SUGAR-PLANTIXG INDUSTRY 55 



per man, aud in some cases more. Indian labour 

 is employed there;. but when allowance has been 

 made for the greater intelligence of this class 

 of labour as compared with African natives, some 

 economy could certainly be effected on Mozam- 

 bique estates, especially in held management. 

 It is a point that managers might well look into. 

 The total area under cane, including new cul- 

 tivation on estates now working, is some 30,000 

 acres, but only a portion of this was cropped in 

 1911. The general practice is to steam-plough 

 and ridge, the furrows being straightened out 

 afterwards by hand. This is a wasteful and 

 expensive system when labour is scarce. A steam- 

 harrowing between ploughing and ridging would 

 tend to reduce the subsequent hand labour, and 

 by improving the tilth increase the yield per acre. 

 The plants are laid flat in the furrow, end to 

 end, covered to a depth of 2 inches, and 

 hilled up gradually during subsequent weedings. 

 In some cases the land is not ploughed at all. 

 The plants are then stuck upright in the ground 

 or at a slight slope. This method is supposed 

 to provide protection against the attack of the 

 borer, which only feeds upon the eyes under- 

 ground, though some planters assert they have 

 seen borers climbing up the stems to a height 

 of 2 feet. Weeding is done by hand. An 



