COCONUT PLANTER'S MANUAL. 59 



climbing plant such as Kirimadu. Sing. (Ipomaea Gi/mosa) or Mikania 

 scandens or a low shrub such as Papula., Sing. (.Vernonia Zey- 

 lanica) is inimical to it, the tendrils of the climber putting down 

 the blades of illuk and the shrub pressing upon it and gradually chok 

 ing it out. The spread of such friendly weeds should be encouraged, 

 all other " cheddy " growth among the illuk being rooted out ; and in 

 less than two years most of the illuk will be killed out. 



The initial cost of opening 1 ft. lanes averaged in my experience 

 Rs, 8 per acre, and subsequent digging or weeding, and rooting tip 

 cheddy " in the strips of illuk between the lanes Rs. 1 per acre per 

 month, or Rs. 12 per year. The total cost of exterminating illuk by 

 these measures is therefore about Rs. 32 per acre. The writer has had 

 quite 12 years' experience in the treatment of coconut plantations 

 over-run with illuk, and af tei" caref ul trial of various methods he is of 

 opinion that a simple, less expensive, or better plan of exterminating 

 illuk over large areas on coconut plantations can scarcely be devised 

 than that just described. 



At the meeting of the Board of Agriculture (March 5th, 1906) 

 Dr J. C. Willis, Director of the Botanic Gai'dens, said his experience of 

 the grass in both the countries mentioned had showed him that the grass 

 in Ceylon was hardly worth mentioning in comparison with what \\, 

 was in parts of Malaya. It was no unusual thing there for one to 

 look round from horizon to horizon and see nothing but thousands of 

 acres over-grown with this grass, which grew in a way we never 

 dreamed of in this country. One method of getting rid of it that had 

 been discovered in the Straits was by mowing. With regular mowing, 

 little by little, other grasses got a footing on the land, which was thus 

 turned into decent pasturage. Referring to a certain estate in the 

 Straits Dr, Willis said he was told that ten years ago it was a mass of 

 illuk grass. It had been mowed regularly, however, with the result 

 that the illuk grass had gradually given way to other grasses. Dr. 

 Willis went on to advise the abolition of the custom of burning illuk, 

 saying that burning did no harm to that grass and did much damage 

 to everything else. If fire was kept away, and mowing resorted to, 

 trees would grow up and the shade would grow over the illuk, causing 

 it to die down. 



