The true northerner., 1896-04-22

An Irseresting Description Of Cane Gull
ture ON = small Scale.

While no doubt most Of your readers are
familiar with sugar and sirup making AS
practiced OH the large plantations. since
our periodicals from time TO time have
given frequent descriptions of the intricate
process. perhaps not few may be inter
ested IN "a little account OF the cane cul-
ture OF north Louisiana and the primitive
molasses boiling OF the small hill farmer.
First OF course, Is the planting OF the
cane. for we have no seed here. and this Is
done about the last OF March by putting
IL lengthways in burrows and then cover
ing 20 the depth of or inches Some
times. however we use the stubs OF the
year before. If they happen TO stand the
frosts. and these we simply cover by plow-
ing on either side Of the row. and the cane
grows from them
Whether you plant the cane itself or
leave the stubble the cultivation Is the
same There is an eye at every joint of a
stalk of cane. and when the stalk Is plant
ed cane will spring from every eye II they
be good ones. When the cane gets up sew.
eral feet, all the grass and weeds which
are among 1t are hoed away and cast into
the middle Of the rows. Then follows a
succession Of plowings and hoeings till
the crop is ready 10 "lay by" Work Is
now over for brief season till cutting
time comes about.
The cutting OF the cane Is in keeping
with the rest of the process and may be
briefly described as follows; There are two
men 20 every row, one gathering bunch
of canes In his arms. while the other, with
a sharp hoe. cuts 1t off ABOUT an inch from
the ground. The stalks are then stacked
In large "windrows. with every top
turned the same way, 81 that the long
blades cover the cane thoroughly, leaving
no part of the stalk exposed TO the frost
The small stalks are usually saved for
planting the next year, and these are by
and by taken down, put in pile and COW
cred over with dirt, so as TO keep them
from the frost. The large stalks are strip
ped clean of every blade and the small top
joints broken off The cane Is now ready
10 be hauled TO the mill.
The mill, whether large or small, is
usually a very primitive affair in our
country consisting merely of an arrange
ment of cylinders. or wheels, which mash
the juice from the stalks The mill Is fed
by hand and turned by horsepower, the
Juice dripping into an open vessel usually
barrel or tub. Close by Is the evap-
orator When sufficient quantity of
Juice has been ground. the boiling begins.
One mill, however, never stops except for
a change of horses. the juice being cooked
as fast as ii is ground
The evaporator is partly filled and bar.
rel of juice is placed over 1t, so that it may
be turned on when needed Then fire Is
built in the furnace beneath and as the
juice boils 1t will pass from one partition
of the evaporator to another, the skum be
ing carefully removed by means of long
handled perforated tin skinner AS il
cooks the color changes gradually TO DARK
reddish yellow. At this stage of the proc
ess there will rise large brown bubbles
which indicate that it is ready TO be drawn
off When put upon the market, it com
mands fairly good price, e,-Black Lake
(La Letter in Philadelphia Times