SUGAR-CANE 611 



ing the bed to a depth of 3 inches in the southern part of the 

 cotton-belt and slightly deeper farther north. 



A rule often followed is to save one sixth of the crop to plant 

 an equal area the next year, The stalks saved for seed usually 

 include all those that are too small to be profitably ground. 



494. Harvesting sugar-cane in Louisiana. Harvest- 

 ing is done by hand, the laborers at one operation topping, 

 stripping, and cutting the standing cane, using a cane 

 knife. Cane loaders (Fig. 210) are now widely used in 

 Louisiana. These usually consist of a swinging boom 

 mounted on a heavy wagon ; a grapple fork, lowered from 

 the end of the boom and operated by a small gasoline 

 engine, lifts the cane from the heaps on the ground to the 

 carts, or from the carts into the railroad cars. 



Several cane harvesters have been patented, but up to 

 1910 none of them has come into general use. One great 

 difficulty in securing a satisfactory cane harvester is the 

 crooked condition of many of the stalks. 



There are elaborate devices for unloading cars at the 

 sugar factories and for carrying the canes thence to the 

 rollers of the mills. Much of the crop is transported by 

 rail from the fields to the sugar house. 



495. Time of harvesting. That part of the crop in- 

 tended to be planted in the fall is cut early, chiefly before 

 the grinding season begins, and is promptly planted. The 

 canes intended for planting in the spring are cut later, 

 but before being injured by frost, and immediately placed, 

 without being topped, in windrows in every second water- 

 furrow, the tops and leaves of the uppermost plants 

 covering and protecting the stems of those below, lapping 

 like shingles. 



