CHAPTER XXXVI 



SUGAR-CANE — CLIMATE, SOILS, ROTATIONS, 

 FERTILIZERS AND TILLAGE PRACTICES 



The area within which sugar-cane can be successfully 

 grown in the United States is limited primarily by cli- 

 matic conditions, such as temperature, length of the 

 growing season, rainfall and the hke. These limiting 

 factors are easily recognized by farmers. The extent to 

 which the essentials of good farm management, including 

 proper cropping systems and good tillage practices, in- 

 fluence the profitable production of sugar-cane has not 

 been so generally recognized. 



511. Climate. — Sugar-cane is adapted to a tropical 

 climate, although early maturing varieties are successfully 

 grown in semi-tropical regions. For best results, a grow- 

 ing season of 12 to 14 months is required. The climatic 

 conditions best suited to sugar-cane are foimd in Cuba, 

 Java, Hawaii, Porto Rico, Philippine Islands, and the 

 Gulf Coast region of the United States, particularly in 

 Louisiana, southern Florida, and southern Texas. In 

 the United States sugar-cane for sirup is also grown as 

 far north as latitude 33, including southern Georgia, south- 

 ern Alabama, and southern Mississippi. Throughout 

 the greater part of the cane-growing region of the United 

 States, the season does not extend over ten months. 



512. Soils. — Sugar-cane is a gross feeder and re- 

 quires large quantities of water and food. The best soils 

 for this crop are the rich alluvial soils that are well supplied 



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