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H 



NAT 



O R 



appearance and concreted form [a) with which it has been defcribed, ferve alike 



prove it of 



d if we con 



fid 



left us by the mod 



ad 



fon to doubt its being really fo 



both of the fait and the juice, we fhall certainly have 



The true fug 



feems to 



ave 



been 



- L 



ginally a native of the Canary 



IJJands, and firft known to the inhabitants of Europe in the times of the R 



for 



what Pliny records {¥) of Juba 



5 



of the Fortunate I/lands, if rightly conii 



dered, will undoubtedly leave us but little room to doubt of either. It has not 

 however, been propagated or known any better among us for many ages after 



probably continued fo 



the Spaniards and Portuguese beg 



; and 

 trade round the 



coaft of Africa, and had frequent occaflons to call at thofe illands ; from whence 

 they firft brought this plant into Spain and Portugal, where it was regularly cultivated 



well as in their foreign fettleme 



many parts, elpecially in Madera, St. ThomaSs, and 



But though fugar had been made from 



Canary IJIandi 



they 



but poorly fupplied in Europe, until Columbus made the difcovery of A. 



A m ft * a ■ a a I a A i 1 J ■ _ A A\- ___ 



plant had been introduced and cultivated th 



were 

 and 



was, by that time, in many 



parts 



f the Eaft Indies, and along the coafts of Africa, where it now grows almoft 



without culture in every rich and fertile field. 



The culture of this plant, which now employs the principal part of the inhabitants 

 of the fouthern colonies of America, and fuppliesthe moll confiderabk branches of 

 their exports, next deferves our attention. 



To fucceed well in the culture of the fugar-cane, and to raife it fo as to anfwer both 

 your labour and expectation, the ground you pitch upon mull: be rich and deep, the 

 bottom clofe, the mould free, and the fituation warm; and difpofed fo that y 



may ex peel a moderate lb are of every rain or dew th 



fall 



without being too re 



mote from a market or a Ihiping-pl 



Your foyl thus chofe, cleared, and ready 



for the cane ; you muft 



of land you may be able to pi 



ftrength and 



wi 



confider your ftrength, calculate julily what quantity 



compute how many acres of canes your 

 allow you to manufacture the produce of one year 



ther ; and divide the manureable part of your eftate accordingly 

 four, five or fix parts - 3 but you may be more free where the ground is obferved to 

 produce a kind plant and to rattoon well. 

 Your land being thus laid out, and one of the parts divided into convenient pieces 



to hole, and continue to open the ground gra- 



intervals ; you begin 



with prop 



dually until the planting feafon comes on, and your mould be well funned 



have a piece of ground regularly holed, as the beft planters are now obferved to do 



To 



ft be lined 



oblong fquares of about three feet breadth 



nd 



ach of 



g 



thefe marked again with a fmall piece of ftick or twig at every three feet dift 

 by which means the whole field is foon divided into leiTer areas, each cont; 

 feven or nine fquare feet according to your chofen diftances : thefe are feverally dug 

 up and the mould railed on the banks between them ; but you feldom open deeper 

 than four or five inches from the furface. 





This plant is propagated by the gem, and people that cultivate it carefully have 

 fpare pieces to fupply them with plants in the latter feafons, thefe are regularly drawn, 



juncks proportionate (c) to the length of the holes, and placed three or 



bottom of each ; but 





cut 



four (d) parallel to each other, or in a triang 



(a) D'tafc 



(b) Plin. Lib. VI. cap. xxxii. 



(c ) The beft plants for this purpofe are thofe had from the tops of the cane, and cut fo as to have two 

 clear fprouting eyes on one fide, and three on the other, for they are always cut flaming ; the plants taken 



^ht to have three eves on one fide and four on the other, as they are more 

 lia 



ou 



d) Poorer lands require four or five juncks, but two or three are generally f< 



kable 







f 





I 







