﻿464 
  L. 
  D. 
  CLEARE, 
  JR. 
  

  

  Stumping* 
  

  

  The 
  habit 
  of 
  supplying 
  fields 
  with 
  " 
  stumps,"* 
  as 
  is 
  often 
  practised, 
  cannot 
  be 
  

   looked 
  upon 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  light 
  than 
  one 
  fraught 
  with 
  dangers. 
  Insect 
  pests, 
  such 
  

   as 
  Castnia 
  and 
  termites, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  fungus 
  diseases 
  like 
  Marasmius, 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  be 
  

   disseminated 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  while 
  from 
  a 
  purely 
  agricultural 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  it 
  would 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  inadvisable. 
  

  

  It 
  should 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  in 
  planting 
  a 
  stump 
  one 
  is 
  doing 
  nothing 
  more 
  than 
  

   planting 
  into 
  a 
  field 
  ratoons 
  of 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  stumps 
  were 
  

   obtained, 
  often 
  many 
  years 
  older 
  than 
  the 
  field 
  into 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  being 
  planted. 
  

   There 
  is 
  some 
  little 
  argument 
  in 
  their 
  favour 
  from 
  this 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  when 
  the 
  supplying 
  

   is 
  being 
  done 
  to 
  ratoon 
  fields 
  of 
  some 
  years' 
  standing, 
  but 
  even 
  this 
  point 
  disappears 
  

   in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  plant 
  fields, 
  while 
  to 
  plant 
  entire 
  fields 
  of 
  stumps 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  me 
  

   to 
  have 
  no 
  advantage 
  whatever. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  realised 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  plants 
  in 
  a 
  field 
  have 
  reached, 
  say, 
  five 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  

   supplying 
  with 
  tops 
  is 
  hardly 
  advisable, 
  but 
  if 
  supplying 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  carried 
  out 
  

   before 
  this, 
  the 
  difficulty 
  could 
  be 
  got 
  over 
  by 
  using 
  stumps 
  raised 
  from 
  tops 
  in 
  a 
  

   nursery 
  or 
  field 
  set 
  aside 
  for 
  the 
  purpose, 
  and 
  not 
  dug 
  haphazard 
  from 
  any 
  field 
  

   on 
  the 
  estate. 
  

  

  Rationing 
  Period. 
  

  

  From 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  estimates 
  of 
  infestations 
  made 
  during 
  last 
  year 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  

   that 
  the 
  ratooning 
  period 
  and 
  the 
  infestation 
  of 
  borer 
  show 
  some 
  relationship. 
  Thus 
  

   plant-canes 
  are 
  invariably 
  less 
  affected 
  than 
  ratoons, 
  the 
  infestation 
  gradually 
  

   increasing 
  year 
  after 
  year 
  and 
  attaining 
  its 
  highest 
  point 
  in 
  " 
  old 
  canes." 
  The 
  

   average 
  infestations 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  : 
  plant-canes 
  20-9 
  per 
  cent. 
  ; 
  

   1st 
  ratoons 
  26-6 
  per 
  cent. 
  ; 
  2nd 
  ratoons 
  21 
  -7 
  per 
  cent. 
  ; 
  3rd 
  ratoons 
  25-1 
  per 
  cent. 
  ; 
  

   and 
  old 
  canes 
  25-2 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  The 
  infestation 
  varied 
  somewhat, 
  and 
  the 
  percentages 
  of 
  joints 
  affected 
  were 
  

   found 
  to 
  be 
  : 
  in 
  plant-canes 
  from 
  11 
  to 
  29 
  per 
  cent. 
  ; 
  in 
  1st 
  ratoons 
  from 
  19 
  to 
  37 
  

   per 
  cent. 
  ; 
  in 
  2nd 
  ratoons 
  from 
  15 
  to 
  21 
  per 
  cent. 
  ; 
  in 
  3rd 
  ratoons 
  from 
  11 
  to 
  31 
  

   per 
  cent. 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  old 
  canes 
  from 
  16 
  to 
  43 
  per 
  cent. 
  These 
  figures, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  remem- 
  

   bered, 
  are 
  for 
  one 
  year 
  only, 
  and 
  from 
  a 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  fields, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  error 
  

   will 
  be 
  somewhat 
  high. 
  

  

  The 
  amount 
  of 
  " 
  old 
  canes 
  " 
  in 
  cultivation 
  should 
  therefore 
  be 
  reduced 
  to 
  a 
  

   minimum, 
  and 
  should 
  never 
  be 
  more 
  than 
  one-fifth 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  area 
  under 
  cultivation, 
  

   if 
  possible. 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  manner, 
  plant-canes 
  and 
  1st, 
  2nd 
  and 
  3rd 
  ratoons 
  should 
  

   be 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  area 
  ; 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  the 
  cultivation 
  should 
  be 
  divided 
  into 
  five 
  equal 
  

   parts 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  ratooning 
  periods. 
  

  

  From 
  every 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  the 
  advisability 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  of 
  replanting 
  fields 
  every 
  

   five 
  years 
  at 
  most, 
  while 
  periods 
  of 
  four 
  years 
  would 
  be 
  preferable. 
  The 
  practical 
  

   planter 
  often 
  puts 
  forward 
  against 
  this 
  system 
  the 
  argument 
  that 
  if 
  a 
  field 
  is 
  giving 
  

   a 
  good 
  return 
  — 
  and 
  two 
  tons 
  per 
  acre 
  is 
  considered 
  a 
  good 
  return 
  — 
  why 
  should 
  it 
  

   be 
  replanted 
  ? 
  The 
  answer 
  to 
  this 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  two 
  other 
  questions 
  : 
  How 
  

   many 
  fields 
  of 
  over 
  five 
  years' 
  standing 
  (4th 
  ratoons) 
  are 
  giving 
  two 
  tons 
  per 
  acre 
  ? 
  

   and, 
  Why 
  not 
  replant 
  the 
  field 
  and 
  get 
  a 
  greater 
  yield, 
  which 
  will 
  more 
  than 
  repay 
  

   the 
  cost 
  of 
  replanting 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  reduce 
  the 
  borer 
  infestation 
  ? 
  

  

  It 
  might 
  even 
  seem 
  advisable 
  to 
  abandon 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  under 
  cultivation, 
  

   where 
  necessary, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  smaller 
  area 
  obtain 
  the 
  same 
  total 
  yield. 
  The 
  concen- 
  

   tration 
  of 
  labour 
  and 
  expenditure 
  would 
  make 
  for 
  better 
  cultivation 
  and 
  control, 
  

   and 
  probably 
  a 
  larger 
  yield 
  per 
  acre, 
  while 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  fields 
  of 
  old 
  canes 
  that 
  

   are 
  nothing 
  but 
  a 
  drain 
  on 
  the 
  returns 
  would 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  extent 
  disappear. 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  Appendix. 
  

  

  