154 



the matter of applying fertilizers and in returning the trash to the soil, 

 will in the end only cheat themselvos. 



SOIL PREPARATION. 



In preparing the land for a plantation, thorough tilth — that is, deep 

 plowing and cross harrowing — is essential, which should be done in the 

 fall. The ground is frequently broken to a depth of 1 5 inches or more, 

 but never less than a depth of 12 inches to secure good results ; and 

 lumpy land is rolled. Before planting, the ground is again cross-plowed, 

 harrowed and rolled. 



The plant is propagated by seeds, by cuttings, or by layers, and by 

 division of the roots. When produced from seed, the greatest care is 

 taken with the planting, as the seed is very small. For this reason 

 open-air planting can hardly be relied upon, plants started in the hot-bed 

 giving the best results After planting, the seeds are covered thinly 

 with sifted earth and kept shaded from the sun until the young plants 

 are 2 or 3 inches high, when sunlight is gradually admitted to them. 

 In five or six weeks they will be strong enough to transplant to the 

 field. Layering is little practiced in this country (see remarks on the 

 subject of planting, p. 155. By far the most practical method and the 

 one which will give the best results is propagation by a division of the 

 roots of old or fully matured plants. The old plants are better than 

 young ones for the purpose, as the root mass is larger and the roots 

 stronger. 



The planting roots are usually sub-divided into lengths of 3 to 5 

 inches, each piece showing several eyes Five inches is the better 

 length to plant, although shorter pieces are often used. 



PLANTING THE ROOTS 



There is the widest difference of opinion as to the distances apart the 

 plants should be set. Professor Stubbs formerly advocated planting in 

 rows 4 or 5 feet apart and 1 foot in the row, but in his recent experi- 

 ment the plants were set out in the row much more closely. While 

 this will give good results in the first year, it will prove a drawback in 

 the end, as in two or three years the mass of roots will have become 

 solid, and require resetting to produce suitable stalks for the machine. 

 Mr. Allison plants in rows 4^ feet apart and 1 foot in the row. Mr. 

 Natho, a Texas grower, prefers the rows to be 4 feet apart, the plants to 

 be set 15 inches in the row. In California the rows are often set closer 

 than 4 feet. 



Mr. Allison'6 practice has been to prepare the land in the fall by using 

 a subsoil plow. About the 1st February it is cross plowed and well 

 harrowed. A month later it is laid up in flat beds 4 1 feet from centers, 

 leaving about 6 inches elevation in center of bed. The ground is then 

 barred off and opened to the depth of 4 inches with a scooter plow, the 

 roots being placed about a foot apart in the row and then covered with 

 two furrows. A week later, when the roots are sprouting nicely, a 

 harrow with a Doard at the back of it is run over the ground, which 

 allows the young plants to come up in clean mellow soil. The Per- 

 severance Fibre Company advocate setting the roots diagonally, as re- 

 presented by * in the accompanying plan. Plow in the trenches, pulve- 

 rising the soil and loosening the spreading roots. The roots should not 

 be cut off until fall or spring, unless too prolific. Irrigate in the trenches. 



