250 
tlie  difficulty  ot  lincling  the  necessary  lal)Our  at  the  time  it  is  wanted. 
But  thouj^h  some  extra  labour  is  undoubtedly  required  to  keep  land 
well  cultivated  it  will,  when  tried,  be  found  the  most  economical 
])lan  in  the  long  run.  It  is  useless  for  farmers  to  expect  satisfac- 
tory crops  if  they  make  no  efforts  to  keep  their  land  free  from 
weeds,  and  to  obtain  clean  seeds,  even  if  the  other  conditions  of 
cultivation  are  favourable. 
Clean  iJin'ing  Growth. — But,  in  addition  to  the  greatest  care  in 
the  cleaning  of  tlie  land  before  the  crop  is  put  in,  and  the  selection 
of  seed  a system  of  cultivation  cannot,  be  deemed  jjerfect  unless 
efforts  are  made  to  destroy  alien  vegetation  while  growth  is  pro- 
gressing. This  is  generally  admitted  in  garden  practice  with  our 
own  cultivators,  and  by  farmers  in  countries  where  agriculture  is 
carried  on  systematically,  but  in  growing  grain  crops  in  this  part 
of  the  world  it  is  quite  ignored.  1 he  farmers  of  Gr(jat  Britain  find 
it  pays  them  best  to  put  in  cereal  or  other  corps  in  such  a way  that 
they  may,  without  difficulty,  be  kept  free  from  weeds  during  the 
early  stages  of  growth.  In  that  country,  as  also  in  others  where 
agriculture  is  carried  on  systematically,  grain  crops,  as  a rule,  are 
put  in  the  ground  with  a seed-drill  in  regular  rows.  Under  this 
system  there  is  no  difficulty  in  using  cultivating  implements  during 
the  early  stages  of  growth,  and  consequently  crops  can  be  kept 
free  to  a great  extent  from  alien  plants.  1 his  is  a great  advantage, 
as  it  enables  cultivators  to  place  their  crops  under  the  most  favour- 
able conditions  for  a free  and  uninterrupted  growth. 
And  not  only  are  the  conditions  for  growth  more  favourable 
when  the  drill  is  used,  but  it  also  effects  a considerable  saving  in 
the  quantity  of  seed  required.  In  fact,  not  more  than  half  as  much 
required  as  in  sowing  broadcast,  which  is  the  plan  generally  fol- 
lowed in  this  part  of  the  world.  By  the  use  of  drilling  machines 
the  seed  is  sown  regularly  at  a uniform  depth,  and  nearly  every 
grain  that  is  put  into  the  ground  becomes  a serviceable  plant.  On 
the  other  hand,  when  seed  is  scattered  broadcast  over  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  the  crops  are  apt  to  come  up  irregularly,  and  many 
of  the  grains  do  not  germinate  at  all. 
By  keeping  crops  free  from  weeds  that  would  interfere  with  their 
growth,  and  allowing  sufficient  space  between  the  plants  for  free 
development,  the  cultivator  must  necessarily  obtain  much  better 
returns  than  if  these  essentials  are  neglected.  In  garden  practice 
these  conditions  are  generally  observed  by  cultivators,  and  the 
more  closely  they  are  observed  by  agriculturists  the  better. 
:o: 
WASHED  SOILS : HOW  TO  PREVENT  AND 
RECLAIM  THEM. 
FROM  THE  JAMAICA  BULLETIN. 
The  Erosion,  or  Washing,  of  Agricultural  r^oiLS. 
'Fhe  denudation,  or  washing,  of  lands  of  the  higher  levels  of  the 
earth’s  surface  is  a process  which  no  human  precaution  can  w'holh' 
