THE CUBA REVIEW 



29 



Seed Cane 



Cane Sugar Facts in Cuba 



By Alvin Fox, B. Sc, Ph. D., Agricultural Botajiist. 



The cane is planted in rows which run across the beds. If virgin soil is taken 

 in cultivation, it must first be cleared of brush, then the wood burnt and after that the 

 digging of the trenches can be proceeded with. Stumps often remain under earth, 

 which are allowed to rot away and then are removed. 



The cane trenches are next made. These are from one and one-half to two feet 

 wide and nine inches deep, with a distance between the rows of five feet. On land which 

 has only just been brought under cultivation, the distance allowed between the rows is 

 eight feet, owing to the strong spreading of the cane. On older ground the distance is 

 generally five feet. The soil which has been dug out is piled up between the rows in 

 banks. 



The cane slips, each consisting of four joints, are now placed in the trenches. The 

 slips are generally planted under a slight slope in the ground which has been prepared 

 by cultivators. The cane is planted so that the eyes are facing the N. E. trade winds, 

 and the attention which the cane needs is earthing up, turning over of the ground and 

 the cleaning of weeds, etc. 



Cane is generally banked up twice, once when the plants are three months old, and 

 again when they are four to five months old. When it is banked up for the first time, 

 the dead leaves are often taken away. Actually this might in some cases be called 

 "cleaning." After that, it is twice cleaned and the dead leaves taken away from the 

 stems, first when the cane is four months old, and again when it is nine months old. 



