. The cane from rows 4 feet apart 

 gave 11^ tons of sugar per acre, while the cane from the rows 

 7 feet apart gave 9 tons 



The World's Supply of Cotton — It appears 

 from figures submitted by Messrs. Ncill Bros, that whereas 

 last cotton season began with a total supply of cotton (visi- 

 ble and at the mills) of 3,199,000 bales, this season begins 

 with only 1,741,000 bales. The difference between these two 

 quantities icpresents the excess of consumption over current 

 supply during the past twelve months, and indicates the need 

 for an early and large supply of cotton from America this 

 season. The consumption would, of course, have been greater 

 if the use of cotton in the past year had not been restricted 

 by its dearness; but the actual consumption exceeded 

 12,000,000 bales, and a crop of 1 4,000,000 bales this year 

 would do no more than restore stocks to their normal level. 

 But there is no prospect of any .such yield. It is too soon to 

 speak with confidence as to what the yield is likely to be, 

 but no one looks for a record crop, and it is safe to assume 

 that the price of cotton will remain high. Last .season's 

 American cotton crop was 10,610,000 bales. It is note- 

 worthy that the exports to Great Britain — 2,430,000 bales — 

 were smaller than any during the past ten seasons, and that 

 the Continent took less than for many years past. Of the 

 total of the crop, American spinners took no less than 42 per 

 cent , Great Britain 23 per cent, France 8 per cent., and the 

 rest of the Continent 26 per cent. (.T'lurnal of the Royal 

 Soeieti/ of Arts, Septeiuber ](!, 1910.) 



