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cuttings are planted, and it is always better to plant cuttings 

 after sprouting them either by topping or by pitting. 



612. Pickling. As sugar-cane is very much subject to 

 the attack of insect and fungus pests, it is important to sow 

 the cuttings or seedlings after pickling, i. e. after smearing 

 each lot of cuttings or seedlings with a mixture of insecticides 

 and fungicides. But as these substances even when used in 

 a dilute form are generally injurious to vegetable cells, it is 

 best to dry up the substances with which the cuttings or seed- 

 lings are smeared immediately afterwards with such manurial 

 substances as have some effect in keeping out insects also. Thus 

 if half a pound of powdered sulphate of copper is mixed up 

 with JOG Ibs. of hot water and if 8 ounces of powdered white 

 arsenic with i Ib. of lime, are added to the vat containing the 

 sulphate of copper solution, the sugar-cane cuttings can be 

 dipped in this insecticidal and fungicidal mixture, immediately 

 before planting, but the cuttings after being dipped in this 

 liquid mixture, should have a coating of powdered castor or 

 mustard cake (100 Ibs.), ashes (2 Ibs.), and soot (i Ib.), that the 

 growth of the young plant may be helped by these manuriai 

 substances. If sulphate of copper is not available i Ib. of 

 alum may be used in place of \ Ib. of sulphate of copper for 

 making the fungicidal solution. Half an ounce of asafcetida 

 may be mixed with every 100 Ibs. of the fungicidal solution, 

 as the strong smell of asafcetida keeps out most insects. The 

 mixture should be used up the same day it is made. The 

 quantities mentioned will suffice for pickling cuttings required 

 for i acre of land. 



613. Rotation. It is best to grow sugar-cane after a 

 preparatory crop of Dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata), Sunn-hemp 

 (Crotolaria juncea) or Barbati (Vigna catiang), cut down when 

 in flower, in August. A crop of potatoes may be grown from 

 October to February, and the land immediately afterwards 

 got ready for planting sugar cane in February. After the 

 sugar-cane is off the land next February, a crop of arahar 



