133 



Nitrogen 

 Total K 2 0* 

 " IJ 



' 2 ^5 



" CaO 

 " Ca CO 



of the banana I cxn suggest no maaures as desirable or necessary, 

 .and conclude that cultivation alone will sufiic3 for full crops of 

 standard fruit for many years to come." 



The following analyses by Mr. Cousins are given for comparison, as 

 samples of soils in St. Catherine which grow bananas successfully : — 



Lawrence Field. Rodens Pen. 



Humus . . 1 • 79 per cent. 1 • 54 per cent. 



•157 " " -147 " " 



• 4827 « « -4284 " " 



•2124 " " -1868 " " 



•9996 " " 1-5148" " 



.17 " " *42 " " 



Available K 2 .0518" " -0108" " 



" P 2 5 . . .0624 " " 0695 " " 



These figures are calculated on the ' air-dried' soil and not on soil 

 dried at 100 dg. as usual 



CULTIVATION. 



As a general exampla of cultivation, 1 will take the case of an estate 

 on the north side where the soil is a heavy loam, 9 to 15 inches deep, 

 with the subsoil of stiff clay, and the rainfall 90 inches. The general 

 operations would be as follows : — 



For plants, start in January, plough 9 inches deep, throwing a 

 furrow 14 inches wide. This plough will require a team of eight 

 cattle to pull it Two ploughs will do 3 acres a day. Harrow, and 

 allow it to lie fallow till first week in March. Then plough and cross 

 plough 6 inches deep, and harrow. Line 14 feet square. Dig holes 

 2 ft. 6 inches every way, and fill in with surface soil. 



Dig suckers, beginning first week in February, one month before 

 they are wanted, and only digging each weik what can be planted 

 each week a month later Plant the second week of March to the end 

 of April. Keep stirred with the plough 3 to 4 inches deep in fine 

 weather, say every eight weeks, but in wet weather simply bill with 

 cutlass. Select the strongest shoot for the plant, which will fruit in 

 the following February or March. 



Prune off all suckers until June, then leave one sucker just coming 

 out of the ground, which will fruit in the following April. In October 

 leave another on the opposite side of the stem, which will fruit the 

 following spring twelve months. In February leave another, which, 

 will fruit in 15 or 16 months. 



On such an estate 66 to 70 par cent, of plants, and 88 to 90 per cent, 

 of first ratoons should give bunches. Taking a seven-year period, the 

 yield should be 330 payable bunches per acre par annum. 



On the south side after lining at 15 by 15 feet, the irrigation canals 

 would be laid out and water supplied to young plants every 5 or 6 

 .days, to ratoons every 10 days, at the rate of 2 to 2\ cubic yards to 



K a O represents Pot »ssium oxide. 

 P a 5 represents Phosphoric anhydride.] 

 Ca O represents Calcium oxide or lime. 

 |Oa C0 3 represents Calcium carbonate. 



