The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-10-18
CAUSES OF SHORT CROPS. 5.
Failures in Late Years Due 70 Me-
gIect of Drainage and Abuse OF
Land by unwise Cultural Meth
ods-Eow Productivity of Soil
Can be Increased.
NBy w ]. J. Pecquet, st. Patrick,

San De anGFSdsSos
tBy w. J. J. Pecquet, st. Patrick,
La, in Modern Sugar Planter.)
Right at the present time, when
our sugar industry is faced With con-
liitions never before encountered, It
seems to me that much good may ac-
crue from an interchange OF ideas
among the sugar planters through
the columns of their publication.
This has led to my desiring to set
forth a few facts as | see them, that
bear on the productive capabilities of
our cane lands, and in dealing there
on in this letter | am making bold to
say what [ think is the trouble On
many of our sugar plantations and
attempting to explain why there We're
sd many failures in crops OF late
years.
First of all causes fol- short crops
is neglect OF drainage. Second Is
the abuse of land by planting cane
after cane. And in connection with
the latter, there Is the wild hurry OF
planting SO as to be able to say,
planted my cane cheaper than my
neighbors'' This fault of rushing
things through to hurried completion
is also to he laid against most other
work about the plantation, without
looking at conditions and results.
In the maintenance of drainage
large number of sugar planters will
spend lots of money every year dig
ging bitches that | call good quarter
drains, which are not over one foot
below the grounds surface and are
very often placed more than an acre
apart III sandy and black lands. AS
| for the outlet in the woods back OF
| the cultivated fields, 1t is looked af-
| ter maybe once in ten years. And
yet you will find such negligent Alant-
ers surprised they can not raise
good pea vines, which is the back
| bone of the sugar plantation.
Now, my idea of it is to first see
| that the outlets are always kept
| clear; that bitches be at least three
feet deep, in sandy land placed about
| tWo-thirds of an acre apart, and In
black land about a half-aere apart,
| with good quarter drains where they
should be across the rows.
| About the land, you will hear some
/ planters say, II have land that has
not had corn in it for Is or 20 years,
and the last crop planted gave 30
/ tons to the acre But you do not
hear that planter tell how much
land lotion cane he reaped from
that particular ground during It's sue
cessioning period.
Now, my idea is that with sugar
] plantations run down as they 50 gen
erally are, it VII be advisable to plant
/ half to: cane, a fourth to corn and
a fourth to solid peavines. BY SOW
ing the pease in early May, the vines
/ can be ploWed under in August, which
/ will give plenty of time for them to
rot and make the ground ready to
| plant cane IN October. BY this divi-
| sion of the plantations into fourths,
/ the corn with pease) is planted at
ter the stubble and should make the
plantations feed If cultivated prop
erly; the solid growth of pea vines
then follow the corn.
Some may say, why not plant the
Isolid pease after the stubbles and you
won't have to fertilize the corn?''
The answer to that Is, il you plant
corn after the solid pease the corn
will grow SO rank as to prevent the
proper growth OF the pea vines on
the land, or If they do grow they
will be SO late as to do little gds1 to
the land for its reception Of the
following plant cane crop. Another
thing is that il you have to pull
your corn before 1t is ripe, SO as to
prepare the land for cane, you are
storing grain in an unsafe condition,
which is often the cause Of mules
dying the next year. Also with the
pea vines, you can not wait for them
to get in the best state for haymak-
ing, and a house full OF mou1dy hay
is the result-just so much poison for
the mules.
/, In setting forth these ideas, one
is apt to hear planters say it Is all
stuff; that they cannot afford to los,
two years cane productivity of any
of the land. To this it may be an.
J sWered that this procedure involves
no loss, because by following a diVf
e sion Of fourths on the plantations 9
more uniform crop is made every
r year, which costs great deal less
/ to cultivate. Further, It will BIZ
/
! found there Is more surety OF making
good stubble crops, for in the winter
a is the time you will need to have
your land good and warm, such as j;
: led to by it's improved physical con
dition. The use of commercial fer
e tilfzers alone is not going to bring
this better ground condition, for tn
o fertilizer is applied only in tn,
spring, after the stubble crop come
b up, and very often the weather /
$ such that no benefit at all is secure
from the fertilizer. Again, the stuI
ej BILE is apt to come up earlier in th
e spring, and this means the laying
), of that crop soon, SO that when tn
time comes to put seed down tn
4 seed will be ripe, meaning bette
seed for spring planting; fall plan
Is ings, also, will be improved by th
use of the ripper seed. When immi
a. ture cane is planted in the fall or pl
down in the WiudroW for sprin
planting, the result is often a lot
land planted and yet no crop.
to AS regards planting of cane, the
is unfortunately not enough pains ta
ID en- in opening the rows, and mar
planters are inclined to not put
se enough seed. The rows ought to
opened wider and smoother than
Ill ordinarily the case on numerous pIs
tations, SO the cane could lay well
I'll iha ground and he nevprpd wsifF