be paid to after preparation of the bed. This will 

 vary in different soils and districts. New land 

 broken before the short rains may be allowed to lie 

 fallow to weather and kill the sod; old lands broken 

 in the short rains should be pulverized at once and 

 harrowed to conserve moisture for early planting. 

 Cross ploughing is a useful method of treatment for 

 closing up air spaces by drawing together the sod. 



METHODS OF East African farmers enjoy a distinct advantage 



PLANTING. in having a planting season sprfad over six to eight 



weeks — starting early in March and continuing into 

 the beginning of May — as against three weeks in 

 America. Maize may be planted either by listing, 

 which is the general practice in America, or by 

 planters, which are in general use in Africa. Plant- 

 ing by listers is for dry districts, where the maize 

 must be planted deep to get sufficient moisture for 

 germination. Planters are used for surface planting, 

 when the seed needs to be dropped only about two 

 inches below surface. The great advantages of the 

 planter are tmiformity of distance and depth, 

 rapidity of work and economy of labour. Check 

 rowing on small areas has an advantage, in that it 

 enables the planter to cultivate both ways, but it 

 takes up time. Moreover, when check rowing three 

 or four plants to a hill the results appear to be un- 

 satisfactory unless the surplus plants can be pulled 

 out, which entails a lot of labour. If check rowing 

 is practised, care should be taken in removing sur- 

 plus plants. The continuous planting known as 

 drilling seems to be the best for East Africa. 



PLANTING The distance of planting is an important con- 



DISTANCES. sideration. Too close planting reduces the amount 

 of plant food available for each plant, maize being a 

 surface feeder; and in dry weather it reduces the 

 amount of moisture available. It also prevents 

 proper weeding. On the other hand, too wide a 

 distance leaves over much land lying waste. The 

 average distance found satisfactory in some of the 

 maize districts is three feet by one foot in the case 

 of new land, and three feet four inches by fourteen 

 inches in the case of old. For fodder maize, the 

 distance may be three feet by eight inches. 



CXJLTIVATION. j\Iaize requires good cultivation, the prevalence 



of weeds being a serious hindrance to heavy yields. 



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