Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-06-06
SORGHUM Culture.


Numerous requests have been received
from correspondents located within the
range of the grasshopper plague, asking
for the publication of an article on the
culture of the Chinese sugar cane. In
response to these requests the following
is published:
The ground should be prepared as for
corn, but In narrowing the filth should
be as fine as possible, and the surface
either rolled or planked smooth, to facil-
itate working while the plants are
young; since until the plants attain
some age they grow slowly and are weak.
The best success is obtained with the
seed drilled at intervals of two or three
inches, and covered not more than half
an inch; the rows to be of the same
width as corn.
If considered advisable to pillow both
ways, the hills may be the same distance
apart as for corn, dropping ten or twelve
seeds in hill, and subsequently thin
ming to four or five canes. When plant
ed III drills, the canes may be thinned
with hoe to a distance of ten to twelve
inches.
For first class syrup sandy land or
sandy loan is best; in fact, very rich,
fat land never gives good syrup, either
in color or flavor
As soon as the plants are up the field
should be narrowed with light harrow
which will stride the rows, so as not to
impair the plants This cultivation may
be continued until the plants will bear
little earth. After this a corn cult
vator may be used. 1t is Objectionable
to hill much. If weeds appear in the
hill or drill they must be eradicated at
any cost.
Neither sorghum nor imphee should
| be planted until the soil is warm or until
corn will germinate promptly Many
otherwise good cultivators fail not only
in planting too early, but especially in
neglecting early cultivation. The plants
always grow slowly at first; hence the
need of perfectly clean culture and fire.
quent workings to keep the soil from
becoming hard and crusting. The thin
ming should not be delayed after the
plants are four inches high. Exposure
is of the first consequence 1t should
be a southern one if possible; if this
cannot be given, situation should be
selected where the sun may have full
power during the day. A northern ex-
posture is the worst of all.
Many persons do not remove the suck
ers. This is mistake. The quality of
the syrup is always better where the
suckers are removed; though on rich
land, where the canes are thickly plant
/ ed, the suckers often do rot develop
enough to do serious damage. They
prevent a full development of the main
stalks however, and are comparatively
worthless for syrup, since they seldom
are matured at cutting time, and the
labor spent In separating the suckers in
harvesting is an Onerous Job that seldom
pays. .[.s..sF
The cutting includes stripping the
blades, by striking from upward, down
the cane, with stout lath. This little
experience will enable the operator to dc
deity Next the canes are to be topped
by taking off the unripe portion of the
cutting from two or three feet, accord
/ ing to circumstances. Neither the strip
ping nor topping, however, should be
done until the canes are ready to be cut
at the roots, since when cut further elab-
Grafton of the sap is prevented. When
cut at the roots the canes should be
neatly piled in moderate armfuls and
Immediately carried TO the mill, where
they should be set ON end, preferably I'M
der cover, and loosely enough so as to
admita tolerably free circulation of air
and where they may be kept as cool as
possible. Preparations should be made
so that grinding and boiling can go on
simultaneously; and the reduction of
sap inte syrup should zlot be intermitted
night or day, until the whole crop is
worked .up.-Prairie Farmer.