Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1857-03-18
farmers department.
From the Gotten Planter and Soil.
CHINESE SUGAR AILLET,

having been made Of me in reference to the
"Chinese Sugar Cane;" the kind of land
best suited to it's production; the time Of
planting the seed, and its cultivation, | have
thought it best to submit whatever | may
have to say in reply, to the public through
the columns of the american Cotton Plan.
ter and Soil," thinking that to reach those
who have made the inquiries, and at the
same time the readers of your Magazine,
who are regarded as deeply interested in the
introduction of c. field crop which, apart
from its other valuable qualities, is destined,
in my opinion, to become second to none in
value as forage crop.
received some seed from the Patent
Office in the winter Of 1854 and 1855. un-
der the name of the French Sugar Millet.
In the following spring planted two small
papers of seed in rows adjoining new va.
riety of cotton. The millet and cotton re.
ceived the same work-thc former making
4 rapid and vigorous growth, in some instan-
ces reaching the height of ten feet-the pro-
duct of these two papers of seed was, sup
pose, about two bushels. Not then know
ing the value of the seed, neglected having
them gathered at the proper time, and when.
from accounts which saw of the value OF
the Chinese Sugar Cane, and that the Sugar
Millet was the same, | became desirious
to save the seed, | found that cane and seed
had been almost eaten up by my cows. |
however succeeded in saving about a quart
of seed, which added to like quantity saved
from few stalks in Mrs. J.'s garden, gave
me half gallon of seed. Early in May
of last spring, | planted these seed-the
land was prepared by laying it off in three
feet rows, bedding it up as for cotton, with
half shovel plows. Opening the top of the
bed with as small furrow as it was conve-
nientto make, two trusty servants performed
the operation of planting, in the following
manner: They dropped from sixto ten seed
at the beginning of row, placed one foot
on it, and then at the distance Of an ordina-
ry step, dropped as many more seed, which
in stepping forward was covered by the foot.
and the weight of the body falling on them.
pressed them into the earth, and so on at
the intervals of steps to end Of the row.
This was all the covering given to the seed.
Wishing to plant some melon seed on the
same piece of land. | only planted alternate
rows of the cane seed and melon seed in the
beds between the cane rows. In doing this,
| did not plant the cane according to the i'll.
structions accompanying them, which was to
plant in rows three feet part Mine were
six feet apart. In this way planted about
two and one-tourth acres of land. with my
half gallon of seed. With regard to cover
ing the seed they should be very lightly
covered. had in my garden lost some
seed by covering them too deep, though the
dirt was siftcd on them from the hand. The
soil was stiff and baked on the seed, and
but few came up. 1t was owing to this fail
,re that adopted the plan above detailed.
The spring was very dry, and did not get
= good stand. The cane was worked twice
with the hoe and plow 1t withstood the
effects of the drought better than any corn
] had. In July fed to hogs and a few
cows, two wagon loads of the cane; this
was done when the heads were fully out;
they eat it voraciously, eating cane. fodder
and tops. Not being able to get a mill at
the proper time, did not grind any of my
cane till at the State Agricultural Fair. ]
sent a wagon load of the cane to the Fair, a
part of which was ground and the juice boiled
to syrup. 1t appeared to give satisfaction
to every one who witnessed the operation.
| heard no one express doubt of its value
as new source of wealth to our country.
When the seed ripcned. | gathered from
this lot torty-cight bushels, forty three Of
which, weighing forty pounds to the bushel,
sold to Il. Peters, Of Atlanta, Ga. This
was after my own negroes and others had
discovered the. saccharine qualities Of the
cane, and had taken from the ground at least
the quantity grown on the excess over two
acres. Planted in rows doubled the distance
apart recommended by those best informed;
with not more than half stand in thcrows
it is safe to calculate that an acre of cane.
on the same kind of land, having a good
stand on it, would afford more cane, more
fodder and more seed, than my lot did.
The cane was as large and luxuriant in the
few places where there was a stand, as where
the stand was imperfect.
After the State Fair at Montgomery,
about the a0th November, I crushed out
with Col. Peters mill, the one exhibited and
worked at the Fair, which he was so good
as to lend me, $50 gallons of juice of the
cane which, when boiled down, made fifty
gallons of good syrup. At this stage the
mill broke, and was unable to proceed with
the grinding, but from the experiment made
by me, ain authorized to add, if it were
necessary, my testimony in favor of the re-
suits obtained by Col. Peters, as published
in former number of your Magazine.
When grinding the cane, my COWS and hogs
would leave corn and pumpkins to feed upon
the crushed cane which had passed through
the mill.
have thus given a running history of
the Chinese Sugar Cane under my manage
ment. My opinions and differences from cx-
perience and observation will make up the
remainder of this paper.
assume that the cane is valuable; that
no forage crop requiring plow and hoe cul-
tivation, is as much so ON the same land.
am sustained in this by every notice taken
of it in every section of our country where
it has been tested. | do not confound this
cane with the chicken corn. They are un-
like in every particular but the appearance
of the seed.
| do not know what kind of land is best
adapted to its most successful and profitable
but would think rich silicious
r.