Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-08-20
SUGAR CANE CULTURE.


story of sugar cane culture from beginning
to end, and not leave anything out under
the presumption that il was already under
stood He wanted the article wrftt-n as
for one who had never before heard of su-
gar cane culture.
The sugar cane referred 70 was sugar
cane sure enough, and NOT sorghum. There
is but one sugar cane: sorghum is no more
sugar cane than broom corn is j sugar
cane. II has no nearer relationship TO ST.
gar cane, botanicallv. than an oak tree has
% = hickory. To call il 4 sugar cane is to
indulge in quite 4 long stretch of magma
ton. Il IS sorghum; johnson grass is
also i sorghum, therefore i. would be
equally as proper 20 cal Johnson grass 4
sugar cane as il is 10 call the grow
ing grass from which we make sorghum
nolasses a sugar cane. The name Chi
fese sugar cane" was probably affixed by
the seed dealer who wanted his sorghum
10 20 OF on tie reputation Of real sugar
cane.
50 common has This incorrect name be-
come hat people DOW attempt to distin-
gush the true sugar-cane from the sor-
ghum By calling the former ribbon cane"
This is highly improper for the ribbon cane
is simply one variety among many varieties
Of sugar-came. a. tho blue cane the red
cane, '' the green cane" and the ribbon
cane " with hosts OF other varieties, The
ribbon cane Is d large growing variety
mainly distinguished from the other va
lirlirs by being striped in red and cream
rolor the stripes running lengJhwise of the
cane and suggesting the idea of ribbons. It
Is not the best variety by any means there
are other varieties more rich III saccharine
matter. For long Time il was thought 10
b,. The most hardy variety. but this we are
satisfied WAS u mistake, for we have seen
lie blue cane and the green cane growing
successfully as far North as the ribbon
cane would have grown. The only real
virtue the ribbon cane could carry applies
merely 10 where small patches are cult
1,,rd with Il view To putting the canes
upon the market for chewing purposes.
The darkey WHO chews cane for the sweet
Juice that is in il viii invariably choose the
largest cane offered for sale A. the grocery
Urfruit store without regard 10 saccharine
per cent, and knowledge of this fact has
especially stimulated the growth Of the
ribbon cane for the purposes named.
1t is TO be presumed that our correspond
ent desires information with reference TO
small operations in sugar cane culture.
therefore we shall contine oGrself 10 that
Of
aud he was drawing upon Us for the man
agement of from one thousand 10 ten thous-
Rud-acre plantations We can get him the de-
SIRED information. which is something not
now belonging 10 us in full detail. But we
Hrc entirely al home SO far as relates TO the
plantation Of from thirty acres down, hay
ing for the past twenty years been more or
less engaged in sugar cane culture of that
particular character, hence our present ar
ticle shall be confined 10 the small p!anta-
lion operations.
The first thing to be considered is the
land. An alluvial bottom soil, Us along riv-
ers and creeks, suits the sugar cane best.
If there IS u reasonable proportion Of sand
in the makeup of the soil all the better.
The high anS stiff clay soils answer very
wei! for its culture, provided there is in
them a liberal amount of decomposed vege-
table matter to prevent serious baking in
time of drouth Say the land is covered by
Ii growth OF weeds this fall-the weeds
should be turned under 50 soon As the fall
rains SET in, to rot and be ready Tor the cane
crop next spring.
Early in spring break the land deeply. in
either case Don't Dodge that break
deeply" for il IS all-importaut. Having
deeply broken and thoroughly pulverized
your soil lay of Is for corn one way. If
The land is really good make your rows five
feet apart; if not of the best character six
feet apart would be better l. Is best how
ever, TO make tie land good. ifnot naturally
So, by the addition of stable or lot manure.
planting i've feet apart \ cores ondent
Of asst week said stable or lot manure
tended 20 make the cane salty We are III
.o>s 10 understand how this could be. and
therefore would always DE willing to risk
the manure
sugar cane does no. bear seed in this
country. therefore one must start his crop
by planting canes. Plant, say for Middle
Texas ami uorJhward about the 18th If
February Frost may appear after that
time. UuI cane is somewhat slow 10 come
up, and hence j, Is not probable that any
shoots viii g., on; in tine 10 be nipped b.
frost. But even should this happen moth
ing particularly serious viii result. As the
slender shoots nipped al the top VIII soon
come up again. Last year our cane WAS
SIX inches nigh when the noted March
freeze came or being near the gulf we had
planted in January. Every shoot was
Killed 70 the ground, nut in little while j,
was mp 70 rs good Il stand is At first. and
Tie crop 10 follow was as good as any we
had pre- viously raised on the same place
without any BLIZZARD interference.
The old plan Of planting sugar cane was
10 !ay two STALKS side by side in the fur
rows, continuously. and then cover to the
depth Of -four inches by turning on fur
row. II manures were 10 be used they were
preld along The fUrrow atop Of the canes
before the furrow was turned on. Green
mAaures fresh from the lot or stable are not
always safe, Is the heat resulting from
their fermentation may scald and destroy
the very Young and tender shoots The
manure should be pretty well rutted before