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planted between the rubber and output was firstly sold 

 at $ 6 per acre, the price could not be maintained and 

 finally, it was offered to anybody who would only clear 

 it out of the ground and take it away under contract to 

 clear the ground completely. It is rather difficult to clean 

 up the land, as the growth is very persistent, even after 

 a thorough eradication. 



3. After the cassava, lalang comes up. 



In most cases it is not possible to weed an estate 

 with cassava as clean as one without a catch crop. 

 The stalks and weeds hinder the weeding and make it 



> 



difficult to carry it out effectively. Once the cassava has 

 been cleaned up, the lalang which seems to be always 

 underneath, grows out. In lower Perak and Province 

 Wellesley, I not unfrequently saw Hevea gardens, where 

 old cassava beds were still faintly visible, covered with 

 lalang and where the rubber had obviously to suffer 

 from the lalang. 



b. Sugar cane as catch crop. 



In the low districts of Province Wellesley, with a 

 very fertile soil, sugar cane is planted as a catch crop. 

 The Hevea is planted out in rows, 12 X 24, or 8 >< 24 

 feet. The cane is planted between and earthed up. During 

 the first year the production per acre is not quite so 

 good as cane planted by itself and in subsequent years, 

 the cane production considerably decreases and still more 

 so the sugar contents. It is usual to grow cane therefore 

 for three years only and figures of production were given 



