CHAPTER XII. 
HARVESTING THE CANE. 
Preparation of the Cane for the Operation of Crushing, Removal 
of the Blades—Their Proper Function discharged at the Period 
when the Seed is Ripe, when they should be removed—Their 
Value as Fodder—The Mode of stripping Cane—How and when 
to top Cane—Removal of the Cane from the Field—Effect of 
Frost upon Cane under Different Circumstances. 
THE preparation of the canes for crushing is best per- 
formed in the field. The first step is to strip off the leaves. 
This should not be commenced until the plant has matured. 
From the nature and functions of the leaf, as at present 
understood, we may infer that direct and permanent injury 
to the whole organism of the plant would be the result of 
the removal of the leaves before that period. 
While they have been compared not inaptly to the lungs 
of animals, the leaves are known to discharge other com- 
plicated functions not analogous to those of the organs of 
respiration. ‘They are the laboratories in which organic 
products, such as sugar, starch, and albumen, by complex 
chemical changes, are prepared for the use of the plant, from 
the ordinary constituents of the air and soil. They are 
the outward recipients likewise of very remarkable influ- 
ences derived from the sunbeam; namely, those excited by 
light, heat, and the actinic or chemical rays, all of which 
reach the inner fabric chiefly through the leaves. 
The leaves of the cane, however, seem to outlive their 
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