STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 165 



dence of the essential imperfection of the climate of the Southern 

 United States, at least in reference to all the varieties of cane 

 hitherto cultivated there 1 



3. Culture as affecting the health of the Sugar Cane. — 

 a. Mode of propagation. — My remarks on the question of propa- 

 gation by cuttings, in the case of the grape, may here be referred 

 to, to save repetition. (See p. — .) This mode of propagating the 

 sugar cane is not only the most ready, but also indispeiisible in 

 all common cases where an immediate crop is sought ; but, 



1. To say nothing of the mode, when long pursued, as intrin- 

 sically tending to produce deterioration, is it not obvious that this 

 result would probably be produced when we consider that all the 

 varieties of cane actually in use in the cane growing States, are a 

 little too late for the climate, and that they are often rendered 

 still more immature by the infelicity of the season? These 

 causes may well be supposed to accumulate from year to year. 



2. This evil is enhanced by the unwise practice, which has 

 extensively prevailed, of using the tops of the canes for planting. 

 These, as being last formed, are the least matured, and so have 

 the least vitality to carry them through the winter, and the least 

 amount of organizable matter to impel the germ in the succeed- 

 ing spring. This practice is not universal, but may have been 

 resorted to often enough to injure the whole stock now in use. 

 When such top canes are not used for seed, those from the old 

 root, called Ratoon cane, are employed. (See Patent Office report 

 of 1848, p. 285.) Such canes, just like the grafts of an old tree, 

 have less vitality than those taken from the plant cane of the 

 last year's culture; for, although the whole race is in a state of 

 decline, the last and most vigorously grown plants will make the 

 best cuttings. The failure of this ratoon cane, grown from roots 

 but a year old, is a sad proof of the state of exhaustion of the 

 whole race, and may be contrasted with the condition of many 

 foreign grapes which, are kept in tolerable health by being fre- 

 quently reproduced by layers or cuttings from the old root. 



3. So also the influence of a Louisiana winter should be taken 

 into the account. In the northern States, the cuttings of the 

 grape, gooseberry and quince, and the grafts of other fruit trees, 

 are most carefully chosen from well ripened wood. They are 

 often not cut until the very close of winter. Previously to being 



