﻿468 
  L. 
  D. 
  CLEARS, 
  JR. 
  

  

  of 
  trenches 
  full 
  of 
  water, 
  along 
  which 
  large 
  punts 
  can 
  be 
  drawn 
  by 
  mules. 
  (These 
  

   trenches 
  also, 
  when 
  occasion 
  demands, 
  provide 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  irrigating 
  the 
  fields 
  ; 
  

   they 
  are 
  supplied 
  with 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  savannahs 
  or 
  from 
  inland 
  creeks, 
  this 
  water 
  

   being 
  conserved 
  for 
  the 
  purpose). 
  Each 
  field 
  in 
  its 
  turn 
  is 
  divided 
  into 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  long 
  parallel 
  beds 
  by 
  narrow 
  drains 
  two 
  to 
  three 
  feet 
  deep, 
  which 
  extend 
  the 
  

   whole 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  and 
  discharge 
  into 
  the 
  main 
  drainage 
  or 
  ' 
  side-line 
  ' 
  trenches, 
  

   which 
  have 
  ultimate 
  access 
  to 
  the 
  sea 
  in 
  front 
  through 
  a 
  large 
  wooden 
  door 
  or 
  sluice, 
  

   which 
  is 
  closed 
  when 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  sea-water 
  rises 
  above 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  drainage 
  trenches. 
  

   The 
  beds 
  referred 
  to 
  are 
  on 
  an 
  average 
  three 
  rhynland 
  rods 
  in 
  width 
  (37 
  feet) 
  and 
  of 
  

   varying 
  lengths, 
  from 
  30 
  rods 
  upwards. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  fields 
  having 
  been 
  cleared 
  of 
  all 
  trees, 
  bush 
  and 
  weeds, 
  rows 
  are 
  marked 
  

   off 
  across 
  the 
  beds 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  the 
  small 
  drains 
  five, 
  six, 
  seven, 
  or 
  even 
  eight 
  feet 
  

   apart, 
  as 
  the 
  case 
  might 
  be. 
  The 
  space 
  between 
  two 
  rows 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  a 
  ' 
  bank,' 
  

   and 
  two 
  adjacent 
  banks 
  constitute 
  an 
  ' 
  opening.' 
  A 
  sort 
  of 
  wide 
  shallow 
  drill 
  is 
  

   first 
  made 
  along 
  each 
  row, 
  half 
  the 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  distance 
  between 
  the 
  rows, 
  the 
  

   excavated 
  earth 
  being 
  placed 
  on 
  each 
  side, 
  forming 
  raised 
  ' 
  banks.' 
  The 
  earth 
  along 
  

   the 
  drill, 
  over 
  a 
  width 
  of 
  about 
  two 
  feet, 
  is 
  then 
  dug 
  about 
  nine 
  inches 
  deep 
  and 
  

   the 
  cane 
  pieces 
  or 
  ' 
  tops 
  ' 
  inserted 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  at 
  an 
  acute 
  angle, 
  at 
  regular 
  intervals, 
  

   from 
  one 
  to 
  two 
  feet 
  apart. 
  The 
  field 
  is 
  then 
  left 
  until 
  the 
  shoots 
  appear 
  and 
  weeds 
  

   spring 
  up 
  between 
  the 
  rows, 
  when 
  the 
  latter. 
  are 
  chopped 
  off 
  flush 
  with 
  the 
  ground 
  

   by 
  cutlasses 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  earth 
  scraped 
  up 
  round 
  the 
  cane 
  shoots. 
  The 
  weeds 
  are 
  

   placed 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  opening, 
  which 
  is 
  then 
  termed 
  a 
  ' 
  trash 
  bank.' 
  

   Later, 
  labourers 
  cultivate 
  each 
  ' 
  clean 
  ' 
  bank, 
  as 
  the 
  other 
  bank 
  is 
  termed, 
  with 
  

   four-pronged 
  forks 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  eight 
  or 
  nine 
  inches 
  ; 
  they 
  also 
  mould 
  up 
  the 
  cane 
  

   roots 
  further. 
  At 
  intervals, 
  as 
  is 
  found 
  necessary, 
  the 
  land 
  is 
  again 
  weeded 
  until 
  

   the 
  canes 
  are 
  high 
  enough 
  to 
  shade 
  the 
  ground 
  sufficiently 
  to 
  keep 
  down 
  further 
  

   weed 
  growth. 
  The 
  dead 
  leaves 
  or 
  ' 
  trash 
  ' 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  canes 
  

   at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  weeding 
  and 
  of 
  course 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  ' 
  trash 
  ' 
  bank. 
  

  

  u 
  When, 
  at 
  an 
  age 
  of 
  about 
  15 
  months, 
  the 
  plant-canes 
  are 
  ready 
  to 
  cut, 
  the 
  

   fields 
  are 
  set 
  on 
  fire, 
  thereby 
  consuming 
  the 
  major 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  leaves 
  and 
  

   facilitating 
  the 
  handling 
  of 
  the 
  canes. 
  The 
  canes 
  are 
  then 
  cut 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  ground, 
  

   the 
  green 
  ' 
  tops 
  ' 
  trimmed 
  off 
  and 
  retained 
  for 
  seed-pieces, 
  and 
  the 
  cane-stalks 
  carried 
  

   out 
  to 
  the 
  punts 
  waiting 
  in 
  the 
  navigation 
  trenches 
  and 
  thus 
  conveyed 
  to 
  the 
  mill. 
  

  

  " 
  After 
  cutting, 
  the 
  rows 
  are 
  ' 
  relieved 
  ' 
  of 
  the 
  trash 
  lying 
  about 
  them 
  by 
  gathering 
  

   this 
  and 
  placing 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  trash 
  bank. 
  Usually 
  the 
  trash 
  in 
  this 
  crop 
  is 
  transferred 
  

   on 
  to 
  what 
  was 
  the 
  ' 
  clean 
  ' 
  bank. 
  The 
  trash 
  bank 
  thus 
  becomes 
  the 
  clean 
  bank 
  

   and 
  as 
  such 
  is 
  dug 
  over, 
  the 
  banks 
  thus 
  receiving 
  one 
  forking 
  every 
  two 
  years. 
  Now- 
  

   adays, 
  however, 
  both 
  banks 
  are 
  usually 
  forked 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  year. 
  The 
  soil 
  around 
  

   the 
  cane-roots 
  is 
  dug 
  after 
  relieving, 
  after 
  which 
  the 
  operations 
  performed 
  are 
  similar 
  

   to 
  those 
  described 
  for 
  the 
  plant 
  crop, 
  except 
  that 
  the 
  canes 
  are 
  cut 
  when 
  about 
  12 
  

   months 
  old. 
  This 
  crop 
  is 
  termed 
  the 
  first 
  " 
  ratoon 
  " 
  crop, 
  the 
  yield 
  from 
  subsequent 
  

   ones 
  becoming 
  the 
  second, 
  third, 
  etc., 
  ratoons. 
  Ratoon 
  crops 
  usually 
  diminish 
  

   gradually 
  with 
  each 
  succeeding 
  crop, 
  until, 
  when 
  the 
  returns 
  are 
  not 
  regarded 
  as 
  satis- 
  

   factory, 
  the 
  field 
  is 
  ' 
  renewed 
  ' 
  or 
  replanted 
  by 
  forming 
  new 
  rows 
  down 
  the 
  centres 
  

   of 
  the 
  banks, 
  and 
  proceeding 
  as 
  before 
  after 
  digging 
  out 
  the 
  old 
  stumps. 
  

  

  " 
  Thus 
  the 
  land 
  is 
  continually 
  under 
  a 
  crop 
  of 
  cane 
  and 
  many 
  fields 
  have 
  been 
  

   in 
  continuous 
  cultivation 
  for 
  periods 
  varying 
  up 
  to 
  a 
  century 
  or 
  even 
  more." 
  

  

  " 
  Supplying." 
  — 
  When 
  a 
  field 
  is 
  allowed 
  to 
  ratoon, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  stools 
  usually 
  

   fail 
  to 
  spring. 
  These 
  deficiencies 
  are 
  replaced 
  by 
  " 
  supplying 
  " 
  the 
  field. 
  Supplying 
  

   is 
  either 
  accomplished 
  with 
  " 
  tops 
  " 
  or 
  " 
  stumps." 
  

  

  " 
  Stumps." 
  — 
  Old 
  stools 
  dug 
  from 
  other 
  fields 
  (usually 
  from 
  the 
  old 
  banks 
  of 
  

   fields 
  that 
  are 
  being 
  replanted) 
  and 
  used 
  to 
  supply 
  deficiencies 
  elsewhere. 
  

  

  