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THE HUSBANDRY OF THE CANE.the soil but experience has taught us that this period of lying fallow is indispensablein obtaining a good crop. The wet lumps of soil dry up during this operation,crumble to pieces and assume a lighter colour causing the mass of moist cold hardlumps to change into a loose greyish powdery soil. During the weathering allgrass is carefully weeded out, and this is continued after planting until the canehas grown so high that it keeps down the weeds by its own shadow. At the endof the drying time the soil in the rows is loosened a little and the cane tops arethen planted in them."A ground plan of a Java cane field will then appear as in Fig. 40; at dis a ditch surrounding the field into which drain the cross ditches, which arein turn fed by the small drains c separating the cane beds e; the cane rowsare at b running across the beds.FIG. 40.GENERAL AGRICULTURAL PROCESSES.—The agriculturalprocesses followed in connection with cane growing are discussedbelow; in general similar practices prevail in most districts; differences aredetermined by the use or absence of irrigation, and of mechanical cultivation,by labour supply, and by purely local conditions.Planting.—The seed cane is planted in rows or in squares, in furrowsor in holes. In furrow planting, which is most generally used, the furrowmay be made by the double mould-board plough or, less economically, by theuse of the hoe. The furrow is generally about two feet deep and two feetwide ; the cane is in porous soils laid along the bottom of the furrow; in clayey115