SUGAR CANE 125 



covered with a great accumulation of trash, consist- 

 ing of the cane tops and leaves. This is burned 

 over at the first suitable opportunity in order to kill 

 the cane borer, but more particularly in order to 

 prevent it from clogging the drains and water fur- 

 rows and thus keeping the land too wet and cold 

 during the winter. This is recognized as a great 

 waste of fertility since so much vegetable matter is 

 destroyed that ought to be reincorporated with the 

 soil. Under these special conditions, however, its 

 advantages are found to considerably outweigh its 

 very obvious disadvantages. It must be remem- 

 bered that in this short rotation an abundant supply 

 of vegetable matter is returned to the soil every three 

 years with the ■ corn stalks and pea vines. The 

 burning, too, clears the ground for the subsequent 

 cultivation of the stubble cane. In the early spring 

 an implement known as a stubble digger is passed 

 over the rows to loosen up the ground between the 

 stubbles. If the upper buds of the stubble have been 

 injured by the winter, another implement, known as 

 the stubble shaver, may first be passed over the row 

 to cut off these injured tops below the surface of the 

 ground. As soon as the stubbles begin to sprout the 

 rows are barred off, fertilized, rebedded, and culti- 

 vated exactly like the plant cane. 



The fertilizers used in Louisiana for cane are 

 largely the phosphates though nitrogenous manures 

 are also employed. Potash does not seem to be 

 needed. This is probably to be explained by the 

 well-known fact that the phosphates tend to hasten 

 maturity, a point so important for Louisiana, while 



