Sugar-cane, Cotton, and Tobacco 217 



the product being staple and having a definite quotation in the 

 market. The cane supplies much of the sugar (the remainder 

 coming from sugar-beets) and its culture is a large industry in 

 the far South. It is a tall, large-leaved grass, with a juice in the 

 stalks that, when squeezed out and boiled to the proper con- 

 sistency makes the sugar and molasses of commerce. 



Cotton is the greatest crop of the South. Fields of this 

 shrub-like plant are everywhere in the regions warm enough 

 to grow the plants, which is from southern Virginia south- 

 ward. Farm rents are paid in bales of cotton rather than in 

 money and in every town in the cotton-belt dealers are on 

 hand at all times to buy the product. As will be learned, the 

 cotton fiber makes most of the thread and light cloth used by 

 mankind. The seeds, also, are of much importance. The oil 

 and the meal derived from the seeds are staple articles of com- 

 merce. The oil made up to the consistency of lard is fast 

 taking the place of that commodity. It is asserted that South 

 Carolina produces more shortening than the hog-producing 

 state of Iowa. 



Tobacco is a native of America. In some regions its value 

 to the farmer is very large. Companies capitalized at millions 

 of dollars control the output and the trade in the products is 

 extremely large. 



These three crops have little in common so far as culture and 

 handling are concerned, but as they are distinctive parts of 

 southern agriculture they may be considered together. 



SUGAR-CANE 



123. Distribution and characteristics. Sugar-cane be- 

 longs to the grass family. It has a tall, jointed stem with 

 leaves at each node and several stalks grow in a cluster from 

 the central stalk, as shown in Fig. 94. Sugar and sirup are 

 made from the juice of the stem. The plant is a perennial 

 and in tropical countries crops can be cut for several years 

 before the field needs to be replanted. However, in Louisiana 



