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it also improves its physical character ; adding as it does to 

 the humus content of the soil, and thereby increasing the 

 power of the soil to retain moisture and manurial constituents. 



Most of the mulch material is grown on plots of land 

 near the lime cultivation. A fairly large piece of ground 

 used for this purpose will be noticed near plot 22. The tall 

 trees growing on this land are specimens of the Honduras 

 Mahogany, Swietenia macrophylla. 



At the foot of this slope are several specimens of the oil 

 palm, Elaeis guineensis, of West Tropical Africa. The fruits 

 of this palm yield the valuable oils of commerce known 

 respectively as Palm oil and Palm Kernel oil. The former 

 obtained from the outer fleshy fibrous layer of the fruit, is 

 used chiefly in the manufacture of soaps and candles ; while 

 the latter, obtained from the kernel, is used for making 

 margarine, and for other purposes. 



In addition to the lime cultivation under manurial 

 experiments, other areas planted elsewhere with this crop will 

 be observed. These areas, several of which are suitable as 

 experiment plots will serve in future experiments as occasion 

 may demand. In the meantime such cultivation is a source 

 of financial support to the Department, the whole crop being 

 sold to Messrs. L. Rose & Co., Ltd., of the Bath Estate. 



An outstanding feature of most of the plots is the system 

 of drainage. The contour drains on the steep slopes are of 

 special interest. For the information of visitors who may not 

 know of the value and utility of contour drains in parts of the 

 tropics where heavy rains are experienced, it will be as well 

 to mention that the chief purpose for which such drains are 

 made is to prevent the rush of water down the slopes, and so 

 preserve the loose surface soil and manurial constituents from 

 being carried away. In the absence of contour drains, much 

 of this material is eventually washed down during successive 

 heavy showers on to the lower part of the slope, and into the 

 valleys and ravines where it is lost to the cultivation. On 

 steep slopes where the precaution in supplying contour drains 

 is neglected, there soon appears a striking difference between 

 the colour of the leaves of the plants at the top, and the leaves 



