XOXIOUS WEEDS 607 



Those who maintain that clean-weeding is not essential or 

 advisable are supported by the fact that weeds act as a ground- 

 cover, preventing excessive surface wash, while the operation of 

 digging in a crop of weeds ensures tillage and aeration of the soil, 

 and provides useful mulch or green-manure. That weeds in some 

 cases have a redeeming feature is obvious ; thus the Oxalis 

 (Manickwattie weed) serves to bind the soil on steep slopes, while 

 the Lantana occupies waste and impoverished land which in 

 course of time it enriches considerably with humus. 



On estates in Ceylon, the usual system of performing the 

 weeding is to lease out certain areas on contract to the kanganies 

 (headmen of the labour force). The amount paid depends on 

 local conditions and the nature of the crop; thus Rs. 1 to Rs. 2 

 per acre is about the usual contract price for weeding established 



Tea fields, but on new clearings 

 the cost of keeping down weeds 

 may vary from Rs. 3 to Rs. 6 

 per acre. It is estimated that the 

 average cost of weeding Tea in 

 Cevlon ranges from 2 to 3 cents 



A USEFUL WEEDING FORK. 



per Ib. of made tea. 



An excellent method which may in many cases be applied for 

 killing out or preventing pernicious weeds, is to grow upon the 

 affected area a crop of some annual plant that forms a dense 

 ground-cover, the weeds thus becoming choked out. Any close 

 and quick-growing plant that is obtainable in sufficient quantity 

 will answer the purpose, though it should by preference belong to 

 the Leguminous family, which have the effect of restoring fertility 

 in the soil. (See under Green Manuring). The following plants 

 have been more or less successfully used in Ceylon as a ground- 

 cover for checking and destroying weeds : Passiflora fceiida 

 (creeper), Mikania sea miens (creeper), Ipomcca spp. (creepers), 

 CoMiiielimi uudijlora, or " Girapala," S. (creeping annual), Crotnlaria 

 spp, etc. See Green-manuring. 



The first principle in destroying weeds is to prevent their 

 seeding, but this is not effective with kinds which are not 

 dependent upon seed for their reproduction, as the Lalang grass 

 (so troublesome in Malay), and the Oxalis in up-country districts 

 in Ceylon, which is reproduced chiefly by small tubers. Therefore 

 recourse must be had to starving out the roots by persistently 

 cutting down the leaves ; this also, of course, prevents the plants 



