CANE SUGAR. 



land is still taken in, or old abandoned land that has fallowed for a number of 

 years and returned to its primitive condition is again put under cultivation. 

 In general the operations to be undertaken in putting in new land may be 

 briefly described as under : The land is cleared of all trees and bush, the 

 heavy wood is put on one side to be used as fuel, or, if valuable, for export, 

 the small branches, leaves, and bushes being burnt in situ. Yery generally all 

 this work is done by hand and the cost, especially if heavy stones (as is often the 

 case in volcanic countries) have to be moved, is very great. The more modern 

 and economical method is to employ steam power; engines capable of 

 use either as traction or stationary engines are employed in many countries 



Fm. 34. 



for the purpose of hauling the heavy timber and large stones off the land ; 

 when new districts are opened up or when new land is continually taken in 

 such a process is almost essential. 



The combustion of the vegetation on new land is from one point of view 

 entirely wrong, for the practice robs the soil of most of the nitrogen that^has 

 been accumulating for ages past ; but the expense of burying the vegetable 

 matter, the slowness of its decomposition, and the harbouring places it affords 

 for noxious insects are the reasons for maintaining this universal practice ; in 

 addition, the burning of the vegetable matter places in the soil a large 

 amount of readily available mineral plant food. 



108 



