■:28 TEINIDAD AND TOBAGO BULLETIN. [XIX. 1. 



"Similarly for tlie whole work it takes 9*52 and 5'76 labourers and $5.S7 

 ard ii2.55 less per acre when the drilling is done wibh mules and oxen 

 respectively than by hand labour alone. This is based on the assump- 

 tion that the hand labourers work a task and a half or for 60 cents a day. 

 If they only worked a task per day there would be an additional saving 

 of 9*40 labourers per acre in favour of implements. 



GENERAL. 



The figures in all of the foregoing tables in respect of implemental 

 tillage are the results of what h.is actually been done anl have not been 

 calculated on what the best animals can do. No allowance have been 

 made for time lost when animals were being broken in or when they 

 worked badly. It is probable therefore that with well-trained animals 

 more work can be done and at a cheaper cost. When it is stated that a 

 ■certain work was performed in say 5 days, it is not meant to infer that it 

 was done in 5 consecutive daj^s but that the time occupied in performing 

 the work amounted to 5 days work of 9 hours. 



The advantages of implemental tillage are (1) the cost is lower, (2) 

 fewer labourers are required to work an acre especially when cultivating 

 with mules, (3) the kind of labour required is more easily obtained than 

 that for working with hand labour alone and (4) with sufficient stock 

 and implements a larger acreage can be worked in a given time. 



In cultivating growing canes the land is not so thoroughly tilled by 

 implements as by hand labour; on the other hand a better preparation 

 for planting is obtained by the use of implements. Another important 

 factor in favour of implemental tillage is that approximately two-thirds 

 ■of the labourers required are young boys who might otherwise be idle. 

 Incidentally they get a good training in the use of the implements and 

 ihe handling of animals for later years. 



It remains to be seen, however, whether better crops will be obtained 

 from implemental tillage supplemented by hand labour as compared 

 with manual labour alone. Experiments have been planned on ratoon 

 canes in Field 2, but unfortunately on small plots, as all the fields are 

 planted v, ith several varieties of cane and no large area planted with a 

 single variety was available. Another experiment has also been started in 

 Field 4, to test the relative merits of preparing and tilling tliejand with 

 Implements supplemented by hand labour as against manual 

 labour alone. 



The actual account of work performed, the number of labourers and 

 animals used with each implement, the average acreage worked per day, 



