131 



AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 



OF THE 



STRAITS 



AND 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



No. 1.] APRIL, 1909. [Vol. VIII. 



CLEAN WEEDING V. TEPHROSIA. 



For a long' time scientists have called attention to the 

 •disadvantage of weeding and have advised the introduction 

 of new methods ; but their ideas have not been well received, 

 and so far little has been done on practical lines. 



Interest has however been awakened, experiments with 

 leguminous and other plants are common, and I hope to be 

 able to show, that one plant may be used with both econo- 

 mical and other advantages. 



In this article it is not proposed to go into the theore- 

 tical side of the matter. What at present appeals most to 

 people is the cash expenditure for keeping weeds down — 

 or out, the cheapest way being naturally the most popular 

 one, and weeding will here only be dealt with from this 

 point of view. 



Of course with virgin jungle properly dealt with from 

 the start, the weeding bill should never look high, and old 

 established estates will perhaps naturally adhere to their 

 old method. 



Most plantations have however in one corner or an- 

 other a block of old abandoned paddyfields or Malay kam- 

 pongs and in such places a cheap method of getting rid of 

 weeds is much wanted. 



I at any rate to get have had the bad luck of getting 

 a few acres of such land indifferently burnt and all the 

 planters who have seen it, have invariably advised me to 

 ehangkol the whole place at a cost of anything between 

 $20 and $60 an acre. 



For various reasons this work was not done, but I 

 believe most planters will from experience be able to state, 

 if the above price is correct. 



