The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-09-18

from the middle of February until
the middle of March. The ridge
may be opened and planted. 1t
should be opened with light one
horse plow, by running two burrows
and throwing out the dirt each way,
and then running fuke plow or a
solid sweep in the furrow to remove
the clods and level the bottom of the
furrow. A double row of canes
should be dropped in each furrow in
such manner that the tops and butts
of the cane in one row r1sy come to-
gether at the middles of the canes in
the other row. 1t should be cut in
two with cane knife, and covered
lightly with the hoes about an inch
and a half or two inches deep. All
due attention should be paid to the
details from taking the canes from
bed, examining the eyes, rejecting all
defective canes and planting none but
the best. The dropping the canes
should also be attended to, to see
that they are laid level, and at prop
er distance apart, and not allowed to
be crowded too close together, and
if you want the crop all to come up
at one time, lay the canes SO that the
eyes will be on each side, and not
one up and the other under the cane,
which is the main cause of the stand
coming up SO irregularly. In cutting
the canes in two care must be- taken
that they are not displaced; care
should also be taken that the cane is
covered as near as possible at the
same depth. If these things were
more generally attended to than they
are, there would not be so much com.
s-1.,-..s-. - j. 80
of the cultivation would yield bet
ter return for the labor expended.
Thus planted it will not require any
more work until the crop is up and
ready for the first working.
The first working should be given
in about the first week in April. by
barring off with a one-horse turn
pIow and scraping the young grass
and weeds out Of the drill, and pull
a little dirt off the ridges in places
where the cane has not come up well.
before moulding, the ftlrrow made in
barring off should be filled with the
manure from the compost heap which
every planter should have ready for
this purpose; if not, and depend
ence is placed on commercial fertiliz-
cr, let it be cotton seed meal and su-
per-phosphate, or ground bone meal.
A very light dressing of these fcrtil-
izers will have Il wonderful effect in
developing the growth and maturity
Of the plant. After applying the
fertilizers, light turrow should be
thrown to tho cane, and harrow
run around it to pulverize the soil,
and throw the clods off the ridge,
and for this purpose there is nothing
better than good side harrow.
The next work should be done with
a good double-horse turn pillow, by
throwing two furrows we'll upon the
ridge, and this should be repeated
every ten or twelve days until the
middles are all broken out, and then
the harrow should be run around
again. By the first of June the pro-
cess called "laying by" should COM
mence by running a light furrow TO
tho cane on the side of the ridge not
more than an inch and a half deep,
and let the hoes follow and clear the
drill of weeds and grass, and pull in
a little dirt around the canes. About
every week or ten days run around
it again until the middles are broken
out, and then run the harrow on the