Late Rainfalls; soMe or their Effects. 91 



when the weather modifies and the roots spread. The 

 best way is to let the fields alone as far as shovel or fork 

 work is concerned, simply supply lightly, weed and wait 

 until weather moderates. If it is felt to be imperative 

 to try and help the drainage, then shovel moulding may 

 be found of great use, it assists surface drainage greatly 

 and enables us to give a good moulding to the canes at 

 times when hoe-moulding is imprafticable. Burying 

 trash is also a splendid help to drainage and may be per- 

 formed by the shovel when it is too wet to fork, it is 

 also of some value as a manure and this brings me to a 

 very important subje6l — manuring. I fear much that in 

 such times as are under discussion, even manure, which 

 in average seasons is one of the Planter's best friends, is 

 often of little good ; nay more, if you think of soil in such 

 a state as I have endeavoured to describe, with no drain- 

 age to support a cane crop, though the fields are 

 quite clean when the manure is applied, if you cannot 

 get people to keep them clean and forking may not be 

 done, then it stands to reason, and is a fa6l, that the 

 cane-roots being unhealthy are unable to utilise all the 

 manure, the weed roots in the soil being in a more 

 natural condition will unfortunately greedily absorb the 

 plant-food and the result is an increased growth of grass 

 to add greatly to our troubles. 



There are other changes that may be seen, and per- 

 haps not the least strange is the alteration that takes 

 place in the grasses on heavy soil land. Fields that you 

 knew grew nut grass (Cyperiis rotundus) or para grass 

 (Panicum molle) so luxuriantly in former time.*--, are now 

 found instead to be infe6led by sour grass (Paspalum con- 

 jugatumji a sort of wire grass (Scirpus capillarisj that 



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