SaO TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



As already indicated in the chapter on sugar cane, all this 

 material has been burned on many plantations, particularly 

 in Hawaii. It is only recently that the frightful wastefulness 

 of this practice has been realized. Cane tops and trash are 

 now largely plowed under, but a vast amount of material is 

 still available as stock feed. Cane tops or even the whole 

 plant may be ensiled as easily as corn or any other common 

 silage material. No difficulty is experienced in fermentation 

 or spoiling if the material is handled properly in satisfactory 

 silos. Cane silage develops no higher percentage of acid than 

 com silage. The material when properly fermented has a 

 sweet-acid, and very agreeable flavor. The odor is not so 

 unpleasant as that of corn silage. Cane tops or the whole 

 cane may be made into silage by itself, or mixed with Para 

 grass or other available materials. In Florida considerable 

 attention has been given to this matter, and particularly with 

 Japanese cane, a variety grown in Florida almost exclusively 

 for forage purposes. Japanese cane is well adapted for use 

 as a forage crop in all of the Gulf States. It has been found 

 to furnish also satisfactory pasturage if stock are not allowed 

 to remain in the field too late in the spring. In Florida, Japa- 

 nese cane has proved to be one of the cheapest sources of 

 silage. It may also be harvested and cured like corn fodder. 

 It is most nutritious if allowed to stand until the danger of 

 frost appears. The yield of Japanese cane in Florida has 

 varied from 5 to 27 tons per acre. 



Silos did not come into much use in the Tropics until quite 

 recently. Their importance, however, is gradually increasing. 

 In Hawaii, for example, many silos have been built the past 

 5 years. These silos are of various types, some of them being 

 constructed of reenforced concrete, while others are in the 

 form of pit silos. A great variety of material has been used 

 for silage, including alfalfa, cowpeas, sorghum, corn, sweet 

 potato vines. Para grass, various other grasses, and even 

 prickly pear. On the Island of Lanai some success has been 



