33 



TABLE XV. 



f #n</<ii'-r<ui, jnic,* .^ 



Guyton, Ga. 



'it 



-//'./. T. I|V//x, 



CANE GROWING FOR SIRUP MAKING AT WAYCROSS, GA. 



By HAROLD A. IVES, Special Agent. 



Sugar cane is the most important crop grown in this vicinity and will be planted 

 next year to a greater extent than ever before. The soil here seems to be perfectly 

 adapted to the successful raising of the several varieties of sugar cane purple, green, 

 and ribbon the purple cane, however, being more extensively used than the other two 

 varieties. Cotton seed and cotton-seed meal are the fertilizers most used, although 

 when available cow-pen fertilizer has the preference. The plan followed by most of 

 the farmers is to fertilize before planting and again when the plants stand about 3 

 feet above the ground. 



The sugar cane when planted for seed is frequently injured by a small worm which 

 eats all the way through the stalk, and if the next stalk lies against the first the 

 worm goes on through both. In order to prevent this the cane is cut into short 

 pieces of about six joints and planted so that the end of one piece is not on the same 

 line with that of another. 



The cane is planted in rows about 4 feet apart, and it requires about 2,000 average- 

 sized stalks to plant an acre. Before and shortly after the cane makes its appearance 

 the ground is kept plowed in order that the earth may be loose about the young 

 plants. After this all that is necessary is to keep the w r eeds from crowding out the 

 young cane. The plant will soon protect itself from the weeds and grass, and then 

 no more cultivation is necessary. 



Within a radius of 5 miles of Waycross there are about 450 acres of sugar cane 

 available for manufacture. As a rule the farmers use about one-sixth of an acre to 

 plant an acre that is, 16$ per cent of their cane is used for seed. In 1902 the 

 farmers used about 30 per cent of the crop for seed, as the cane was damaged by frost 

 and was therefore small. 



24060 No. 7503 3 



