St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-02-23
The Planting and Cultivation Of Sugar
Cane

The Planting and Cultivation OF Sugar
The planting and cultivation of sugar
cane is as simple, perhaps, as any other
crop. when once understood. The writer
has had some experience in the matter,
both in the hill and in the alluvial lands.
There is great gain in the width OF
rows in the hill lands or prairles having
a sandy loan in width over the alluvial
lands. 1t is well known that cane will
not grow well where it is scattering,
though the land be ever SO rich. We
have seen cane on the Teche that from a
thick stand from plant cane cut thirty
tons per acre, and the next season or first
years stubble, instead of having scatter
ing stand, that which came up and grew,
as most plants would have done, making
larger stalks, was not large enough to cut
for seed. 1t is evidently a plant that
likes company. The nature of its growth
will prove this assertion. From joint OF
cane stalk will spring up, clinging to the
mother cane until sufficiently old to com
mence the formation of joints; then 1t
weans, turns loose the mother cane, and
in order to have company, it Immediately
sends out from four to seven suckers to
the stalk. From careful observation OF
the nature of the growth of cane, it would
suggest to us to plant in rows as near as
possible, so as to give sufficient room for
cultivation. When the soil is a sandy
loan, such as the hill lands and our prai-
ries in the State of Louisiana, the distance
of five feet would suggest itself as about
right. A greater distance than this is a
loss of lard. There are places, however,
where it is hard to have surface drainage
where it would be better to have the rows
seven feet. Not that the cane would
grow better, but for the purpose of having
the water furrow as deep and as far from
the stubble as possible in order to protect
it from rotting during continued rains in
winter In the spring of 1881 it was
found on the bayous Teche and CSAsre-
that on plantations well draiRepalsui
rows were seven feet and B1SliP Is 4
ploughed the second time, and art Il oil
further thrown up by the use of the fuke,
that these plantations had a very good
stubble.
Where there is much cocoa grass, as on
the bayous and lower coast, the best re-
suits have been reported from narrow
rows, as the early meeting of the cane
leaves had tendency to smoother out the
pest. In our prairie and hill lands, not
subject to overflow, there is very little
trouble from this pest. The planting and
cultivating in wide rows is about the
same as the narrow. There is this differ
ence, however: there would be about
twelve rows more to the acre in five-foot
rows than in seven foot rows, which
would amount to something in the yield.
In raw prairie lands. such as in South
west Louisiana, the first thing necessary
is drainage, then the breaking of the land,
and we would advise that good coat of
lime be given as a top dressing before
turning under the turf This will assist
materially in rotting the turf. This
should be done, if possible, in the fall of
the year. Then in the following spring
the month of May is the best-rsant a
crops6 peas. In August and September,
18th cutter pillow, turn under the vines,
bedding the land in rows five feet wide.
1t would not be out of place, perhaps, to
give another top dressing of lime before
turning under the vines. Now your
ground is thoroughly prepared for cane or
anything else. About the middle of Octo-
Der plant your cane in the top of the
ridge, covering at least three inches. In
February bar off the cane, and with hoe
pass over as quickly as possible, removing
all the dirt save about one inch. In a
short time you will have a perfect stand.
Keep clean of weeds and grass, and give
the last blowing not later than the first
week in June, throwing, at this blowing,
the dirt well up around the roots of the
cane. From specimens of cane brought
to this city from the surrounding country,
both from the timbered and prairie lands,
we Judge the lands in this section to be
as well adapted to the cultivation of cane
as any in Louisiana.