62 THE BANANA 



" No. 6. This is a sample of the hill-side clays in St. 

 Mary that were formerly regarded as hopeless for the 

 growing of bananas. Forking and drainage enabled 

 excellent results to be obtained, whereas fertilizers were 

 inoperative in the absence of such special aids to 

 cultivation. 



" No. 7. This is a light, alluvial soil from St. Mary that 

 had probably been worked for a century as cane land 

 before being put into bananas. In its present state it is 

 rather below par in fertility. The humus, nitrogen and 

 potash are all low. Trials with fertilizers proved dis- 

 appointing. Measures for increasing the humus appear to 

 be all that is necessary for enabling such land to yield full 

 returns of bananas. 



" No. 8. This is an average sample of the irrigable 

 alluvial soils in St. Catherine as served by the Rio Cobre 

 Irrigation System. The mechanical composition is an 

 ideal one for bananas under irrigation, and the employment 

 of implemental tillage. During ages of dry conditions 

 these soils were reinforced by the growth of the guango and 

 other leguminous trees. They are of a full standard of 

 fertility, and on some of these soils over 90 per cent, of 

 straight bunches are obtained over a large acreage. The 

 * Galls ' that occur here and there in some fields are 

 generally small areas of coarser sands devoid of humus. 

 Experiment has shown that fertilizers have no beneficial 

 effect upon these abnormal spots. The reserves of fertility 

 in the St. Catherine soils are very great, and if due care 

 be taken to avoid stagnation from the excessive application 

 of water, these soils should hold their own for many years 

 to come as first-class banana lands. 



" No. 9. This represents a typical red soil from the 

 limestone as existing in the uplands of St. Ann. Such a 

 soil has been found to be generally lacking in humus and 

 to be subject to drying out during a period of drought. 



" Fertilizers were found quite inoperative, but recent 

 experience on a fairly large scale has indicated that if 

 liberally mulched with grass and other vegetable refuse 



