THE CHINESE SUGAR-CANE. 53 



and the distance of, say, two feet given in the 

 row, dropping one or two seed in a place. Let 

 the ground be well cultivated, as for corn, and 

 the shoots or suckers which spring up from the 

 root be all permitted to grow. A small portion 

 of the crop should be reserved for seed, and per- 

 mitted to stand until fully matured and dry. It 

 would be well to limit the canes in the seed patch 

 to one. By all means permit no broom-corn^ 

 Dourah-corn, or other plants of the same family, 

 to grow near your cane. It readily intermixes 

 with these varieties, and effectually ruins your 

 seed for the production of syrup. For the same 

 reason, great care should be observed in procur- 

 ing reliable seed, as well as in keeping them so. 

 ''After the first season, when a full supply of 

 seed shall have been secured, a better-paying 

 syrup crop may be grown by closer planting. 

 The space between the rows may well be nar- 

 rowed down to three feet, and the seed put in, 

 say, two or three every six inches ; when well up, 

 the stoutest and healthiest plants should alone be 

 allowed to stand. The cane, when very young, 

 presents so much the appearance of grass, that 

 an advantage may perhaps be gained by drop- 

 ping some other seed with the cane, that the 

 latter may be more readily distinguished. This, 



