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strength is thrown into the formation of the bunch which is con- 

 sequently finer ; but the plant has not such a good hold of the ground, 

 the bulb decays and leaves a hole, and the plant is liable to be blown 

 over. The soil should be well drawn up over the bulb when planted. 



IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE. 



^ JTrenches. — The water channels should be close to the suckers when 

 first planted, but when the plants are well established, the channels 

 should be made in the centre of the rows, for if the water is applied 

 close to the b;>se of the stem, it encourages the production and growth 

 of suckers, and in this way unnecessarily weakens the plant. 



Drainage. — Perfect drainage is absolutely necessary for bananas. 

 It is even more important to elaborate a system of drains for an irriga- 

 tion district than to provide water canals, for more harm is done by 

 having too much water than too little. But drains are equally 

 important on clay soils or subsoils when the water is supplied by the 

 natural rainfall. On ground where there is not much fall, the drains 

 naturally follow the slope. But on hill -sides they should be made 

 across the slope with only just sufficient fall to carry off the water ; if 

 there are natural gullies the drains are led into them. In making 

 drains it is a great mistake to make them too shallow from motives of 

 economy. 



CULTIVATION AFTER PLANTING. 



Various opinions are held by banana planters about ploughing. 

 Some who have planted in light, loamy soils have been reaping excellent 

 crops for some years without any ploughing. Others, with heavy 

 soil, plough every 8 weeks with a 6-inch plough, alternately one way 

 and across. Others again plough only once a year. 



My friend who is establishing a cocoa walk with bananas — before 

 planting — ploughs, cross-ploughs, harrows and, when necessary, 

 trenches, afterwards he ploughs with a small plough (with moon- 

 coulter attached) three to six times a year. On banana lines, where 

 a plough cannot work, he forks occasionally and hoes frequently. He 

 says that the plough is far more effectual in breaking up the soil than 

 any other implement he has tried, and it keeps the land clean much 

 longer. The plough works from 4 to 6 inches deep, and the cultivator 

 2 to 3 inches. Another planter forks once a year, and uses the 

 cultivator to keep the weeds down. When the grass is too high for 

 the cultivator he uses hoes, and only substitutes the plough for the 

 hoe, or cultivator when labour is scarce. Both plough and cultivator 

 are kept to two inches in depth in order to avoid destroying roots. 



Keeping down weeds, maintaining a surface mulch, and loosening 

 the soil, are all important matter s in the cultivation of bananas as of 

 other plants, and I am of opinion that a judicious pruning of the roots 

 by the plough is also of great value, for as the roots do not naturally 

 branch but grow straight out to great distances, pruning the roots 

 induces branching at the severed ends, and a further production of 

 roots from the bulb. 



A planter, for whose judgment I have the greatest respect, writes as 

 follows : — ' I do not think that ploughing close to the banana and 

 cutting through the roots does any harm. On the contrary, I am 

 certain it does good— principally I think because the cutting gives 

 fresh impetus to the roots, and this activity increases the growth of 



