24 
BULLETIN 1292, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
ing two furrows, one from each side of the row, over the cane. For 
the operation, 11 men each reported an average of 4.18 acres per day 
for a 4-foot row. Rolling or packing, after covering, to press the 
earth firmly around the stalks is sometimes practiced, but it is not 
common on small patches. The usual methods of cultivating as 
practiced on sugarcane are given in Table 30. 
A number of ways of harvesting the crop are practiced, but cutting 
and stripping is the most common in this area. When harvested, the 
cane is cut by hand and the leaves are stripped. The canes are 
then dropped on the ground or thrown in piles. From the piles the 
stalks are hauled to the sirup mill. Topping may also be done and 
takes little extra time. Harvesting is a slow operation, as the cane 
Fig. 11.— Stalks of cane are hauled to the field and cut into planting lengths on the wagon and dropped into 
the rows. They are then covered by throwing a furrow from each side of the row with a turnplow 
makes a heavy growth and cutting and stripping take considerable 
time. Irrespective of width of row, 20 men each reported harvesting 
an average of 0.1 acre per day. 
At the time of harvesting, the seed canes for next year's crop are 
saved. They are cut and topped but not stripped, and are covered 
or bedded for protection during the winter months. Thirteen men 
each reported bedding an average of 1,258 seed canes per day. 
Table 29. — Planting sugarcane 
(1 man and 2 mules) 
Width 
of 
row 
Number 
of 
reports 
Average 
acreage 
per day 
Acreage 
reported most 
frequently 
Feet 
4 
5 
14 
12 
1.04 
1.23 
1 (8 reports). 
[Vi (3 reports). 
\i (.'5 reports). 
