The eradication of pig weed, quick grass and other 

 weeds is one of the most important problems for the 

 farmer. Fallowing of the soil and rotation of crops 

 do much to reduce the weed crop, but frequent use 

 of the cultivator is most successful. Cultivation not 

 only helps to keep the soil clean, but also assists to 

 retain moisture in the soil by forming a mulch. ^Nlaize 

 should be cultivated between the rows at least eight 

 times in the season, and it is a good plan to reckon 

 ■one small cultivator to every forty acres. Care should 

 be exercised in cultivating, as if the implement goes 

 too deep or too close to the plants it may prune ofiF 

 a proportion of the roots, which will considerably 

 reduce the vield 



With the exceptions of rust, smut and blight, diseases and 

 which do not affect the yield at present, maize is, PESTS, 

 broadly speaking, very free of disease. The principal 

 insect and animal pests are cut worm, porcupine and 

 wild pig. These may be easily kept in check by 

 poisoning and shooting, but we are ver\- favourably 

 circumstanced when compared with America, where 

 there are 214 species of insects known to be injurious 

 to maize. 



The usual method of harvesting in East Africa HARVESTING, 

 is to pick the ears by hand when they have become 

 thoroughly dried by the sun. Maize is less easily 

 harvested than almost any other cereal crop because 

 of its large size and hard stem. But while native 

 labour is cheap and plentiful hand labour is the 

 cheapest, and likely to remain so until the maize 

 harvesting machinery placed on the market in recent 

 years is made less costly and less complicated. 



The methods of cultivating maize in East Africa advantages 

 have been dealt with at some length for the reason of starting 

 that maize should make a strong appeal to the new with maize. 

 settler starting in agriculture. It enjoys distinct 

 advantages over coffee, flax or citrus, for instance, 

 to make a start on. It entails less expenditure of 

 capital, less labour, less expert knowledge or 

 acquaintance with local conditions, and gives quicker, 

 if smaller, returns. Xew land intended for coffee or 

 citrus is improved by having had a crop of maize 

 raised on it beforehand; it takes comparatively little 

 nutriment out of the soil and leaves the land in a 

 better state of tilth than would be possible otherwise 

 without considerable labour. Maize gives a quick 



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