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CHAPTER III. 



SUGARCANE. 



The antiquity of the cultivation of sugarcane in India. Annual 

 production. Average outturn per acre. Composition of 

 sugarcane. The varieties cultivated in India. Their 

 relative qualities. China sugarcane. Puttaputti produc- 

 ing the best Jaggery. Otaheite and Bourbon sugarcane. 

 History of introduction into India. Soils best suited for 

 sugarcane. Calcareous matter essential for the production 

 of superior sugarcane. Analysis of soils famed for the 

 production of sugarcane. 



Manures. Rotten straw. Mud from tank-bottoms. Crushed 

 bones. Salt. Preparation of the soil. Ploughing and 

 planting in the Rajahmundry district. Watering, manur- 

 ing, and ploughing in the Mysore and other districts. 

 Preparation of the fields in general. The cutting of 

 " sets." Quantity of tops required per beegah, and average 

 yield. The planting of sugarcane. Mr. Vaupell on the 

 most successful mode of cultivating the Mauritius cane in 

 Bombay. After-culture. Watering, weeding, and dig- 

 ging. Draining. Propping and wrapping the cane. 

 Harvesting. Injuries to which the plant is liable. Effects 

 of different manures upon sugarcane. Experiments made 

 by the Superintendent of the Poona Botanical Gardens. 



THE cultivation of sugarcane in India is of 

 great antiquity, and seems to have been particularly 

 pursued with great success during the Mogul 

 dynasty. The whole annual production of sugar- 

 cane in India could not be less than a million 

 tons, and there is every probability of a steady 



