SUGAR-CANE — CLIMATE, TILLAGE 417 



is applied because of the gross feeding tendencies of the 

 sugar-cane plant. It is, however, conceded by some 

 growers that a better grade of sirup will be produced by- 

 using sulfate of potash, instead of muriate of potash or 

 kainit. This, however, is still an open question." 



Many farmers, particularly in the pine-belt, make rather 

 liberal use of stable manure in fertilizing sugar-cane. 

 While this greatly increases the yield it is apt to give the 

 sirup a dark color and inferior flavor. 



TILLAGE PRACTICES 



517. Preparation of the land. —^ Soil intended for 

 sugar-cane should be plowed as long in advance of plant- 

 ing time as the previous crop will permit. In Louisiana 

 the land is usually plowed in August or September, es- 

 pecially if the previous crops were corn with cowpeas. 

 In most cases the ordinary mold-board plow is used, al- 

 though the turning imder of green-manure crops can be 

 better accomplished with a disk plow. In three to five 

 weeks after plowing the land is bedded for planting. This 

 consists of forming ridges or high beds usually six feet 

 wide although "ridged rows, five feet apart, are probably 

 productive of the best results.'"^ As the cane fields are 

 flat and wet the ridges are necessary to facihtate drainage. 

 As an additional step in draining the land the water- 

 furrows between the ridges are deepened with a double 

 mold-board plow. At suitable intervals, " quarter drains " 

 are constructed at right angles to the ridges and from 

 4 to 8 inches deeper than the water-furrows. Eunning 

 parallel with the rows, and 100 to 125 feet apart, deep nar- 

 row ditches are constructed into which the "quarter 

 drains" empty. 



1 La. Sugar Exp. Sta., Bui. 129, p. 32. 



