67 



,ii-i\ini:- ;i Itctlcr yield of cane and sugar, the tile-di'ain(Ml lands are 

 wai-iii and iiicllow, so that roots penetrate more easily and deeply, 

 and are tiiiis better able to resist di'onu'ht. nhile in wet weather the 

 excess of n)oisture is drawn otf. On these lands, also, the snow melts 

 at least a week earlier on an a\era<>e. and vegetation advances far 

 more rapidly. 



" Drainage is of the first importance to the sugar planter, since 

 cane revels in well-drained hind." ''Tile drainage, like ' diti'usion,' 

 is surely hut slowly coming,'' 



Kf/cct of turnai(j uiidct' and of removliKj j/ca-chics on first-year 

 sti(hhle cane (pp. 23-l:-'230). — These were experiments with and with- 

 out pea-vines, to test the \alue of (1) the roots and stubble alone and 

 (2) the roots and whole vines. Cow-peas w^ere sown broadcast on the 

 experimental field in the spring of 188G, and in September of the 

 same yeai- tlie pea-\'ines were removed from one-half of the field. 

 'Jlu' whole Held was then plowed and used for the experiment. A 

 ])ortiou was planted with plant-cane and the rest with stubble. The 

 experiments were divided into five groups — two fertilized at time of 

 planting, two iii the following spring, and one not fertilized. In 

 each group were four ])lats, two with peas turned under, and two 

 with the vines removed. The fertilizers used were cotton-seed meal, 

 acid phosphate, kainit, nitrate of soda, and sulphate of ammonia, in 

 various combinations. The yield per acre, chemical composition, and 

 available sugar are given in tabular form for each plat, together with 

 the (iiiantities of lutrogen, phosphoric acid, and jjotash per acre sup- 

 1)1 ied. and the increase of yield on the manured plats. From the 

 i-esults stated it ai)})ears that potash in small quantities produced no 

 effect upon these soils, that excess of phosphoric acid has not been 

 especially beneficial, and that ap])roxinuitely ecpial parts of nitrogen 

 and i)hos]ihoi'ic acid are perha])s the best mixture for stubble-cane on 

 thc'-^e lands. 



Effects of nitrogenous fertilizers on cane — 8 fecial nifro</en experi- 

 ments (pp. 289-243). — These experiments were made in 188S with 

 spring plant cane to get light upon the question of the advantageous 

 forms and amounts of nitrogen for cane. As former experiments 

 had shown that the full ration of nitrogen (72 pounds per acre) was 

 injurious, only one-third (2-1: pounds per acre) and two-thirds (48 

 poinids ])er aci-e) rations were used. The general plan of the experi- 

 ment was similar to that of the special phos])h()i'ic acid and potash 

 ex])eriments. A basal mixture (''mixed minerals") supplied .■'>00 

 l)ounds of acid ])hosphate and 80 poinids of muriate of pot':(sli. To 

 this nitrogcMi was added in cotton-seed meal, hsh scrap, dried blood, 

 suli)hate of ammonia, and nitrate of soda. The yield per acre, chem- 

 ical composition, and available sugar are given in tabular form for 

 each plat. As was the case in |)i'evious experiments, no one form of 

 nitrogen was greatly superior to the others. It would seem, then, 

 that the only practical question for the jilanter relates to the cost of 

 the dili'erent forms. It may be also noted that in the previous year, 



