THE SUGAR CANF. 



apart, and throwing up cane five or six feet fit for the mill. 

 I have often supposed that there was growing of vegetable; 

 matter to the acre, from 30 to 40 tons, certainly containing 

 more nutritious matter for stock, than any other plant would 

 give, upon the same surface. In Louisiana they planted al- 

 together with the plow, and had their trenches not more than 

 l _'-i feet apart; they have since gradually widened their dis- 

 tance. When I was there, they used generally the old 

 French plow, with a wheel at the end of the beam. With 

 strong teams, they plowed deep and better than anywhere 1 

 had seen in the southern states. It was by means of the 

 plow, that they planted so many acres to the laborer ; and 

 again, because they had little grass upon their river-lands ex- 

 cept the nut-grass." The cane may be planted any time 

 between the months of September and March ; but is usu- 

 ally done in January and February after the sugar-making 

 is completed. Some planters have recently obtained large 

 crops by planting in rows at a distance of 8 feet apart. Af- 

 ter the frost has disappeared, the earth is removed by the 

 plow from each side of the cane, and the top earth is scraped 

 off to prevent early vegetation. It is then kept clear of weeds 

 and grass by the frequent use of the hoe, till it has produced 

 suckers or shoots enough to afford a full stand. In the latter 

 part of May or early in June it should be hilled about four 

 inches, and then left unmolested till ready for the mill. The 

 cane begins to ripen at the bottom in August or September 

 and advances upwards at the rate of about six inches per 

 \veok, and is usually fit for the mill by the middle of October. 

 HARVESTING. The cane is first topped while standing, 

 which consists in cutting off the upper end of the stalk as far 

 as the leaves arc dry. The dry leaves are then stripped 

 from the standing stalk, and the cane cut with a cane knife 

 rloso to the ground, and carried in carts to the mill where 

 it is at once passed through the rollers for expressing the 

 juice. This last is immediately put into the kettles, boiled, 

 skimmed, and reduced to the proper point for granulation 

 or conversion into sugar. The tops and leaves are fre- 

 quently leli on the ground for manure, or used for stock feed- 

 ing, and sometimes they are planted. But it is better to use 

 the choicest whole cane (or this purpose ; and when thus se- 

 lected, it is cut before frost and laid down in beds or matelas 

 one or two feet in thicknes, with the tops overlapping and 

 occupying the surface like shingles in a roof. Cane is gen- 

 erally planted in this country once in three years, and it con- 



