153 



(2) That with good seed, two stalks and a slight lap will give an abimdaiit har- 

 vest, and no more is needed. 



(3) That seed cane may be selected from either plant or stubble. 



(4) That suckcring (tillering) is a natural fuuctiou of all cereals aud should be 

 encouraged to produce the hest results. 



(5) That rattoons come equally as well from suckers as from the original stalk, 



(6) That cutting cane in planting is not necessary to insure successful germination, 

 the latter being dependent upon other conditions. 



(7) That the vital jiower of good, sound eyes is enormous, enabling the latter under 

 favorable conditions of heat, moisture, and access of air to germinate at great depths, 

 or even remain dormantly sound for over a year when properly protected. 



(8) That the present width of rows may be lessened (when the soil will permit of 

 easy cultivation) with promise of increased production. 



(9) That several varieties of foreign canes promise adaptability to our wants. 



(10) That both nitrogen and phosphoric acid are needed by our soils to grow max- 

 > imum crops of cane. That excessive quantities of each should be avoided, the former 



as being positively injurious and tbe latter as being redundant and wasteful. 



(11) That while sulphate of ammonia gives slightly the best results, and fish scrap 

 slightly the worst, it may be asserted that any form of nitrogen experimented with 

 will give remunerative returns when properly compounded aud used in such quan- 

 tities as to furnish from 25 to 50 pounds nitrogen per acre. 



(12) That phosphoric acid, when applied at or after planting, should be iu a soluble 

 state, in quantities of 32 to 64 pounds per acre. Even the latter might, with pro- 

 priety, be applied before the crop is planted. That insoluble phosphates should 

 always be applied some time in advance of the planting. 



(13) That no form of potash is preferred by the cane plant, and that small quanti- 

 ties neither increase the tonnage nor the sugar content. 



(14) That mineral manures (phosphates and potash) when applied alone are with- 

 out much etfect. To be available they must be combined with nitrogen. 



(15) That nitrogen is most cheaply supplied to the i^lauters of Louisiana in the 

 form of cotton-seed meal, and experiments have demonstrated that its profitable 

 limits are between 300 to 600 pounds per acre under cane. 



(16) That tile drainage is a very valuable amendment to the soils of South Louisi- 

 ana, and when properly done will pay a handsome dividend upon investment. Ex- 

 periments indicate that best results are obtained when tiles are placed from 20 to 30 

 feet apart. 



(17) That pea- vines turned under give an increased yield to the subsequent crops, 

 extending even to the second year's stubble. 



(18) That the stubble from canes properly manured will give profitable crops for 

 several years, while that unmanured, or improperly fertilized, will fail iu a year or 

 two. 



(19) That manurc^s can be prepared which will give tonnage, but no special ma- 

 nure has yet been found which will insure a large sugar content. The latter seems to 

 be largely dependent upon soil, sunshine, temperature, moisture, and climate. 



These are the deductions from the work of the past four years, and may be modi- 

 fied by future investigations. The question of the proper manuring of cane is not 

 yet settled. 



The varying meteorological conditions of different season.s, especially 

 as regards rain-fall, are au important and uncertain factor in the use of 

 fertilizers for sugar-(Mne, It seems quite settled that fertilizers should 

 be applied so as to promote vigorous growth from the time of germina- 

 tion until September when the plant should be permitted to mature. 

 What would be an excessive manuring in a dry season may be inade- 

 quate iu a very favorable season. The experiments at this station in- 



