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1. 
SUGAR-CANE SIRUP MANUFAOTURE 7 
The Home Green (commonly called ‘‘Green”’ in Georgia and Florida, 
and apparently identical with the Otaheite of Cuba and the Bourbon 
of the British West Indies) is grown extensively for sirup in central 
and southern: Florida; it is used but little for field planting farther 
north. Because of the softness of the stalk, however, it is very 
| popular as a chewing or eating cane. For this purpose most of the 
cane growers in the sirup belt and many who make no sirup plant a 
_ few short rows of it in fields or gardens. It has yellowish-green or 
russet-green stalks and makes a beautiful bright sirup of fine flavor. 
_ Its yield is low and it is one of the most susceptible of the varieties in 
extensively grown in central and southern Fic 
_ and elsewhere as a chewing or eating cane. It is practically identical 
use to red rot, mosaic, and other cane diseases. It ratoons so poorly 
that it is not practicable to take more than one crop from a planting. 
The leaves fall from the stalk about as readily as those from the 
Home Purple; the stalks are equally susceptible to lodging in a storm, 
or slightly more so. Poor soil conditions and drought affect it 
_ greatly. Unless the soil is very rich or heavily fertilized, planting 
| this variety for commercial sirup production is hardly worth while. 
_ The leaf sheaths of the Home Green cane have an abundance of stiff 
prickles that cause much discomfort in handling the cane before it 1s 
stripped. Being a soft cane, it is very easily milled and yields a high 
| percentage oi juice. 
The Green Ribbon (commonly called cee Florida) is also 
orida as a sirup cane 
with the Home Green in all its characteristics, except that the stalks 
are striped with green and yellow. Sirup made from this variety is 
| light colored, mild flavored, and of excellent quality. Unfortunately, 
it can not be especially recommended as a sirup-making cane because 
of its low yielding and poor ratooning qualities and its lack of 
resistance to disease. 
The D-74 has been a popular variety in the sugar and sirup-making 
sections of Louisiana. Sirup from this variety has a strong tendency 
_ to crystallize, if concentrated to a density as high as the marke? likes it. 
Being a lighter-colored cane, the D—74 produces a somewhat lighter- 
colored sirup than the Home Purple. Its susceptibility to disease is 
about the same as that of Home Purple. The yield per acre is 
slightly higher, and its stalks are erect, not readily lodging in storms. 
The D-—74 resists ordinary winds, which prostrate many varieties, but 
in violent storms some of the stalks are snapped at the top joints. 
However, the less visible damage to Louisiana Purple and Ribbon 
at the ground line is greater than the top damage to D-74. In 
_ nearly all sections of Louisiana it has given heavier yields than the 
Red or Ribbon canes; it is estimated to be 20 per cent superior in 
tonnage. In addition, its juice contains a higher percentage of sugar 
than most of the other varieties, and its yield of sirup is correspond- 
‘ingly greater. Cane varieties with such rich juice need not be 
_ avoided for fear of crystallization of the sirup, as this difficulty can 
be readily overcome (p. 61). , 
The sree: from Cuba (commonly called Cuban Red in 
Florida) has become popular in central and southern Florida as a 
sirup cane. It has a very large deep wine-red stalk, with narrow, 
_ obscure brownish-black streaks. Because of the low percentage of 
_ cane sugar and the high percentage of invert sugar in the juice, the 
_ sirup from it can be evaporated to high density without granulating. 
The quality of the sirup, however, is somewhat inferior. 
