6o 
SUGAR CANE. 
ten hours, and nearly double that number if the 
land has been previously ploughed and lain fallow. 
The cane holes or trench being now completed, 
the cuttings are selected for planting, two of which 
are sufficient for a hole of the dimensions described, 
and each cutting should contain five or six germs. 
These, being placed longitudinally, in the bottom of 
the hole, are covered with mould about two inches 
deep, the rest of the bank being intended for fu- 
ture use. In twelve or fourteen days the young 
sprouts begin to appear ; and as soon as they rise a 
few inches above the ground, they are, or ought to 
be, carefully cleared of weeds, and furnished with 
an addition of mould from the bank. This is 
usually performed by the hand. At the end of 
four or five months the banks are wholly levelled, 
and the spaces between the rows carefully hoe- 
ploughed. The lateral suckers which spring up 
after the canes begin to joint, should be removed, as 
they seldom come to maturity, and draw nourish- 
ment from the original plant. 
The best season for planting, according to the 
observations of Mr. Edwards, is in the interval be- 
tween August and the beginning of November. By 
having the advantage of the autumnal seasons, the 
young canes become sufficiently luxuriant to shade 
the ground before the dry weather sets in. Other 
seasons, it appears, are not so advantageous for the 
growth of the crop, as the plants will be more liable 
to be injured by the heavy rains and high winds 
