Oct. 2, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 743 



The Leaves to Remove. 



As the first leaves decay they hang down all round the plant, but they 

 should not be removed during the winter as they afford the plant protection 

 from cold. If carefully cut away at the end of August the sun is better able 

 to get at the trunks and to promote more rapid growth. Too much shade in 

 the growing season is apt to make the stems lengthen out and become brittle. 

 Some growers are too zealous in removing these leaves, however, for they not 

 only cut off dead leaves, but they also remove green leaves, thereby depriving 

 the plant of part of its own machinery for the elaboration of the plant food 

 obtained from the soil. It is safest only to remove those leaves that are 

 actually dead. 



Old suckers, from which the branches were removed some little time back 

 and which were allowed to remain as protection for the stools during the 

 winter, may also be got rid of as the weather becomes milder (say the end of 

 August), providing the leaves are quite dead. This can be done with the 

 tool already described. The blade is driven horizontally into the old sucker 

 close to the ground at its junction with the bulb, and is then used as a lever 

 while the head of the sucker is simultaneously pushed over with the left 

 hand. The operation only takes a few seconds, once a little practice has 

 taught the operator just where to drive in the bar. 



Deep Cultivation. 



The first year of cultivation is the inost critical, and entails the heaviest 

 work. Keeping down weeds, maintaining the surface mulch, and loosening 

 the soil, are all important in the cultivation of bananas. Owing to the nature 

 of New iSouth Wales plantations, which, in the majority of ^ases, are on 

 steep, stony hillsides — to get abov^e frost level — ordinary methods of cultiva- 

 tion are unsuitable. Still, it cannot be too strongly emphasised that deep 

 cultivation is necessary at the right time, with modifications according to the 

 conditions. 



In the spring all plantations should, where possible, have the soil deeply 

 loosened,- either by deep scarifying or by deep hoeing or mattocking, but this 

 should only be practised when the plants are in vigorous growth — such as 

 occurs after a good rainfall. 



The more the soil is loosened and broken up the gi-eater will be the 

 feeding area available for the plants to work on ; and, of course, the roots get 

 a better chance to search for food. Some growers may object to this 

 treatment on the ground that it destroys too many surface roots ; but it has 

 been proved that deep cultivation, in addition 1o sending roots down to 

 greater depths, also encourages the formation of vigorous feeding roots where 

 the roots ha\ e been pruned by hoe or cultivator. 



Students of soils and plant foods admit that there have never been found 

 materials so generally efficient in maintaining and increasing the crop- 

 producing powers of' soils as stable manure. — H. F. Thompson, Massa- 

 chusetts, U.S.A. 



