The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-12-25
FROM FLORIDA.
MIR. Shoup's Second Letter on Sugar
and Sugar Cane.

'oltICt Jul 1IICIN, MI CllCCll,
who every week gets up his inter
estin2 REPE for us, was
kind enough to make room in its
columns for my little story about
the sugar season in Florida, | feel
bound to keep my word with you,
young friends among its readers,
and say more about this "sweet"
subject.
In our section of the State, the
cane never bears seed, so we have
to plant the cane itself, for seed.
Would it not seem odd to you to
go out in the spring, and plant
corn stalks in the burrows opened
for seed2 Just 50 madn nth flh-.t.,s tl.,s
'4ssfIe. but we save portion of the
crop of the previous year for this
purpose, One way is to lay the
whole cane in piles and cover with
earth, to save them over winter;
but much better way Is this: Go
into the patch with sharp, heavy
knife, and cut the tops off, so DIS to
leave one or two ripened joints to
each top, lay these carefully be-
tween two rows, keeping all the
cut points to the ground, and put
ting the clippings OF SIX to eight
rows together, so leaving them over
winter. AT planting time, in Feb
ruary we take these tops up, stlp
off all the blades and lay them
lengthwlse in the furrow for new
crop. This is our "seed cane. |
had rot told You that cane stalks
have "joints' : about four inches
apart, and an "eye" at every joint;
these "cyes' send up the new
plant. Often as many as three to
five "suckers' will form about one
of the plants, and all make fine
canes.
The ground is prepared just as
for corn crop, only more abund-
emily fertiiZed. The cultivation is
the same as with corn, and the
crop, when once well started,
makes very fine rich appearance.
In localities farther south. and
! in the West India Islands, where
frOsts never occur, the plants can be
left TO grow all through the winter;
and in such cases, the stalks grow
to immense size.
But, like other crops. sugar cane
is ''no good until 1t is ripe. We
plant IN February, and begin to
"chcw 1t IN September. And this
"chewing cane is one of the funny
things one sees here III the south.
Would 1t not seem laughable to see
a party OF ladies and gentlemen
setting together chewing corn
stalks: just so we DO with the
sugar cane. As soon as the "sap"
IN them becomes nice and sweet,
we begin to 'chew" just as natur-
ally as we eat MELONS or oranges,
in the season or when ripe. And
every body does 1t. 1t looks droll
indeed, and makes great muss
about the house, but 1t is "too
good to be left. Of course the
stalk or cane Is not eaten up, as
one would eat an apple; but this is
the way of it: One takes a cane,
with a stout and sharp knife, peels
off tine hard outer shell, and, cut
ting the peth or pulp into short
sections, chews these until all the
juice is extracted, and then spits
out the remainder, just as tobacco
chewers do with their quid.
And we are not satisfied to enjoy
this "chcwlng' only while the cane
is waiting to be harvested, or until
the crop is made up into syrup and
sugar; but we save a quantity for
winter "chewing." 1t is almost
Christmas now, still cane chewing
goes on every where. The colored
people chew it along the public
roads, and on the streets of the
town or city. School children take
would e,o,,,,, 4o ,,, 10 ,,,, l,... 80. !