The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1895-10-30
For the Florida AgTicuIturiSt.
How to Raise Oassava.

sandy soil that has been very deeply |
plowed, and the soil opened up to let air |
and sun get into it. Of all the root crops |
of the South, cassava stands at the top |
for the quantity it yields per acre, and |
being so rich in starch, it constitutes |
one of the best stock feeds we have got. |
1t is particularly valuable for feed to |
milk COWS, increasing the flow of milk |
and the quality as well. But to get it |
to do it's best, the soil has to be rich in |
humus, and of warm nature naturally. |
The kind of fertilizer necessary has been |
all along matter of dispute by different |
parties some arguing that cassava does |
not require anything beyond phosphoric |
acid in our sandy soils in the South. |
But any one who has studied the matter |
must know, that any crop that is as rich |
in starch as cassava must have potash |
and plenty OF it. | like to plant
caSsava TO srcceed corn crop
that has been we'll cultivated and
fertiliZed, and If there is a strong growth |
Of crab grass, purSlane, or cow pea vines
following the corn crop, it should be
plowed under when green lin October in
our latitude) If this has been done, |
the following spring | replow the land |
in the latter part of March or beginning
of April at the same time scattering
broadcast about three hundred pounds |
per acre Of muriate OF potash, and |
week or two later | run five tooth Gull |
tivator, as deep as | possibly can, the |
! cross way of this blowing. This leaves |
the soil open, and it soon warns up
ready for the planting of the seed. We
cannot plant cassava in cold soil, as it
would soon rot and for this reason it is
very difficult to keep the seed of it over
the winter. l always cut up my canes
in short pieces of three or four inches in
length, taking care to have at least three |
eyes or sprouts on each piece. These |
bed about the beginning of March the |
same way as | bed sweet potatoes, on a
moderately warm hot-bed in warm
location, and by the end Of April the |
sprouts will be few inches above the |
ground, | then lay off my Land four feet
each way scattering III the furrow about |
four hundred pounds of q fertilizer rich |
IN phosphoric acid and potash (about
equal percentage of each) This with the
muriate Of potash already used, makes
the soil we'll charged with potash. |
then lift the sprouts from the bed just
as they are, and set them in their places |
in the field, covering them little deeper
than they were in the bed. By planting
my cassava in this way, hardly ever
lose hill of it, whereas by cutting the
seed cane and planting it in the field
right away, the white ant is liable to
take it all; at least that has been my ex-
perience with it. and have been grow
4 ing cassava for the last eight years. You |
will observe that | don't use any nitro |
genOus fertilizer at all, as [ found that |
| the cassava plant takes quite lot of nj |
| trogen from the atmosphere, and any !
one studying it's foliage will understand |
| that it is so, and my experience goes to |
prove that giving it nitrogen is throwing |
away money. My reasons for using |
muriate as the source of potash is that |
the muriate gives me more solid roots