96 Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



so this should be allowed for at the very 

 beginning. Given people who can be influ- 

 enced to buy from the store, such as the 

 surveyors, axemen, and bush-clearers, the 

 owner can immediately make arrangements for 

 trading, and for this reason the store is the 

 first building to erect, and to spend money on 

 for stocking. Well assorted stores can certainly 

 do a good trade, even without the help of a 

 heavy liquor traffic ; which, whatever profits it 

 may bring along, is often productive of serious 

 troubles and upsets. The less freely liquors are 

 sold, anyway at the start, the fewer " sprees" 

 will be run, and the faster will be the progress 

 made in clearing and planting. With regard 

 to the best plough for cogon or lalang grass, 

 one of the English "Jumbo" type would 

 probably be most useful, as this will cut off 

 the grass a good way down, leaving it on the 

 top to die off and fertilize the soil, at the same 

 time acting as a mulch ; or the grass could be 

 collected together by means of a cultivator and 

 burnt. Such ploughs, however, cost about 5 

 to ^7 each, at least in England, and then have 

 to be packed and sent out, and it is no use 

 buying cheap makes ; to do so is a bad policy 

 at any time, but when eradicating a strong, 

 tough grass, a strong cutting plough is an 

 absolute necessity. At this rate to spend 

 100 or $500 for ploughs alone would not be 

 excessive for properly cleaning and cultivating 

 2,500 acres, especially when grass has to be 



