CHAPTER XXXII 



WASH OF SOIL 



AS already stated, in cases where land is very steep and 

 hilly, and the soil is loose in texture, clean-weeding is 

 frequently a very serious error. Surface-soil lost is not easily 

 replaced. With the surface-soil swept away, most of the 

 fertility of the soil has gone, and the trees inevitably must 

 have a poor and backward growth. Of this examples are not 

 lacking. 



The manager of a very well-known Sumatra estate recently 

 was lamenting the effects of a previous policy of clean-weeding. 

 " On our estate," he said, "we have a large proportion of fairly 

 steep land and the surface-soil is all gone. It has been washed 

 away. You won't find us be such fools again," he added. 



Especially is it necessary to protect the soil from surface- 

 wash in the case of young plantings, where the roots are not 

 developed and, therefore, do not bind the soil together. In 

 such cases light weeds are almost indispensable and, indeed, 

 may be said to be altogether indispensable unless some other 

 method of preventing surf ace- wash is adopted. To prevent this 

 lamentable washing away of surface-soil many means besides 

 encouraging the growth of light weeds are employed. In Java 

 a common method is to grow belts of lamtora or clitoria right 

 across the slopes between each row of trees. These hedges are 

 regularly cut down, so as to keep the hedge within i foot, 

 or i J feet from the ground. As the hedges grow very close they 

 serve the purpose of intercepting washed-away soil very well, 

 and the cuttings of these leguminous plants provide a very 

 good green manure for the enrichment of the soil. The hedges 

 should never be planted too near the young rubber trees or 

 their roots will interfere with those of the young Heveas. Eight 

 feet from the tree is about the correct distance. 



Still another method of intercepting washed soil is by digging 



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