158 FUNDAMENTALS OF AGRICULTURE. 



Central America, and one or two localities in Africa 

 also contribute to the 7,000,000 of tons of cane sugar 

 that is furnished annually to the markets of the world. 

 As would be expected, widely varying systems of 

 agriculture and manufacture prevail in the production 

 of this sugar. For instance, in some sections drain- 

 age is the all-important consideration, while in others 

 irrigation is necessary. In many localities the meth- 

 ods are crude, almost primitive in character, while in 

 other places, though far distant from the centers of 

 civilization, progressiveness is evidenced by steam 

 plows and the latest implements for cultivation, to- 

 gether with labor-saving devices, and the most modern 

 installations for converting the raw material into mar- 

 ketable products. 



EXERCISE. If sugar cane is grown in the section, bring stalks of as 

 many varieties as can be obtained to the classroom and examine 

 them as described in this article. 



If sugar or syrup is manufactured in the neighborhood, the teacher 

 should take the class out to such a place and require the pupils to 

 take notes of harvesting, planting, fertilization, and manufacturing. 

 For information on sugar cane write to the Louisiana Experiment 

 Station, Baton Rouge, La. 



SECTION XXIV. TOBACCO. 



By DR. E. H. JENKINS, 

 Director Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. 



Tobacco belongs to the night-shade family of plants, 

 which includes potatoes, tomatoes and egg plants, and 

 also the medicinal or poisonous plants, henbane, and 

 jimson weed or stramonium. 



Tobacco Plant an Annual. The tobacco plant 

 grows from five to nine feet high, and has from twenty 

 to thirty large leaves and white or pink flowers borne 

 at the top of the plant and on a few side shoots. It 

 grows from the seed and matures in one season, being 

 killed by frost. The leaves only are used in com- 

 merce. 



