Cattle, Catch-crops and Cover-plants 329 



to show that the quantity of sugar contained 

 in the refuse justifies its being regarded as 

 of commercial value. Pulque, &c., made from 

 the maguey, allied to the sisal, has been known 

 for generations as an alcoholic drink. Fibre, 

 alcoholic drinks, sugar, and feed cake, we are 

 shown, can all be obtained from the sisal, but 

 we cannot do more than refer to the article 

 here. 



Where catch- or cover-crops are not resorted 

 to and where consequently the soil between 

 the rows of coco-nuts is not disturbed to 

 any great extent, the extermination of the 

 lalang is well-nigh impossible. This grass 

 trails its ramifications of roots for long dis- 

 tances underground, and if only a few pieces 

 of them are left, they are sources of ever 

 recurring mischief. The plants springing 

 from seeds, which are blown from neighbour- 

 ing lands into the plantation, 1 can be more 

 readily taken care of by removal before they 

 get firmly settled and deeply rooted into the 

 ground, and this is best effected by turning 

 over the ground continuously. The manioc 

 or cassava is also deeply cultivated, and for 

 this reason a good catch-crop, although its 

 root-bulbs take a lot of nourishment out of 



"Notes on Soil and Plant Sanitation on Cacao 

 and Rubber Estates," us. post free (John Bale, Sons, 

 and Danielsson, Ltd.), in which co-operation and even 

 legislation is urged to prevent badly kept estates 

 spreading harm around. 



