The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-25
How to Make Fine Cane syrup in
Georgia,

There are crops that are influenced
more in quality than other crops by
the soil on which they are grown, and
the fertilizer used, and sugar is one Of
them, says c. w. Morrill, in Southern
FARMER For instance, stable manure is
not a proper fertilizer, although IL
contains all the elements of plant food.
The trouble is it gives the cane and
syrup salty taste. Without proper
tresatrnent, low black, swampy peaty
SOILS Will not produce light colored
syrups, such as is produced on light
sandy soils, with heavy fertilizng. The
sou In question is low bottom, COM
posed mostly of vegetable matter, and
some sand, of about an acre in area.
and a { one time covered with water
the greater part of the year, and over
grown with sweet gums and willows,
which were cut down and all roots and
stumps dug out. The land was ditched
and underdrained, Thoroughly plow-
ed and cross plowed, then treated with
one ton of hard wood ashes and har-
rowed in. Ashes contain from to per
cent. of potash in the form of carbon
ate, and from l to 2 per cent. of phos-
phoric acid. and about 1000 pounds OF
lime to the ton. There are thousands
or just such low, swamp places here
in Georgia as here described, of more
or less area, that by proper treatment
could be made to produce fine cane.
Soils OF such nature that are compos-
ed of vegetable matter of hun us, gem
orally have sufficient nitrogen, which
is not always available, and to hasten
the decay of humus, should have lime
Then again such soils as water has
covered any length of time, become
sour. and require lime to sweeten them
and make the plant food more availa-
BILE 1t is a popular belief that sour
soils are found only in low places,
where more or less water stands; but
sometimes dry uplands become so sour
that plants will not thrive and grow.
Sugar cane is generally planted in
from four to six foot rows: burrows are
made with a double shovel pillow. The
cane is then laid in bottom of furrow
and listed over this by running a small
pillow on each side. Some make
practice of cutting the stalks UP into
foot lengths, as they claim this meth
cd gives them a better stand. When
the new growth begins, rake off the
top of ridge. that let's i'm the heat and
warns up the soil. After-cultivation
consists of keeping the crop free from
weeds and grass and the crust broken
up by blowing at least once in two
weeks until the cane laps the rows.
The proper fertilizer for sugar cane,
as experience teaches me. is fine ground
bone and two hundred pounds sulphate
of potash. From my experience with
different fertilizers, where ground
bone is used there seems 10 be less
acid In the Juice. and where sulphate
OF potash is used there is a finer flavor
Sugar cane is an exhaustive crop, and
the Louisiana planters follow COW
peas with sugar cane. The COW peas
furnish the nitrogen and leave the soil
IN a fine mechanical condition. As
sugar cane Is a crop that takes from
spring 10 fan 10 grow. bacterial nitrl-
fcation is going on during the summer
months, transforming nitrogen already
w the soil into available plant food
tor the growing crop, therefore. the
nitrogen furnished By the COW peas
ana ground bone u sufficient for this
exhaustive crop. Yet "a is not adyita.
bic 20 plant cane on the same lard
year after year. There should be d
rotation followed. planting cone not
oftsner thar once IN three years
Cleanliness if one ~ fho main fea-
lures thaf should b. followed in max
inE hfst-c class article 81 syrup. Palms