THE SUGAK-CANE PLANT 



Seasons. 



Soil. 

 Manure. 



SACCHARUM 



OFFICINARUM 

 Bombay 



inches of rainfall should be applied every eight to ten days (these 

 conclusions now regulate the Irrigation Department) ; (3) that the 

 amount of nitrogen supplied per acre in manure should be about 350 Ib. ; 

 (4) that this can economically be supplied by oil-cakes (this discovery 

 has greatly influenced sugar-cane cultivation around Poona) ; (5) that 

 the Poona system of cultivation in beds is better suited to the local cane 

 than the system adopted from Mauritius." 



Races Grown. The cultivation of sugar-cane has thus been very fully discussed by the 



Agricultural authorities of the Presidency, and the following is mainly a summary 

 of their observations, drawn for the most part from Mollison (Textbook Ind. 

 Agri., iii., 108-81) : The varieties cultivated may be broadly grouped into two, 

 with numerous gradations between the extremes : (1) thick, juicy, soft kinds which 

 require copious irrigation ; (2) thin, hard, less juicy kinds which require lighter 

 irrigation. Sugar-cane adapts itself to almost any kind of soil if drainage is 

 previously secured, as a waterlogged condition is fatal. The season of planting 

 varies in different localities. In Ahmadabad, Kaira and Baroda it is planted 

 in May or early in June. In the Surat district, also in the Southern Maratha 

 country, most of the cane is planted in November and December, but the season 

 may extend to February. In the Poona district, February and March are 

 considered the best months to plant. 



According to Mollison, the cultivation in the neighbourhood of Poona is 

 typical of what it should be elsewhere, and he accordingly describes it in full. 

 The best soil is a clay loam and the best preparatory crop a green-manure 

 of son (Cfotn inrln juncen). The san should be sown thickly in June or July 

 (about 70 Ib. seed per acre), and ploughed in when 3 to 4 feet high. If no 

 manure crop has been used, the land is allowed to lie waste during the monsoon. 

 In November the field is deeply ploughed, and one or two subsequent ploughings 

 are given in December. After ploughing, the surface is levelled with a log harrow, 

 all clods broken, and manure applied. Poudrette or farm-yard manure, about 

 60 loads or 30 tons per acre, is most commonly employed. Usually, however, 

 a smaller application is given before planting, and the crop is again top-dressed 

 in June or July with such manures as castor-cake, karanj-cake (Pont/n min tjii-n ), 

 fish manure, etc. Experiment has shown that the most important constituent 

 of sugar-cane manures is nitrogen in immediately available conditions. Mr. 

 Knight states that in the case of the Pundia canes, as much as 350 Ib. of nitrogen 

 per acre is required to give the best outturn. The manure should be evenly 

 and carefully spread, and the land then ploughed into ridges 24 to 28 inches 

 apart. The plough is next run across the ridges to form parallel water-channels 

 10 feet apart. Finally, the field is laid out in beds 10 feet square. Each com- 

 partment when complete contains four short ridges and five furrows. The crop 

 is propagated from sets, though sometimes in other parts of the province, as in 

 Gujarat, by planting whole canes. Each set has usually three eyes (buds) or 

 more, and may be 15 inches to 18 inches long. One acre of good cane provides 

 Ratoon Canes. sets for 11 to 12 acres. Ratoon cane i.e. cane grown from the root-stocks of 

 the previous crop usually provides the best sets, and many authorities consider 

 the " tops " better for sets than any portion of the mature cane, but according 

 to Mollison, it has yet to be proved whether the resulting crop is better or worse 

 than from sets planted in the ordinary way. [Cf. U.S. Dept. Agri. Exp. Stat. 

 Eec., 1897, vii., 677; 1899, x., 546; 1901, xii., 438, etc.] The argument for 

 Cane Tops. using the tops is that they contain no cane sugar and that the practice of reserving 



whole canes for sets is wasteful. In the Poona district 16,000 to 18,000 sets are 

 said to be required per acre. Before planting, water is conducted into each bed 

 in turn. When it has partially soaked into the soil the sets are laid along the 

 bottom of the furrows and trampled down 3 or 4 inches into the soft mud. The 

 Planting Season, .distance between sets is about 4 inches. Planting should take place in February 

 and be finished before the middle of March. A month after planting, the land 

 should be carefully weeded with a khurpa or hand-spud. Usually four weedings 

 are necessary. In June or July new beds are formed. The soil is dug, levelled, 

 weeded, and a second dressing of manure given. The canes originally planted 

 in the furrows are earthed up with a hand-hoe, thus forming a furrow between 

 the rows of cane. These furrows serve as new watercourses. After July or 

 Protection. August, in the Poona, district, cane requires no further attention except pro- 



Irrigation, tection and irrigation. The land is first flooded as the sets are planted, and 



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