Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-04-10

| ouShCA hdIl OCNciOpcu anu DedEluS an
understood tuft of seed contains only
| glucose, and each such stalk not only
adds to the content of molasses but car
ries with it the sugar from a well ma
tured stalk.
| We could better afford to pay for such
cane and leave it at your homes or put
it in the ditch than mix it with good
cane.
When cane is fully ripe an action oc-
ours by which the sucrose or sugar is
transformed into glucose, the change at
| first is quite slow. but later more rapid
until at the expiration of three or four
weeks depending somewhat on the
weather. the sugar entirely disappears,
the molasSeS being increased according
ly.
| 1t therefore follows where the best
results in sugar production are derived,
the cane should be worked up at an
even uniform stage of ripeness. This
necessitates succession of paintings
extending over the longest possible per-
iod of time, and yet insure its maturing
in advance of early frOstS, employing
varieties as will best secure this result.
The cane agent will select the soil,
| furnish the seed and designate the time
| of each planting, which will be so ar
| ranged as TO secure you constant sup
| ply of ripe cane throughout the whole
| working season and equal to your team
power for handling it.
Much depends on good stand from
| the first planting. No filling in will be
| allowed. If necessary to replant any
portion, 1t must be replowed, cultivated
or listed over.
The field should first be cleared of all
trash, such as stalks, weeds and bunch
es of grass. This is best done by rak-
ing and burning. Unless a lister is
used, good seed bed, such as for
wheat, should be provided, and the seed
deposited in fresh, moist earth, deep
enough to insure moisture, yet not be-
yond the SUMS warmth. This varies
from one-half inch in depth on heavy
clay soils to three or four inches on
light, loose. sandy soil.
1t is essential that the seed be plant
ed at an even, uniform depth to insure
its coming up and ripening early, and
the seed must under no circumstances
be dropped or covered by hand. For
loose, sandy soils, a lister is a good
planter. A good garden drill may ans
wer, and under some circumstances
forced feed wheat drill, having all the
holes except the two next the outside
ones closed, but for prepared seed bed
regular twO-hOrSe corn planter. with
or without drill attachment gives the
best results, planting at uniform
depth. and the wheel firming the soil
about the seed, causing it to terminate
and grow more rapidly with better
start for the weeds.
Unless the planter has broom corn
plates, which are the best, the holes III
the corn plates should be partially
closed with lead, babbit, cork or leather
until they admit of the passage of not
more than four or five seeds to each
movement of the plate. a Slight excess
of seed should be planted, and the hoe
used to properly thin it out. This
should be done invariably before the
| cane is four inches high. Good soils
will produce a stalk Of cane for each
four inches of row space. When the
rows are fOrtytwO inches apart, two
stalks should he allowed a space of ten
| inches, three stalks eighteen inches.
| four stalks thirty inches, six stalks
| fOrty-tWO inches, and never more than
SIX stalks in any one bunch no matter
| how sp aced.
Foul land is easiest tended when plan
ted in checks and all lands so planted
| produce more sugar but a smaller ton
mage than when planted in drills. The
|
Survace to avoid cutting roots and 9TH
erwise disturbing the roots, checking
their growth and inducing growth of
| suckers to sap the parent stalks and re-
tard their development.
All that is required is to keep the
grass and weeds IN check and all culti-
| walton should cease when the joints ap-
pear, as any interference with the roots
at this time results most seriously. One
well matured stalk will grow on the
space occupied by two small ones, is as
heavy as six small ones and contains
more juice sugar and less impurities in
a proportion to its weight. The seed
and leaves are less than % per cent. of
total weight of the large stalks, while
with small canes the loss from this
source may reach fully 50 per cent.
10 plant cane upon new ground the
turned sod should be quite thin, but
evenly and smoothly laid. The seed
should be planted witha twO-horse corn
planter, provided with rolling coulter
to cut aud not dlsplace the sod, deposit
ing the seed just underneath the sub
soil. The sod acts as an excellent mulch
to retain moisture and prevent the
growth of grass and weeds. No culti-
yation or further attention, except thin
ming, being necessary until harvest
time.
A good practice for planting cane up
on old ground is to pillow the land at any
time during early spring, but do not
harrow. At planting time take two
horse cultIvator, place three small SHOW
els upon each beam. spread and fasten
the beams so that the shOvelS will work
up space for two rows each four inch
es deep and twelve inches wide. Let
the planter follow soon. depositing the
. seed in the center of this worked over
space. There will be no weeds or grass
for six inches upon either side of the
plants, and the cultivatOr will care for
the space between the rows. Cane de-
teriOrates very rapidly when cut, lying
on the ground in punches, exposed to
the sun and drying winds. A few DAYS
of such exposure changing the sugar in
to glucose.
Cane should be delivered the same
day as cut, the only exception to this
rule being to cut and load on the wagon
the evening before what can be dellv-
ered early the next morning.
/ Next to the Importance of properly
thinning the canes the necessity of hav-
ing well matured, freshly cut. properly
delivered cane is the most important
: this business.
instructions for converting an Ordi
nary hay rack into cane rack viii De
furnished by the cane agent. Each
wagon must be provided with two ropes
) each three-fourths of an inch in diam
eter and thirty-fve feet long, by which
the cane is unloaded. The cane must
be loaded so the tops project over the
right side of the rack facing the team
l These observations upon the growing
, of crop of cane are based upon MANY
wears of experience, and close applica
ton of the details as here set forth vii
3 reduce the cost of raising a crop of cane
E in some instances fully one-third anG
1.-THE season permitting) insure a gooC