THE CULTIVATOR. 
37 
8ands of little lateral rootlets thrown out to be corroded 
in their turn, and so on till death decided the struggle. 
Perhaps I shall be told the coloring matter in the leaves 
was not oxyd of iron. I have not said it was, and as I 
did not analyze it, I shall not so affirm; but I have no 
more doubt in my mind that some compound of that 
metal was the cause of both the color and death of the 
roots, than I should have with any proof short of posi¬ 
tive. 
My wish is to make this subject, not only one to sti¬ 
mulate investigation, but, as I know many hundred pie¬ 
ces of such soil, to advise those who have it, to apply 
quick lime in autumn, and mix it to a moderate depth 
with the soil in the spring. Yours truly, 
Norridgewock, Me., Nov. 25, 1844. James Bates. 
SUGAR CANE—ITS CULTURE IN LOUISIANA. 
Mr. L. Tucker —The plants we cut and matlay in 
beds, during the autumn, usually in October, previous to 
the sugar making season, and before the canes'are injured 
by frosts. Often the unripe tops, which would other¬ 
wise be thrown away, are winrowed for plants. The 
best plant cane we usually save for plants; because they 
are the easiest put up, and the quickest planted; for time 
and saving of labor are money. Besides, by planting 
the whole stalk, it grows more vigorously than the tops, 
especially in a dry season. 
After the sugar making season is over, which usually 
is about the first of January, we prepare our land, de¬ 
signed for cane, by plowing and harrowing, breaking it 
from four to eight inches deep: the stiffer the land, the 
deeper the plowing is necessary to protectit from drouth. 
Thus prepared, the ground is laid off in rows, with a two 
horse plow, about 6 feet apart, (some plant as close as 
four feet.) In these furrows, a double mould board 
plow, with one horse, is run; in order to clear the fur¬ 
rows of lumps and sods, and also to deepen and widen 
the furrows; as it is necessary to put the plants several 
inches below the surface; otherwise the cane would re¬ 
quire too much hilling, especially the second and third 
years. 
The plants are now taken from these mats, and the 
leaves stripped off, placed in carts, carried and tipped out 
on the prepared land, and laid lengthwise in the furrows. 
We plant three canes side by side, or triple; some say 
one and a half is sufficient. The closer the rows, the less 
each would require. We now pass along with a cane 
knife, and cut the cane in pieces, say from two to three 
feet in length, in order that the canes may lay more lev¬ 
el, and because more eyes will vegetate. Being thus 
placed, they are covered with a plow to the depth re¬ 
quired, from one to three inches; over which, a light 
harrow may be passed. Many prefer to cover with the 
hoe. Soon as the freezes are over in February, the cane 
is plowed; running the bar each side the cane, and 
throwing the furrows from it; the cane, beginning to 
come up, is scraped, (so called); if covered too deep, 
the earth is taken off, usually with a hoe, sometimes 
with a harrow or other machine, and cleaned from grass 
and weeds. In a few weeks it is again plowed and 
hoed, and again when necessary, a little earth put to it 
when required. 
The cane by April or May has come up thick in the 
rows, but usually not so thick but that the stalks, when 
about a foot and a half or two feet high, send out many 
new stools or shoots from the bottom of the stalk; and 
if they come out early, grow and mature equal to the 
main stalk. It is usual to give it three or four workings 
and in the last to hill the cane three or four inches, and 
sufficiently high to protect the lower eyes on the stalks 
from freezing during the winter. Those eyes ve¬ 
getate next season, and produce nearly equal to the first 
season, on fresh land, and so again the third year, and 
often longer. Cane is injured by hilling before the stools 
are sufficiently high; and should receive the last work¬ 
ing soon after it is about three feet high; in order to afford 
more time for ripening. After this period, say in June, 
it grows very rapidly; the joints begin to appear, and 
the lower joints begin to ripen, to sweeten; and b*y the 
middle of October usually ripen from two to four feet 
from the bottom, and continue to ripen about a joint, 
or six inches, a week, till they are cut for the mill; or 
till the freeze comes; or till they are cut to winrow, in 
order to secure them from an anticipated freeze. About 
the middle of October we commence making sugar. 
Each hand takes a row, first cuts the tops of the stalks off 
just below the green leaves, and drops them on the ground 
or lays them in winrow, if designed for plants; then, 
with the knife, (the blade of which is about 18 inches in 
length and two inches in breadth),the dry leaves are strip¬ 
ped from the stalks, and the cane is cut close to the 
ground, the left hand at the same time has hold of the 
canes thus cut, and places them in small heaps, conve¬ 
nient for loading into carts, drawn by horses, mules, or 
oxen. Other hands load the cane, and it is hauled to the 
mill. 
The cane fields are all ditched, usually every acre in 
width, with cross ditches about every five acres. No 
water is allowed to remain on the surface. The culti¬ 
vation is as simple as that of broom corn, and the young 
shoot far more vigorous. 
Gane stalks usually grow from 6 to 9 feet high. The 
leaves shoot up two or three feet higher. Cane ripens in 
favorable seasons within 12 or IS inches of the top. You 
will perceive we plant one-third of our cane land or crop 
yearly; two-thirds coming from the rattoons. 
New River, La., Aug. 1844. S. Tillotson. 
POTATO ONIONS. 
From some remarks upon this species of onion, in the 
October number of the cc Cultivator,” it seems that far¬ 
mers generally are not much acquainted with it. A brief 
description of its qualities and the mode of cultivating it, 
may therefore be acceptable to some of your readers. 
Its mode of propagation is peculiar. A large onion, 
set in the ground early in spring, breaks into several 
(5 to 15) separate onions, which grow in a cluster of three 
or four good sized bulbs at the bottom, and a number of 
small ones lying on the top. These last vary in size from 
that of a nutmeg to that of a small hen’s egg. The small 
ones are the seed for the next year’s crop. The smallest 
will grow into very large, single bulbs; while the lar¬ 
ger ones will grow into two or three middling sized on¬ 
ions. The average annual increase, taking large and 
small together, is about tenfold. 
This description will readily suggest the proper mode 
of cultivation—which is to set out the small onions for 
the purpose of producing the large ones, for table use— 
and to set out a sufficient number of large onions for the 
purpose of producing the small ones for seed. The first 
should have a moderately rich soil, the last a soil rather 
barren. 
The onions should be put into the ground as early in 
spring as the season will admit. After the ground is 
made mellow, set the onions in rows far enough apart to 
allow a hoe to pass between them. They may stand 3 to 
4 inches apart in the rows. Just cover them with earth. 
They may be stuck into the ground with the thumb and 
finger. They need no further care, but to be kept free 
from weeds. 
To preserve them, they are gathered with a potatoe 
hook, as soon as the tops are dried, and then spread 
for a few days on the barn floor, or some other dry place. 
I formerly kept them over winter on a scaffolding in my 
barn; but having lost about 70 bushels by the severe 
winter of 1834-5,* (thermometer 23° below zero,) I have 
since put them into my cellar, which happens to be a ve¬ 
ry dry one, where they keep perfectly well, on a crib 
with a bottom of laths far enough apart (g of an inch) 
to permit a circulation of air through them. Thus ma¬ 
naged they keep longer than any other species of onion. 
I have them suitable for cooking the year round. 
In their eating qualities, I do not discover any differ¬ 
ence between them and other onions. But for cheap- 
* A curious fact in physiology came under my notice, the spring 
following, that deserves to be mentioned, though it is foreign to my 
subject. The rotten onions were thrown out in the spring into the bam 
yard, where some of them were eaten by hens. This strange <bod 
gave their eggs a most unimaginable taste—loathsome and nauseous 
ieyond all description. 
