names of [in-ground] sugar cane parts/elements

Question

[from description of how 19th century slaves harvested sugar cane in Louisiana]:
…”The lead [field] hand, in the first place, with a blow of his knife shears the FLAGS from the stalk.”

So, what are these “flags”? Nothing I could find about sugar cane in general even used the word, never mind explain what, where located, these “flags” are. poor me….

Answer 1

The flags would be the leaves on the sugar canes themselves.
This link will help you visualize the process described in the literature.

http://www.wikihow.com/Plant-Sugar-Cane