Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1847-01-16

tion of the nnnch harder and stronger va
riety called the striped or riband. This
variety Is a hybrid between some sueeti-
lent, yellow colorcd variety Of cane, and
q woody, hardy, and red colored variety.
] According 10 The universal lazy, the strong
or variety is gradually c%ncroaching upon
the wcakcr-nore p~articularIyon oIdlands,
and at no very distant period the prescott
striped cant will be aImost III red in color,
and IN propoftionto its cl d . Of color will
be the diminution Of The quantity Of its
yield. >
This IS a suljecf Of much greater i'm.
portance than Is generally supposed, and
tho procuring Of solnn pew variety ofcane
is a subject more worthy the attention Of
orr Legislature than many that employ i.
The remarks Of the Reyiewcr IN regard tD
crowding the plants are very iudicious, but
we consider that even he places one third
too much upon the acre Of ground. ~fhe
cane " be says, sis planted at the di8taDce
Of eight feet-thrce canes being laid in the
row." This, in our opinion, IS too thick,
and we conceive the method Of planting
Itworows of cane and two of corn six feet
apart, altcrnateIy-the cane being planted
double, MT only saves one third Of valIa.
bic land, but accomplishes The admission
Of stun and atmospheric air-the great RI
pencrs Of frflits-nuch more cfectually
than any other plan.
There is one part, however, of the Re-
Vi. wef'slnethod at plantingthat i is diff
cult to refarto seriously; be sayalhat @care
il taken hat the cane 3D. 10 laid asto
lplace the eyes from which the plant il pro-
pagated, on each sitc Of the eanc.s This
is really being too fine. We remember,
thirty years ago, whensa patch Of of 0n.
acre was generally planted around each
house for domestic consumption, that this
was The planpi,sucd; but we should Just
MS soon think now of planting each grain
Of Indian corn or oats, 50 that the Rprout
should not be forced to turn round. as take
that trouble with the cane besides, it not
~unfrcqqentIy happens that the bottom eye.
comes up first from its situation being mois
ter and warmer; bat wctc it otherwise, it
is Il matter of no Importance, as it is grow.
ing under the ground instead Of above it.
L w sIChJ uASililDh VI LUt NGAlpWeHs
with which we disagree, is, that what is
called the trash, is capable of protecting
from the frost, that part of the cane stubble
which remains under ground. We have
heard frequently Of the Practice Of putting
the tops and trash over the stubble for the
purpose of protecting the ratoons from frost,
and haResheard a gentleman boast Of it. as
a late discovery of his own. Il is now
thirty years since we have seen the expert
ment tried, and always with decided disad-
vcntagoto the stubble. The fact Is that it
issnot the frost which destroys the rattoons
in oLolisiana, but the moisture-a fact
which The Reviewer himself admits in page
$50 "fn Louisiana there rarely occurs a
win'cr in which the ground wouldbe froz-
en- 10 a depth at all sufficient to iniuro the
stubbic if Ike land .1cerc freed from mos
tire" This is true, and it is plain to any
one Of common seHse, that placing tue
trash over the stubble must be very initl-
rious; it absorbs and retains greatly the
moisture Of the atmosphere, and would
therefore condilce cmincntIy to the dc5truc-
ton 81 the rattoons; and such is the fact
which we have often tested.
The remarks Of the Reviewer in regard
to The propriety Of plonghing in trash, "a
tner than burning it off, are certainly cor
rect, as any PLANTER Of any information
knows. The next assertion, however, is,
that " not more than six per cent of the
growth of the cane is derived from tie soil,
and hence the fact that this crop can be
cultivated OF the same soil without ex-
haasting it, for a long series Of years. "
ibis Is a mistake almost u~naccountabIc in
any one, who knows any thing ii the ma
tnre OF sugar cane. Of all plants, it ex-
tracts most from the soil, and we have not
the slightest doubt that though it may OBJ
tain soIac Of it's carbon from the air, that
it yet obtains far the greater portion of it
from the SOIL, or rather that part of the soil
called 1}musf by agricultural chemists.
We know Of no plant except that of the !
cane, Waich seems in the least to iniure the
soil Of louisiana. Cotton and corn. actin.
ally improve it; but the number Of cane
roots literally mating the frouId, attest
htt too we'll that naught but a giant soil
could contend with this sugar bearing reed.
The llhus Of the soil, as we have said
Above appearst to be peculiarly the nour-
isher 81 The cane, and the ~alluvial soils of
the Mississippi and its Bayous, furnish this
substance in an immense proportion. The
faliings from the trees for many a thousand
autumns, havemade it almost a solid faass
OF hnmus; and hence the capacity Of (IoseI
lands TO resist for many years, a plant
which destroys the fertility of all othcrs in
very Short period. Let the Reviewer
4xaminc the praifies of louisiana, which
ION having never horne forests, are very
Deficient IN h%ufnus, and he will then find
Pat ten years of cane will more deteriorafe
be soil than ten centuries of maize or any
Pther plant with which we arc yet ac-
quaiHted.
Withthe idaas of the Reviewer in re-
gard to the advantages of thorough drain.
age, we agree most implicitly; but it is on
II some soils that it would " enable MS
to preserve the ratoons for Six or eight
years, instead of two or three"-lands
wterohhe hamus is in great ex-
cess-for on prairie lands nothing is SO
ommon as TO have a fine stand of stubble
in the Spring, which the land is unable to
to perfection, owing to the deficiency
Of the ingredient above referred TO.
Both the deficiency of our space and ip-
c~liIlation dispose us to confne ourselves III
the agricultural portion of the Review.
We have no pretensions to that knowledge /
of the manufacture of sugar, which would
give US a right to pronounce on which is
the best Of the yearly succeeding improve
ments or humbugs, which are thrust upon