SUGAR FARMING 147 



Sugar cane was first introduced into Europe by the 

 Moors. It was known as the "honey bearing Indian 

 reed." Plantations were later established in Spain and 

 Sicily. Spanish sailors later carried the seed to the Azores, 

 Canaries, West Indies and other islands. From these 

 sources the plant was brought to America. 



Varieties of sugar cane. The most common varie- 

 ties grown in the United States are Louisiana Purple, 

 which is known in Georgia as Red Cane; Louisiana Striped 

 or Ribbon Cane; a strain known as D-74, and another 

 known as D-75. 



Moisture. Cane sugar, because of the large amount 

 of foliage, requires abundant moisture during the grow- 

 ing season. The average rainfall should be from two to 

 four and one-half inches per month during the period of 

 greatest growth. The cane may be successfully grown by 

 irrigation, as it is capable of drawing from the soil practi- 

 cally all the water supply necessary for its development. 



Soil requirements. The soil requirements of the 

 cane sugar plant are very much the same as those of the 

 sugar beet, corn, potato and trucking crops. The soil 

 should be well filled with humus, light and well-drained. 

 The plant requires a well-prepared seed bed and is thought 

 to produce the largest quantity of sugar content where the 

 soil is best adapted for the production of corn and heavy 

 forage crops. The cane sugar plant resists drought better 

 than corn and is sometimes grown successfully in the semi- 

 arid land of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Nebraska. 



Cultivation and management of crop. The cultiva- 

 tion and general management of the so'il before planting 

 is similar to that required for successful corn production. 

 After the seed bed has been thoroughly prepared by deep 

 plowing and subsoiling where possible, the soil should be 

 pulverized thoroughly, and a fine surface mulch should be 



