424 FIELD CROPS FOR THE COTTON-BELT 



cut in November. That portion of the crop that is to be 

 used for seed-cane is cut earlier than the main crop. 



In west Florida, stripping the blades from the stalks 

 begins the last week in October; the date is two weeks 

 later in central Florida. Cutting begins about November 

 15th in west Florida and ten days later in central 

 Florida. 



523. Stripping, topping, and cutting. — Harvesting 

 consists in stripping the blades from the stalks, removing 

 the tops, and cutting the stalks at the surface of the 

 ground. The cane-knife is most commonly used for this 

 purpose. It consists of a "flat piece of steel on a suitable 

 handle with a slight hook on the back for stripping." The 

 blades are removed by two downward strokes with the 

 back of the knife; the third stroke removes the top and the 

 fourth cuts the stalk at the ground. In Louisiana the en- 

 tire operation is completed as the workman proceeds. 



A simple cane stripper has been invented by Wm. 

 House, a farmer of Cairo, Georgia. It is made of "two 

 pieces of thin steel about 15 inches long by 1 iach wide 

 and ^/i6 inch thick, bent and flared at one end so as to 

 slip over and fit around the stalk of cane and securely 

 braded at the other end to a handle three feet long." 

 When this stripper is pressed against the plant the stalk 

 slips into the space made by the curves in the steel blades. 

 The leaves are then removed by one downward stroke. 

 Other laborers follow with knives and remove the tops 

 and cut the stalks. 



Machine cutters have been invented but so far no ma- 

 chiije has been a great success, owing to the extreme diffi- 

 culty of handling crooked canes by machinery. 



524. Handling the harvested cane. — Immediately 

 after the cane is cut it is started to the mill, as fermenta- 



