134 THE CHIEF SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL CROPS 



turning plow, throwing the dirt away from the cane. 

 Run the last furrow up as close to the cane stubble 

 as possible. You will not hurt the roots. They all 

 died when the cane was cut, and new ones will form 

 as the new shoots of cane begin to grow. If ferti- 

 lizer is needed, it can now be applied in this open 

 furrow next the cane. On most lands, however, it 

 will only be necessary to use fertilizers every third 

 or fourth year. Do not leave the furrow next the 

 cane open any longer than is necessary, but work 

 the dirt back with the cultivator, using some imple- 

 ment that will throw a little dirt back over the 

 stubble. Keep these alternate middles well culti- 

 vated until the beginning of the rainy season and 

 then sow them down to cowpeas. This will be 

 found much cheaper than the ordinary plan of go- 

 ing over all the surface of the ground two or three 

 times with hoes, and it leaves the stubble cane in 

 even better cultural condition than the plant cane, 

 for one side of each row is thorougldy cultivated, 

 while the other side is protected by a heavy mulch 

 of trash, that serves perfectly to retain moisture. 

 The next year, of course, the middles are reversed so 

 that all the soil is thoroughly aerated, and pulverized 

 every two years. And yet only half of it is exposed 

 •to the depleting influence of tillage, while all the 

 trash is retained on the land and is ultimately in- 

 corporated with it to add to its supply of humus, a 

 substance so necessary for successful tropical agri- 

 culture. Another great advantage of this system of 

 promptly raking the trash and plowing alternate mid- 

 dles is that each such plowed strip makes an efficient 



