V 



FIELD CULTURE 



139 



which does not need to keep the land for a long enough 

 time to interfere with the development of the coco-nuts, 

 or to have to be sacrificed when the coco-nuts need the 

 whole of the ground. This is equivalent to saying that 

 it must be a crop which can either be removed at the 

 end of not more than three years, or which can endure 

 being shaded after that time, by the coco-nuts. In 

 spite of the fact that it has already been advised that if 

 any catch-crop be grown a return of fertilizers be made 

 to the soil to balance what the catch-crop removes from 

 it, it is advisable in choosing the catch-crop to give the 

 preference to one which is known not to make too 

 heavy demands on the soil's fertility. For instance, 

 tobacco if at all intensively grown, makes very heavy 

 demands on the fertility of the soil. In other respects, 

 it would be a valuable catch-crop, but for this one 

 reason, it is not in general to be recommended. So far 

 as possible, it is advisable to give the preference to 

 a catch-crop which will be consumed on the ground, 

 rather than to one which provides an article of commerce 

 which contains in considerable quantity any mineral 

 food ; and a crop whose seed or grain only is sold from the 

 plantation is better than one of which the whole plant 

 is sold. 



Taking up now a few individual crops which might 

 be used in this way, the commonest choice is rice or 

 some other grain. Eice used in this way must be 

 upland rice. Except during the first year of use of 

 land previously in forest, upland rice requires a great 

 deal of weeding, and this work takes so much time 

 that where it must be done by hired day labour, this 

 labour must be exceedingly cheap or the crop can not 

 be made to pay a profit. Owners of small groves, 

 whose children or whose dependants can do this weeding, 

 and who therefore do not have to take its cost into 

 account, can raise it as a catch-crop among coco-nuts 

 better probably than any other crop. If nothing but 

 the grain is taken away from the soil, the latter is 

 impoverished in but a very slight degree, and the 



