242 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



August 12, 1905. 



results were published in a recent issue of the Wet^f 

 Indian Bulletin (Vol. V, pp. 287-8). It was shown 

 that when the growth was cut back the soil received 

 quite a substantial manuring, considering the amount 

 of organic matter returned, which was con.stantly 

 improving the mechanical condition of the soil. 



This system has the advantage of preventing the 

 soil from baking, as is often the case in plantations 

 where the attempt is made to keep the land absolutely 

 clean, whereupon forking becomes necessary. The 

 important point to observe is to avoid the formation of 

 anything approaching a permanent turf or grass sod. 

 The cut grass and weeds may either be used as 

 a mulch or may be lightly bedded in. 



Special attention might be drawn to the method 

 adopted in an orange plantation in Dominica, which 

 was described in the Ar/ricultuntl Neius (Vol. Ill, 

 p. 340) as follows: 'A circle, 10 feet in diameter, is 

 kept clean round each tree : no weeds are allowed 

 to become established in this space, which is weeded 

 at intervals, care being taken not to scrape the .soil 

 away from the roots of the tree. The intervening space 

 between the clean circles is not forked or dug up, 

 the grass and weeds being cut down at intervals and 

 used as a surface mulch.' A further reference to this 

 system is made in a recent issue (Vol. IV, p. 212). 

 Dr. Watts reports that no turf has been formed, and 

 the soil remains in excellent condition. ' The existence 

 of this cultivation constitutes an object-lesson of great 

 Talue to other planters who are sure to be favourably 

 influenced by it.' 



V\ hile it is not j>ossible to make any general 

 recommendations with regard to this style of cultivation, 

 since it may not be equally suitable under all 

 conditions of climate and soil, yet it is obvious that it 

 is giving good results in Dominica, and it might 

 certainly be tried in a tentative manner, at any rate, 

 in some of the other islands. Considerable expense 

 is entailed in keeping clean the soil between the trees 

 of a cacao or citrus plantation, and it would therefore 

 be to the advantage of the planter if equally good 

 results could be obtained from the method herein 

 outlined. It is probable that in some districts the 

 natural growth of grass and weeds might with 

 advantage be supplemented by the cultivation of 

 some leguminous crop, for which purpose the woolly 

 pyrol would appear to be as suitable as any. Any 

 efforts to adopt this system of cultivation, or a modifi- 

 cation of it, in other islands would be watched with 

 great interest. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Seedling Canes in British Guiana. 



Interesting information was published in the 

 Agricultural News (Vol. Ill, p. 180) in regard to the 

 experimental cultivation of .seedling canes at plantation 

 Diamond, British Guiana, during the years 1901-3. In 

 a letter dated June 18 last, Mr. John M. Fleming, the 

 Manager, has forwarded figures for the first six months 

 of the present year, which enable the table, giving 

 the results of growing Bourbon and seedlings for the 

 years, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, and 1905 on this planta- 

 tion, to be extended as follows : — 



The canes reaped during the period January-June 

 1905, with the results, are stated in the following 

 table :— 



