The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-08-28

in favor here, it would be very desir-
able and of the greatest Importance
to the Louisiana sugar planters TO
have their 6agasse cu1 By a circular
knStS,which might BIO procured cheap
", and tjsus return a large proportion
Of the substance taken from the soil
BY distributing the bagasse on the
stubble lands. On my visit to the
Louisa plantation I found the sliced
bagasse, from the diffusion process,
decomposed into rich manure, at
ter an exposure of only two years.
Thus planters could return the most
valuable substance at comparatively
small cost.
Had it not been for the pea vine,
the great friend Of the Louisiana
planters, the sugar cane in Louisiana
would not yield the quantities it still
does. The pea vine absorbs nitro
gen from the air, which, when decay
ing, it yields to the soil. In this way
the Ia, DIS are enriched with nitrogen
for the benefit of the plant cane prln-
oipally.
Cotton seed meal is the cheapest
source Of ammonia, but if 100 large
quantities of this are applied upon
the etubble there will be 3 deficiency
Of inorganic substances which have
been taken away in the bagasse OF
the previous year to be burned or
decomposcd on the levoes. No Pc
tassa, no phosphorlc acid, no lime,
etc.. is added to the soil, and sup
ported by the best authorities on this
subject, / venture to predict, that,
sooner or later, this application OF
improper fertilizers will prove disas-
trous to the sugar interests OF Lou
isiana. There cannot be a more ma
tural fertilizer imagined than the
fno cut.up bagasse, which, with great
advantage, could be brought to the
stables and barns to facilitate decom-
position before being put on the lands,
| or Il could be composed with chem
icals and steam.
Small portions Of heterogeneous mat
tiers will, of course, be very desirable
for the sugar manufacturer as con
stituent for coagulatiAs albumen.--
An excess Of heterogeneous matter,
however, becomes Of necessity fer
ment builder, and one ierment chang
ing into another will finally go into
Tactic fermentation, against which
there is hardly any antidote imagin-
able, when the sugar cane is fully
iubued with it, as will happen in
frozen cant. The only way to stop
this fermentation is 70 preserve 1t
from frost experience,
Beets, q more tender plant than
the sugar cane, are in France, Aus,
tyia and Germany preserved against
| FAR harder and severer trosts than
sugar cane under the Louisiana lati
tudc ever can be exposed TO. Why
should 1t not be possible to preserve
the sugar cane from q light frost dur
ing Elk weeks only, when the moot
bulky beet is preserved Cor months
= against the hardest frosts. The boets
are put raos!ly in mats and covered
with layer Of straw, go as to faoili
tate ventilation and maintain the re
quisite temperature inside the mats
IL simular preservation could b.
accomplished in louisiana, no Tactic
fermentation would enter the sugar
: cane.
4 During my experiences with beet
sugar cultivation I found phosphorit
acid and potassa tho ynost effective
; and paying fertilizers--ammoni:
alone the poorest. On lands in Aus
; tria upon which ammonia fertilizers
were employed for six years in sue
! cession, the beets degenerated from