THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 89 



THE AMBER SUGAR CANE. 



The interest which is taken by many, of the readers of the Cana-* 

 "DiAN Horticulturist in the cultivation of this plant, is our apology 

 for calling attention to the following letter from the Westei^n Rural: 



Having grown sorghum for the past twenty yeai's, and been a manufac- 

 turer of syrup for fifteen, I hope what I may write from my own experi- 

 ence will prove a benefit to my brother farmers who arc at present engaged 

 in the culture of cane, and if so the objedt for which 1 write will be ac-* 

 complished. 



It is of the utmost importance to procure good, pure seed from daiie 

 which gave good results in quality and quantity of syrup and sugar. The 

 best variety of cane that I have grown ia the Minnesota Early Amber, 

 which yields from one to three hundred gallons per acre. 



Sandy land makes the best syrilp. New land makes good syrup and a 

 large yield. Clay laud gives good syrup but light yield. Cane should not 

 bo grown on freshly manured land, as it always makes a poor article of 

 syrup. It should be planted at least one year to some other crop before 

 being planted to cane. 



Plant with rows but one way, running north and south. If possible 

 plant three and one-half feet apart east and west and fifteen to eighteen 

 inches north and south. Plenty of seed should be planted and then thin 

 out, so as to leave from four* to six stalks in a hill. The ground should 

 be ploughed at least ten inches deep and planted as soon as ploughed. 

 One-half inch is deep enough to Cover the seed. 



As soon as the cane is up it should be hoed around the hill ; great care 

 needs to be taken to keep the hills free from weeds. When the cane is of 

 sufficient height so the fows can be seen plainly, it should be cultivated, 

 and this is best done with a five-toothed cultivator j the teeth should bo 

 small, or at least the outside ones, which allows one to get close to the 

 cane and not covet it up. Cane needs no cultivating after it is three feet 

 in height ; indeed, cultivating after that injures the cane. 



There are a great many diffei-ent opinions in regard to the right tim© 

 to cut cane. Some say cut cane when the seed is in the dough, whil& 

 others maintain that it should stand until ripe. My experience is, that it 

 will make more syrup if cut when seed is in the milk, and will granulater 

 much sooner than when allowed to stand until ripe. Can© should b« out 

 when the seed is in the milk or dough, and put under cover, letting it 

 remain there ten days or two weeks before being worked. Cane can b© 

 kept one, two, or three months, if kept from freezing, without injury. 



In making syrup I use the Climax Mill made by the Madison Manu- 

 facturing Co., Madison, Wis., and the Cook Evaporator manufactured by 

 the Blymer Manufacturing Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. Both of these compa- 

 nies are held in high esteem by those who are engaged in the culture of the 

 cane. Good machinery and good dry wood are two of the most eeseatial 

 things needed in making good syrup and sugar. Without these we may 



