Miscellaneous, 



164 



[August, I90t). 



This is a question that has often been 

 raised by cultivators, and is one that has 

 received attention at the hands of 

 experimenters. 



In the tropics, vegetative growth is 

 exceedingly rapid, and consequently the 

 expenses of weeding crops that take 

 some years to reach the full-bearing 

 stage are often enormous, and not infre- 

 quently they represent a very large 

 proportion of the total expenses of the 

 plantation. It is possible that this 

 expense can be reduced, without sacri- 

 ficing in any way the health and vigour 

 of the permanent crops or without 

 damaging the condition of the soil ? 

 This question is particularly of import- 

 ance to the cultivator who is commenc- 

 ing with small capital, who therefore 

 desires to raise a plantation of healthy 

 trees as economically as possible. Nor is 

 it without interest to the capitalist, 

 especially when low prices render 

 it necessary to reduce expenditure. 

 Further, it is a matter that should 

 receive the attention of the peasant 

 proprietor. 



In planting a large number of per- 

 manent crops, it is the common practice 

 to interplant with such temporary crops 

 as bananas, plantains, cassava, etc, in 

 order that some returns may be obtained 

 during the first few years of growth. 

 This practice may be considered a satis- 

 factory one from a weeding point of 

 view, for the shade afforded by the tem- 

 porary crops considerably reduces the 

 number of weeds, and therefore reduces 

 expenses. Sooner or later, however, it 

 is necessary for the growth of the per- 

 manent trees that the greater portion of 

 the provision crops should be removed. 

 Weeds now become more numerous and 

 require more constant attention, and 

 again the question arises as to what is 

 the most economical method of dealing 

 with weeds in order that the best results 

 may be obtained from the permanent 

 crops. 



Methods. 



The different methods that may be 

 adopted may here be grouped under 

 separate sub-heads. It is possible to 

 practise the following methods :— 



(a) Clean weeding, either by means of 

 constant use of the fork and hoe or by 

 means of the hoe alone. 



(b) Clean weeding and cu tlassing -by 

 clean weeding a circle around each tree, 

 and allowing the weeds in the intervals 

 to grow, to be cutlassed down at definite 

 intervals. 



(c) Cutlassing- by allowing the weeds 

 to grow and to cut them down periodi- 

 cally with a cutlass, and either to use 

 the weeds as a mulch around the trees or 

 to allow them to remain where cut. 



(d) Green middling— hy growing 

 " smother crops " to kill out the weeds, 

 to be cutlassed down periodically and 

 allowed to rot on the ground. 



The advantages and disadvantages of 

 the different systems may now be briefly 

 discussed :— 



(a) Clean weeding. — This is carried out 

 by forking the land between the trees 

 at definite intervals and by weeding 

 with a hoe. Sometimes the forking is 

 dispensed with. The hoe alone is then 

 used, and the weeds are either buried or 

 allowed to rot in heaps. This system is 

 adopted on many cacao plantations 

 in the West Indies, where a thorough 

 forking is given once in every two or 

 three years, and the weeds that grow 

 during the intervening years are cut up 

 with the hoe and buried in small pits 

 dug throughout the fields, while the 

 fields are lightened by " cracking " the 

 earth with the fork without turning the 

 soil. On other cacao estates the forking 

 is dispensed with and hoeing is practised, 

 the weeds being buried in small pits, 

 while on some lime estates where hoeing 

 alone is practised the weeds are allowed 

 to rot in heaps or are collected around 

 the roots of the trees. 



Thorough forking of the soil renders 

 it more pliable and more easy of drain- 

 age, and prevents the drying of the lower 

 soil by capillary action. It also lets in 

 light and air into the soil and generally 

 improves the tilth. Against this it may 

 be pointed out that as the land is denuded 

 of any covering, a large amount of 



SURFACE EVAPORATION 



of moisture and of heat radiation takes 

 place, while the •' baking " effect of the 

 tropical sun may have some injurious 

 effect upon the normal bacterial action 

 in the soil, whereby the dormant plant 

 food is made available. Heavy rains, 

 moreover, wash most of the finer soil 

 particles and humus of the surface soil 

 deeper down, and a large quantity of this 

 valuable soil may eventually find its way 

 into the drains, especially if the land is 

 not quite flat. If the permanent trees 

 have grown to a fair size, the forking 

 may produce heavy root pruning, that 

 may set them back for some time. 

 Further, forking is a particularly costly 

 process, as also is hoeing and the burial 

 of weeds. The use of the hoe alone is 

 not genei ally to be recommended, for it 

 has usually been found that only the top 

 soil is scraped, that a hard surface is 

 left beneath this, and that the weeds 

 are rarely satisfactorily dealt with. 



(b) Clean Weeding and Cutlassing.-^ 

 This method consists of keeping a circle 

 clean around the trees, with forkings at 

 definite periods, and allowing the weeds 



