Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1857-02-27
AarifnLtural.
The Chinese Sugar Cane plan of
Culture.


The New York Tribune offers the fol.
lowing suggestions to all who are dis.
posed to attempt the culture Of the Chi
ncsc sugar cane:
1. SEED. IF there be seed store
within your reach, your easiest way is to
send and buy what seed you want In
planting to raise seed (thc first years
object, pound will suffice for an acre /;
and this ought not to cost more than q
dollar. But beware Of imposters and
swindlers, for bushels of broom corn and
kindred seeds will be palmed off as that
of Sorghum. Where you cannot readily
obtain seed in this way, write to your
Member of Congress, asking him to send
you paper, and he will generally be
able TO do So If not, the Secretary Of
your State Agricultural Society may be
ablo to supply you.
2. PLANTING. Choose a warm, mel
low soil, such as you would confidently
expect to grow at least fifty bushels Of
Indian Corn to the acre. Pillow early,
pillow deep and thoroughly. Plant as
early as you could venture to plant corn.
II you have a hot-bed, start little seed
in one corner of it. If you plant con-
siderably, put in your seed at different
times say, in this latitude, one quarter
each on the LIST, 10th and Goth Of May
and 1st of June, respectively. Plant
flor seedl in hills, six seeds to the hill
and at distance of four feet each way.
Try some FIVE feet apart east and west
$50 as to let in the sun between the rows)
and some drills--say four or FIVE feet
apart from east and west, with the seeds
six inches apart in the drill, and thin the
plants to one foot apart. If you have
seed in abundance, sow little in drills
two feet apart, the seeds in the drill but
two or three inches apart. Cover light
ly, as the seed rots if covered deeply
Keep the hens at distance or it will
come up too soon.
3. TILLAaE.--The Sorghum comes up
looking very puny-much like broom
corn or barn-grass.. If you set a block
head to weed it, he viii pull it up and
report that it never germinatod. Guilt
yato like Indian Corn---only faithfully.
II suckers start, a majority say pinch
them or pull thep1u0ff that is in growing
for seed. az be done in grow
ing for sugar
4. HARyEsTlNd Whenever Che seed
shall be hard and black, cut off the upper
part Of the stalks, say three feet long,
and hang them up like broom corn, in
dryschamber, suspended from the ceiling,
50 as to be out of the way of rats, &C.
Now cut up your stalks, pull off the
leaves, and satisfy yourself that all man
ncr Of stock win eat them (; cut up few
of the stalks as you would corn stalks,
and try a like experiment with them
and put the rest of tho stalks through
any kind of crushing mill that may be
han6y-a cider mill would be better than
nothing catch the juice and instantly
warm it over slow fire, in large kct-
tie, skimming off the scum SO long as
any shall rise. Then boil the juice
about four-fifshs away, as if it were
maple sap. Use lutte lime or lime
water to neutralize the phosphoric acid +,
which otherwise will give slightly acid
but unpleasant taste to the syrup. Save
some syrup scithom thus neutralizing the
acid, as you may like it better that way.
Don't waste the scum, but throw 1t to tue
pigs, where it will make at least excellent
manure. Feed the pummice or crushed
stalks to your cattle; and having thus