SUGAR CANE 229 



to black and even yellow, green and purple. For- 

 merly it was thought that sugar cane could be 

 grown only in tropical lands, but it is now grown 

 very successfully in this country, especially in 

 Louisiana. Much cane is grown in Georgia, Ala- 

 bama and Mississippi. An enormous amount of 

 water is required for the best development of the 

 cane and where the rainfall is deficient irrigation is 

 practiced. While water is required in great abun- 

 dance, a well-drained soil is absolutely essential to 

 vigorous growth and to large, mature canes. The 

 soils best adapted to canes are those which con- 

 tain the largest amount of fertilizing material and 

 which have a large water-holding capacity. 



Cane is usually planted in 5 to 6-foot rows. A 

 trench is opened in the center of the row with a 

 plow and in this open furrow is deposited a con- 

 tinuous line of stalks which are carefully covered 

 with plow, cultivator or hoe. From one to three 

 continuous lines of stalks are placed in the furrow. 

 From 2 to 6 tons of seed cane are required for an 

 acre. In favorable seasons this cane soon sprouts 

 and then cultivation begins. Each young sprout 

 sends out many shoots and soon the entire row is 

 filled with cane. Being a rank grower large quan- 

 tities of fertilizers are needed. The usual quantity 

 to an acre varies from 400 to 700 pounds. The 

 cane is harvested annually on account of the frost 

 of winters which would be destructive to a good 

 yield of sugar. The sugar content varies from n 

 to 16 per cent. The sandy soils of Georgia, Florida 

 and Alabama give a richer juice than the alluvial 

 soils of Louisiana. 



The cane is crushed for sugar before winter and 

 the crop harvested before frost comes. The leaves 



