Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-11-27
Protection Repaid by Waste.


not entcrprisng enough to stock their own cs /
tates with healthy cane plants, has led people I
to inquire what is the reason for this extraor-
diuary ibeyalty. --s,aasay,s..s, !
We answered the question generally, the !
other day, by<saying that tbe deficiency which |
the government is squandering its money to |
supply is simply the fault of the planters them |
selves We propose now to dis uss this point |
more thoroughly. The sugar cane in the Uni
ted States has degenerated by course OF
worse than negligent planting. Our, readers
probably know that the care in our country is |
not raised from the seed, which grows on spikes
at the end Of the cane, for i'll our climate the |
season is not long enough to perfect the seed. |
The fields, therefore, are planted with portions
of the stalk, cut into proper lengths and inser-
ted in the soil. In our country the entire stalk
does not mature; when the winter frosts set
in the tops are still green, and in this portion
of The stalks the juices are held to be unfit for
purpose of making sugar. The Louisiana plan
ter, therefore, instead of taking the part OF the
cane which, is near the root, and which has tho
most vigorous and fully formed buds, plants
the weak and halfgrown upperjoints OF the
cane, when in their turn produce weak and
iuiceless plants for the next year. Thus the
cane gradually degenerates until it is necessary
to reStock the sugar estates with plants from
abroad, .7 49,. ..-.. .......-..... a.
In report made in 1913 by Mr.. Fleisch,
mann, a German, who was sent to Louisiana
bv Mr.. Ewbank, then Commissioner of Patents,
to inquire into the state of the sugar crop and
the sugar manufacture, he says = ....., -......
Some use the green tops alone for plant
ing. 1t is with cane as with all other plants
imperfect seed produces poor plant and fruit
The planter cannot expect that plants with
delicate imperfect eyes and short thin joints
will produce cane like one of vigorous growth,
with perfectly we'll developed eyes and great
deal of juice, which supports the, young shoot
till its roots are strong enough to obtain nour-
ishment from the soil The, young sprout
from poor canes is less able to support the in
clemency of the climate, as it is more liable to
disease" ay ... ..r
Again Mr. Fleischmann states -
I" Some planters select for seed the oldest or
poorest rdtOon canes. This cane is of small
growth has few short joints and bad eyes
and appears to be almost different species
from the plant cane which has been raised up
on wel-prepared or thorough-draned soil, or
after Indian corn or peas These planters
all their finest cand for the mill, and for
get that by this kind of economy they reduce
their crop for the following year, and that it
will affect the sugar both in quality and guam
titv" . r. -..
By rdt0ons .he reader must understand the
shoots which spring from the roots of the cane
after it has been cut In the f1st year after
its planting the stalks are called plant cane;"
the next year the stalks are "ratoons of the
first year." and the year following a" ratoons of
the second year." After three crops, the ground
in our country is generally ploughed up and
planted anew but in the West Indies, where
the growth of the cane suffers no interruption
from frost, the roots send up rich annual
growth of stalks for a dozen years or more
This difference between the climate of the
West Indies and the United States is one rea-
son of the greater cheapuess with which sugar
is made in those islands than in Louisiana. 1t
is an expensive process to plant cane-feld-
The product of the cane is only about fvefod
It requires the canes of twenty acres to fur
nish cuttings for planting field of hundred
acres
Prof DeBow, in his book on the Industrial
Resources of the South and West, treating of
the same subject, says - .....-.
About the Ist of October the planter Sc
lects the cane intended for seed And here.
if may be allowed, without presumption, to
say SO, general and fatal error prevails
Most planters have not the courage to sacrifce
rs they term it, their best and finest cane for
seed Selecting the fields of the oldest ratoons,
where the plant is sparsest and smallest, they
act i'll direct opposition to those principles of
nature which both theory and experience have
established for guides in reproduction. In both
the animal and vegetable systems, all agree in
a general maxim, that like will produce like
In sowing grain in producing vegetables, in
breeding animals, in the whole reproductive
system of nature, it has been universally es-
tablished as rule that a healthy and vigor-
Gus offspring can he expected only from pa
rents of similar constitution /; and in all cases
where this principle has been acted on with
perseverance, it has not only succeeded in pre-
venting deterioration, but in superiDducing pro-
gressiyc development. | cannot but believe
that this practice of always selecting the Door
est plants for seed was one of the main reasons
which caused the fine variety of cane called the
creole" to degenerate to such an extent that,
in late years, it has been almost entirely ban
lshed from our fields In some instances the
planters have pushed the penny wise and
pound foolish" system to such an extent as ac-
tually to reserve no cane for planting but the
tops-that is the green upper joiuts which are
cut from the plant when it is gathered for the
MILL and which are not mature enough to af-
ford sugar. | am The more embeldened to
make these remarks, as an experiment has
shown that in this respect cane is not an an
omaly in the vegetable kingdom A friend, |
who is an experienced and intelligent planter,
with sufficient energy of mind to break through
the trammels of routine when in opposition to
good sense and sound principle, thoroughly
tested this plan Of reserying tops for planting
in portion of his fields some years ago, and
the result was marked deterioration in the
nrndnnt y