THE HUSBANDRY OF THE CANE. 



the soil but experience has taught us that this period of lying fallow is indispensable 

 in obtaining a good crop. The wet lumps of soil dry up during this operation , 

 crumble to pieces and assume a lighter colour causing the mass of moist cold hard 

 lumps to change into a loose greyish powdery soil. During the weathering all 

 grass is carefully weeded out, and this is continued after planting until the cane 

 has grown so high that it keeps down the weeds by its own shadow. At the end 

 of the drying time the soil in the rows is loosened a little and the cane tops are 

 then planted in them." 



A ground plan of a Java cane field will then appear as in Fig. 40 ; at d 

 is a ditch surrounding the field into which drain the cross ditches, which are 

 in turn fed by the small drains c separating the cane beds e ; the cane rows 

 are at I running across the beds. 



1000 



a 



FIG. 40. 



GENERAL AGRICULTURAL PROCESSES. The agri- 

 cultural processes followed in connection with cane growing are discussed 

 below ; in general similar practices prevail in most districts ; differences are 

 determined by the use or absence of irrigation, and of mechanical cultivation, 

 by labour supply, and by purely local conditions. 



Planting. The seed cane is planted in rows or in squares, in furrows 

 or in holes. In furrow planting, which is most generally used, the furrow 

 may be made by the double mould-board plough or, less economically, by the 

 use of the hoe. The furrow is generally about two feet deep and two feet 

 wide ; the cane is in porous soils laid along the bottom of the furrow ; in clayey 



115 



