MATURITY AND YIBLD 



': 



8ACCHARUM 



OmCINARUH 



Cultivation 



thereafter two or three time* at -val*. BntMequentlv eight to tti 



Mitrrmjr*. t)i * hot weajtff, 



tin- loni'i-r ,11 tin- .'..ill. The rninff 



mi hen, ami MolliHoii *tat<<t< that <>n on average angar cxna ft* during twelve 



mouths, in addition |,. tin- ruml.il!. . flft JTlChcH of 



ruin, tin- crop i MM* a yan: flnrt 



MioriiliH tl iikes slow growth, and it i* oomii v with it 



Nubordiiiato cropn which ripen qu m maice, gvvar U'****- 



i^< ,iii<>iiirn), onion*. cucuml*Tr<. melons and tobacco. 



It is difficult to judge by eye when th- . Frequently a eane-growat 



' IK- ripeness of i mir. If a given quantity 



of juice gives a satisfactory weight of gut, harvest in proceeded with. Usually 

 tin- crop get* a yellow colour as it ripen*, but t - may be eauaad by 



irregular or deficient irrigation or by a wnnt of manure. If the ile leaves are all 

 I, and the eye-buds alrno- of tin- cane fully developed and firm, 



tli<- cane is probably quite ripe. If it in intended to grow a ratoon crop, the on* 

 should be out with a sharp -. lit of 1 to 2 inchea above-ground. 



Mollison states, on the evidence of experiment* made at Mnnjri. that it i* riaky 

 in the Poona district to take more than one ratoon crop. Generally, however, in 

 that, district. two successive rntoon <-rop aro taken. But Poona w the only 

 i list riot where ratooning is pr. iderable extent. If no ratoon 



crop is desired, the cane should be uprooted and removed from the root-ctook 

 by a sharp jerk. It phould he reaped or uprooted in the early morning, while 

 the leaves are wet with dew. The dry leaves are stripped from the cane* by 

 means of a sickle. The upper green leaves, which are useful aa fodder, are 

 usually not removed in the field. Subsequently, the cane is tied in bundle* and 

 carried on the head or in carts to be crushed at the mill, which is often placed 

 conveniently near the field. Forty tons per acre of cane is stated to be a fair 

 average crop in Bombay. According to Mollison, the estimated cost per acre 

 of cultivating sugar-cane by hired labour in Poona amounts to Rs. 4R6-12a. 

 .Mr. Knight gives as a general estimate Re. 420-12a. per acre. In growing a 

 ratoon crop, the cost is considerably leas than for a new cane. No sets are re- 

 quired, lees manure and less irrigation are necessary, and the saving amounts on 

 an average from about Rs. 120 to Rs. 150 an acre. [Cf. Mollison, tiugar-cane in 

 Bomb. Prca., in Agri. Ledg., 1898, No. 8 ; Knight, Sugar-rant, Dept. Land Ree. 

 and Agri. Bombay Bull., 1905, No. 25 ; Krpto. on Crop Exptr. Bombay ; Exp. 

 Farm Rcpto. Poona, 1890, 31-57, etc.] 



Madras and Mysore. The area under sugar-cane in Madras, according 

 to the Agricultural Statistics for 1905-6, was 74,359 acres, while ai: 

 mated area and yield for that year were 60,700 acresand 114,500 tuns. It 

 seems desirable to exhibit both the actuals and the estimates, since the 

 yield (expressed from these quotations) would be T8 tons an acre. The 

 largest district areas in the year named were Bellary, 9,761 acres ; ( 

 batore, 9,689 acres ; Godavari, 8,413 acres ; Trichino; ;.50 acree; 



South Arcot, 6,168 acres ; Vizagapatam, 5,763 acres ; Kort! -.585 



acres ; Salem, 5,045 acres ; Cuddapah, 4,932 acres ; Anantapur, 2,624 

 acres, etc. And it may be added these express relatively tin- ordinary 

 areas of sugar-cane in the Presidency. Lastly, in 1906-7, 52,500 acies 

 with a yield of 100,400 tons. The area in Mysore in 1904-5 was 38,802 



acres. 



The rich alluvial soils near the mouths of rivers are best adapted to sugar-cane, 

 but the ground must be such that it can be irrigated for ten months of the year. 

 During the first month of cultivation the field should be irrigated every week 

 and afterwards every fortnight, but much depends on the nature of the soil. It 

 is not usual to cultivate the cane two years running on the same land. In parts 

 arnul, Tinnevelly and South Kanara, however, the stumps of the cane are 

 left in the ground to sprout and yield a crop the following year, and in the Nadyal 

 taluk of the Karnul district, the cane is left in the ground for three years, and in 

 the Cumbun taluk for as long as ten, the yield diminishing each year. 

 instances of slovenly agriculture are, however, exceptional. The cultivator 

 usually permits laud which has borne some other crop to lie fallow for a year, 

 and then prepares it for the cane by several ploughing*, or by breaking it up 



949 



Madras 

 ATM*. 



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Raumt 



