598 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March i, 1887 



walk trench to side-liue, aud pa-allel to small drains, 

 ami called Dutch rows— but this plan is not now 

 generally adopted. The first operation when a field 

 has to be planted is for the cane rows to be lined 

 out, the distance apart depending on the opinion of 

 the individual planter ; but the plan generally in use 

 is known as three by three — that is, pins are placed 

 across the field 3 feet apart, the space next the 

 middle-walk trench being left generally a foot wider, 

 and is called the parapet. Tiien a cane row 3 feet 

 wide is dug, a small portion of earth thrown out, the 

 space carefully ploughed, and the earth levelled off 

 — in fact, a seel bed is prepared. The next space is 

 left untouched, then another cane row, and so on 

 across the field, the space between the cane rows 

 being known as the " bank." In the centre of these 

 cane rows the plants are put in, sometimes a .single 

 row, sometimes a double row, the cane plant con- 

 sisting of the last few joints of the cane, which is 

 green and contains very little saccharine matter, or 

 else they are shoots sprung from old cane stocks and 

 known as " stumps," several of these shoots, with a 

 portion of old cane from which they shoot, forming 

 a stu'np. The plants are carefully selected and put 

 into the ground at an angle of 45 deg.s., about 9 inches 

 apart, care being taken that the eyes of the top 

 are placed on the side, so that all spring; if 

 otherwise, those placed below would not grow. In 

 planting stumps care s'lould be taken to see they are 

 well and firmly set, all decayed matter having been 

 first removed, so that no water lodges at their roots. 

 A field thus planted is left until the eyes spring, 

 and the tender shoots are seen above the ground, 

 which in fair weather takes place in nine to fourteen 

 days. When fairly on their way the first weeding 

 and moulding tikes place, and the field generally cleaned 

 up of all loose trash, pieces of cane, &c. : this, 

 with the grass from the weeding, is placed tidily on one 

 of the banks which for the time becomes the 

 trash bank — the alternate bank, which _is kept clean, 

 being known as the clean bank. In moulding up the 

 young shoots, the fine earth from the surface should 

 be carefully spread over the head of the top, so as 

 to protect it from the scorching influence of the sun. 

 During the progress of the first weeding it is gene- 

 rally the custom — and I think advisable— to send in 

 a gang of men, according to the quantity of work to 

 be done, and carefully to put in new plants in place 

 of any that may not have grown. This operation is 

 called supplying. I think this should be done as early 

 as possible; if not, the plants growing on either .side, 

 the new plants overshadow them, so much that they 

 often die, or do not come away with the vigor desir- 

 able. As soon after the first weeding and moulding 

 has been done it is desirable, if weather permits, to 

 commence ploughing what is known as the clean bank; 

 and often, when the first weeding has not been a heavy 

 one. or if there has not been much trash left from 

 the last crop of canes, both banks are ploughed to- 

 gether. This keeps down the grass, which in our 

 climate is a serious matter, as it grows with wonder- 

 ful rapidity, and would soon affect the growth of 

 canes if left too long ; and it is essential when canes 

 are young to see they are kept from weeds. This 

 work accompHshed, manuring the young canes next 

 occupies the attention, and this is done as soon as 

 possible, generally six weeks or two mouths after 

 planting. Various manures are used, according to the 

 opinion of the manager of the estate, who judges 

 what is required from the nature of the soil he has 

 to contend with. Ammonia, nitrate of soda, Ohleu- 

 dorff's guano, Lawes' cane manure, are all well known 

 to us, besides many others made especially to meet 

 the views of individuals; but, as a rule, misetl manures 

 are shuuned, except those that have stuod a long test 

 and have proved to be up to the standard at which 

 they have been bought. AVith the assistance of chemists 

 much has been leaint, aud it may su- prise some of 

 ray hearers to learn that on some estates an analysis 

 has been made of the soil of every field, and in one 

 instance that I know of an analysis of the first 3 

 feet has been taken, so as to arrive at the value of 

 the subsoil, In a climate such as ours, with an ex- 



cessive rainfall at one period and severe droughts 

 with which we are periodically troubled with, the 

 value of manure much depends on the season which 

 follows its application. 



Afield cultivated up to this po'nb, with both banks p'ough- 

 ed, drains well and neatly dug, and a vigorous growth 

 of young cane, is a very pretty sight; and, a planter 

 delights to show a fellow agriculturist a strip of young 

 canes in this condition, or to hear from him the exclamat- 

 ion, " Ah ! thatV afine young strip." Once a field is well es- 

 tablished like this little more has to be done but to see 

 it is kept clean, and it is not such an easy matter as 

 an English agriculturist would imagine. At least one 

 more weeding and moulding has to be done ; some- 

 times a third is needed ; but if not, and the canes 

 are advanced enough, then the field has to be weeded 

 and the canes trashed. Of course, the canes and 

 the previous weedings have in a great measure kept 

 down the grass, but care is needed to trash the cane, 

 or, in other words, to pull off all dried leaves, and 

 carefully pack them away on the trash bank. The 

 cane stool must be freed from all rotten trash, and 

 blighted canes picked out ; this admits light and air 

 to the canes, materially assisting their growth, aud 

 bringing the cane, with its crystallisable juice, to per- 

 fection. Care is required in trashing not in any way 

 to injure the cane or to strip off those leaves which, 

 from not being quite dry, might bleed the cane. The 

 operation of trashing is generally performed three 

 times, the last operation taking place a few weeks 

 before the canes are cut ; this not only assists in 

 ripening the juice, but helps the cane cutter when 

 cutting canes, they being always more ready and wil- 

 ling to cut when a field is well trashed and clean. 

 The age when canes come to maturity differs in 

 Demerara according to season and locality ; the aver- 

 age of a plant field such as I have described is about 

 14 months. On the river districts 15 and 16 months 

 are often required to ripen canes ; whilst on some of 

 the coast lauds 12 to 13 months often suffices, and 

 I have known in dry seasons canes 10 and 1 months 

 quite fit for the cutlass. 



Such is briefly an account of cultivating a field of 

 plant canes in British Guiana. I say plant canes, as 

 that is the term generally used for canes grown on 

 new land for first time ; if planted on old laud from 

 which canes have been reaped they are termed re- 

 plants. The second year of growth is termed 1st 

 ratoons, the third 2nd ratoons, and so on until the 

 field is again replenished. I have known fields to 

 continue to yield well up to 25 year.s ; but it is a 

 question if any of the old stools remained, the sup- 

 plies which from year to year have been put in having 

 entirely sujsplanted them. As a rule, the stools are 

 allowed to go on until they have become 4th ratoons 

 when replanting takes place. The plant canes having 

 been cut off and conveyed to mill by punts, a method 

 hereafter to be described, it is necessary to prepare 

 for the next crop, and as the cultivation is slightly 

 different it will be found convenient to give and ac- 

 count of it here. The canes having been taken from 

 the field, and the cane cutters, during the process of 

 cutting, having removed the trash from the trash 

 bank on to the clean bank, the trash is found lying 

 loosely about the field and covering up the small 

 drains. The first operation is to send in a gang of 

 workers to clear up the field and to put straight the 

 trash ; this is called relieving, the workers taking the 

 bands or leaves which form the head of the cane and 

 tying round the trash, cleaning out all the drains, 

 clearing the cane rows and weeding. Last year's 

 clean bank now becomes the trash bank. The field 

 is now left until the canes begin to spring ; the first 

 weeding and moulding is given as soon as they are 

 established, and supplies put in where necessary. Some- 

 times iluriug this la.st woi'k the cane row is carefully 

 ploughed, making it level aud avoiding holes for water 

 to lodge in. Then comes the working of the bank: 

 sometimes it is ploughed as in plant canes ; other 

 times, especially if the land is stiff clay, or that the 

 weather has been very heavy and canes suffering 

 from over moisture, the bank is drilled, an operation 

 which may be fitly termed surface drainage, and cou- 



