103 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
ripe enough at the usual time of cutting, to make good 
6ugar. The richest cane is upon old meadow. 
THE PLANTING. 
The cane has a perennial root, and after the stalk ma¬ 
tures new shoots are sent up. In congenial soil and cli¬ 
mate it does not attain its full maturity under a year, and 
the ripening of its seed is said to require fourteen months. 
This function termed “ arrowing ” is only performed in 
a steadily hot climate. It is extremely sensitive to the 
cold, and with the first frost, stops its growth. Freezing 
disorganizes the sap, and makes it worthless for sugar. 
As frosts are common in all parts of Louisiana, during 
our winter months, the plant never attains its maturity 
here. Not more than half of the stalk is fit for grinding. 
In the West Indies it matures, and so great an advantage 
is this fact that a similar growth of the cane there will 
yield twice o.r three times as much sugar. An acre there 
will yield from three to six thousand pounds, while, in 
Louisiana, the average is not over one thousand. Noth¬ 
ing but the extraordinary fertility of these bottom lands 
enables us to grow sugar at all. '' 
After the ground is plowed and harrowed, drills are 
opened with a double mold board plow, seven feet apart. 
They are put at this distance, not only to meet the wants 
of the plant, but to facilitate cultivation, which is per¬ 
formed with a pair of mules and the plow. In these drills 
cane stalks are planted which have been kept over for 
the purpose. They send up shoots from the joints. On 
the best managed plantations, this cane is selected from 
the ripest of the crop, and is put up in beds, and protected 
from the frost with its own leaves. These beds are called 
mattresses, and are to be seen upon all the fields at this 
season. They are about two feet high, and about a rod 
in width. The beds are opened at the planting season, 
and the canes come out moist, and the eyes at the joints 
swelling or sprouting. The immature tops are cut off, and 
the stalks are loaded into carts, and dropped near the fur¬ 
rows, where they are to be planted. The carts used for 
this purpose arc much like the one-horse carts of the north, 
but are served with three mules—one in the shafts, and 
one upon each side. The Jehus are generally “Young 
Africa ” fast lads, from fifteen to twenty, who are full of 
mettle themselves, and love to put the mules upon their 
mettle. 
The slaves usually work in three gangs at the planting ; 
the first, consisting of the younger and weaker hands, take 
the cane from the cart, and lay near the drills, the second 
>.ajing it in order, and the third covering it with hoes. 
The canes are laid in the drills either two or three abreast 
in such a manner as to break joints. They are covered 
about an inch and-a-half deep. The hoes used are very 
heavy, clumsy articles. It is claimed, and probably with 
truth, that the light hoes such as answer a good purpose 
upon our roughest soils, would not last laborers here, a 
single day, where not a stone can be found upon the 
plantation. The above course is pursued upon a new 
piece of land. 
The cane will,continue to sprout several years from the 
old roots, and where the planter can avail himself of this 
advantage, a large expense for cuttings, and for labor is 
saved. One acre will only furnish about cane enough to 
plant four acres. As the planting has to be renewed once 
in three years, it lakes a twelfth part of every crop for 
seed cane. In the West Indies, they can grow eight suc¬ 
cessive crops from one planting. The sprouting of cane 
from the old stumps is called “ ratooning.” They grow 
with much less vigor each successive year, and it is not 
found profitable to continue them, after the third, in this 
climate. In this respect, it will be seen, that our plant¬ 
ers have to pursue their business under a great disadvan¬ 
tage. 
(To be Continued..) 
What the American Agriculturist has ac¬ 
complished. 
FROM THE SECRETARY OF A WESTERN AGR. SOCIETY. 
Mr. Editor : Our County Society has for seve¬ 
ral years past given a considerable number of 
copies of the American Agriculturist as premiums. 
At our March meeting, for arranging our next 
premium list, it was moved that we this year sub 
stitute another paper, printed nearer home. A 
member present, who takes and reads most of 
the leading agricultural papers, opposed the mo¬ 
tion, and in the course of his remarks, gave a 
summary of what the Agriculturist has done and 
is doing, which induced a unanimous vote to dou¬ 
ble the number of copies hitherto offered. It has 
just occurred to me to send a few of his state¬ 
ments for publication. Some of the points noted 
which are of general interest, were as follows i 
1. The Agriculturist takes a bold stand against all hum¬ 
bug. It does not puff doubtful articles for pay or to please 
advertisers, and does not even admit into its advertising 
columns, patent medicines, nor patented or unpatented 
spurious articles of any kind, when known or believed to 
be such. Mr. Greely well remarked, in the Tribune, of 
this journal, that “ Its editor was nervously anxious not 
to be humbugged himself or let anybody else be, if he 
could help it.” 
2. It has saved to the farmers of the country millions of 
dollars. For example when the Chinese Sugar-Cane 
fever ran high, and speculators were buying up all the 
seed in the country, to oe resold at enormous prices, the 
Editor of the Agriculturist immediately procured seed 
from abroad, and offered enough for experiment, free , to 
every one of his subscribers who asked for it. By this 
means the seed was widely scattered, and tens of thou¬ 
sands of persons were prevented from paying half a dollar 
to a dollar an ounce ; for though some persons were led 
by this offer to subscribe for the paper, no one failed to get 
more than his money’s worth in the paper itself, and some 
were thus led to become readers of agricultural literature. 
Doubtless, thousands of persons are thankful to-day that 
they were thus influenced. (The Agriculturist seed dis¬ 
tribution thus originated, has carried the germs of useful 
plants, and beautiful and beautifying flowers to a vast 
number of homes where they would not otherwise have 
found their way in a score of years, if ever, t.n.h.) 
When the “ Chinese Potato” ( dioscorea batatas ,) was 
brought before the country in so “ taking ” a manner, and 
almost every farming neighborhood was flooded with 
pamphlets setting forth in glowing cuts and figures, the 
wonderful merits and prospects of the new “ esculent,” and 
the journals of the day were filling their columns with 
“got up” articles, extolling the thing to the skies, the 
Agriculturist was prompt in uttering its warning notes, 
and by its humorous burlesque cut, effectually strangled 
the Chinese imposlure. It is impossible now to enume¬ 
rate the many instances where farmers were thus 
prevented from losing their ten or twenty dollars each by 
investing them in a dozen or two of worthless “ tubers.” 
In this State (Indiana,) there is not the slightest doubt but 
in this matter alone, the Agriculturist saved our farmers 
more money than they have yet paid back for subscriptions 
to the Agriculturist, and the same is doubtless the case 
the country over. 
The course of the Agriculturist upon super-phosphate 
and other manufactured manures, has saved farmers half 
a million dollars at least. 
To pass over other examples, and come to a recent one. 
The “ Honey-blade Grass ” men were scattering over the 
country, hundreds of thousands of pamphlets, well calcu¬ 
lated to deceive the unwary, honest-thinking masses. (It 
is said that 1,250,000 of these pamphlets have already 
been distributed.) So deceptive were they that even 
within the bounds of our own Society, where the Hunga¬ 
rian Grass-Seed is abundant, a club was being made up 
to send for over twenty bags of the so-called “ Honey- 
blade ” seeds, and we were merely waiting, at the sug¬ 
gestion of a member, to see if it was advertised or noticed 
in the March Agriculturist. The article in that number 
(page 71) has saved us enough for at least fifty annual sub¬ 
scriptions. How many thousands of others have been in 
like manner benefited, we have no means of knowing. 
3. The plain, simple, straightforward style of the Agri¬ 
culturist articles on various topics, said the speaker, has 
introduced a decided improvement intoother agricultural 
journals, as I have had occasion to notice in my reading. 
4. The great number of beautiful illustrations intro¬ 
duced into the Agriculturist has not only improved the 
taste, and helped the comprehension of its own readers, 
but has given a new impetus to other journals of like 
character, and led to decided improvements in this respect. 
The popular illustrations, and plain, simple descriptions of 
the Water-Ram, the Telegraph, the Sewing-Machine, 
and many other things of like character, have been of in¬ 
estimable value to the readers. 
5. The articles on the In-Door Department have awak¬ 
ened a new interest in, and given efficiency to household 
labors. The value of a single article and illustration on 
“setting out a table.” can hardly be over-estimated. 
6. The boys and girls’ department has already done 
much, not only to awake an interest among farmers’ sons 
and daughters, but to develop in them a taste for and an 
interest in rural labors. 
7. The entire non-political, non-partizan, non-sectional 
—in short, the non-controversial character of the Agri¬ 
culturist, together with its high moral tone, renders it 
an unexceptionable visitor to every family in the land. 
8. The constant determination shown by the Editors to 
even suffer the imputation of being “old fogyish,” and 
behind the times, rather than to publish anything of doubt- 
fui expediency or utility, renders the Agriculturist emi¬ 
nently a safe and reliable counsellor for farmers. 
9. The central location of the Agriculturist, especially 
the fact that it is in New-York City, from whence issue, 
nine-tenths of the humbug schemes ealculaled to deceive 
farmers, is a point not to be overlooked, in comparing 
its advantages w ith our more local journals. 
10. Its very large circulation enables the publisher to 
produce a larger, belter paper, at a much cheaper rate 
than could be done under other circumstances. 
Such, Messrs. Editors, were a few of the rea¬ 
sons set forth in the discussion alluded to ; and 1 
think that, not only in justice to the publisher 
himself, but as suggestive to others, especially 
newer subscribers, who may be unprepared to 
sum them up, you should insert them in an early 
number of the Agriculturist. t. n. h. 
M - Co., Indiana , March 15 th t 1859. 
--- ^ - 
Raising Chicory in this Country. 
In our February issue, we described chicory 
and its use as a substitute for, and an adulteration 
in coffee. For an illustration of the appearance 
of the growing plant see page 53. Large quanti¬ 
ties of prepared chicory are annually imported into 
this country, but we were not aware until recent¬ 
ly that any attempt had been made to grow the 
plant here. We have before us the card of 
“ Floto & Reinhard ; Chicory Manufactory,” 
Williamsburg, L. I., and on February 15th these 
gentlemen called together a company of farmers at 
Flushing, to listen to some remarks by Mr. Ronge, 
on the value of chicory as a farm product, and to 
receive proposals for growing it on contract. We 
attended the meeting and heard the remarks and 
proposals. It was stated that in Newtown, and 
elsewhere, several persons last season tried small 
plots with favorable results ; that the product per 
acre was quite as large as that of carrots on sim¬ 
ilar soil, and with very similar culture ; that the 
roots were sweeter, more aromatic, and better 
than the imported, and that the crop would be 
highly remunerative. They proposed to deliver to 
to farmers necessary seed, charging the cost of 
importation (or per lb.) and contract to pay 
$20 per tun (1 cent per lb.) for all roots delivered 
at their factory in the months of September and 
October, the roots to be cleaned by washing 
them, and none to be taken weighing less than 2 
ounces each. The agreed price of the seed to be 
deducted from the returns for the roots. 
The terms proposed appear to be fair, and we 
presume some farmers will be induced to make 
the trial of an acre or so. It was recommended 
to use about four pounds of seed to the acre, to 
sow about the middle of April and to cultivate in all 
respects like carrots. Specific printed directions 
are to be furnished to those who take the seed. 
This will be wholly an experiment, as it is yet to 
be determined whether this plant will flourish well, 
one year with another, and whether its quality 
will enable it to compete with that imported. It 
is cultivated somewhat largely in England, in the 
Counties of Surrey, Bedford and York, but that 
grown there Is of inferior market value to that 
imported from Prussia, Belgium and France, where 
it is-a staple crop in some localities. If the ex¬ 
periments of the coming season, which we shall 
watch with some interest., shall prove successful, 
its culture here will be rapidly extended, though 
this must be mainly confined to the vicinity of 
manufactories, as the roots can not be transport¬ 
ed to great distances. For the reasons stated in 
our former article, we should deprecate its culture 
and extended use ; though it is no worse than to¬ 
bacco, and if to be used, as is already largely 
done, we may as well produce it here as to im¬ 
port it, provided we can do so advantageously. 
We shall probably try a small plot this year as an 
experiment, and if so, report the result. 
Never sport with pain or poverty 
Mildness governs better than anger 
