July, 1911.] 



27 



Edible Products. 



banana in favour of these crops that are 

 not so subject to damage from wind. 



The fertility of these soils and their 

 adaptability to cultivation are even 

 greater than the bare figures of the ana- 

 lysis would indicate, while the rainfall 

 is liberal and the climate hot and humid 

 and favourable to the growing of large 

 crops. 



No. 11. This is a soil that has been 

 found to grow bananas well in Vere. The 

 recent developments in the modernisa- 

 tion of the sugar industry in that parish 

 have, however, encouraged the planters 

 to grow more canes, and this would ap- 

 pear to be a more suitable and satisfac- 

 tory crop for this, the most fertile allu- 

 vial tract in the island. 



No. 12. This is a good specimen of 

 some of the abandoned cane lands of St. 

 James, which are rich but rather reten- 

 tive soils requiring only thorough tillage 

 an.1 ample drainage to yield fine crops 

 of bananas. 



There are great possibilities for the ex- 

 tension of the banana as a cultivated 

 crop in this parish, but in many cases 

 special methods and treatment of the 

 soil are required to ensure success. The 

 ' Sugar-cane climate ' associated with a 

 dry spring is a difficulty which may re- 

 quire in some districts special measures 

 for securing a good tilth and mulching 

 to secure a good return of early fruit 

 when the pr ices r ule high. 



Cultivation. 



In dealing with this matter, it is ob- 

 vious that there must be great differ- 

 ences between banana planting on a hill- 

 side clay in St. Mary, on an alluvial «and 

 in Portland, on the irrigable lands of St. 

 Catherine and on the old sugar lands in 

 districts of partial rainfall, In each 

 case the procedure would differ in some 

 respects. 



Again, as in most practical arts, several 

 practitioners may attain equally good 

 results by very different methods. 



The details given in the following 

 pages are those that have been kindly 

 supplied to the Department by our lead- 

 ing planters and authorities on the 

 practical cultivation of the banana, 

 while hints from the Agricultural In- 

 structors of the Department have also 

 been embodied, and where so mauy have 

 co-operated it would be invidious to 

 mention names, but it is desired here- 

 with to acknowledge and to thank all 

 those who have assisted in this matter. 



A leading Attorney of banana estates 

 writes 



Northside Cultivation. 

 " As a general example of cultivation, 

 I will take the case of an estate on the 

 northside 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 fol- 

 lows :— 



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 feet 6 inches every 

 way, and fill in with surface soil. 



Dig suckers, beginning first week in 

 February, one month before they are 

 wanted, and on'y diarging each week 

 what can be plarfted 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 the cutlass. 

 Select the strongest shoot for the plant, 

 which will fruit in the following Feb- 

 ruary or March. 



Prune off all suckers vrntil June, then 

 leave one sucker just coming out of the 

 ground, which will fruit in tne following 

 April. In October leave another on the 

 opposite side of the stem, which will 

 fruit in the following spring twelve 

 months. In February leave another, 

 which will fruit in 15 or 16 months. 



On such an estate 66 to 70 per cent, of 

 plants, and 88 to 90 per cent, of first 

 ratoons should give ' straight ' or com- 

 mercial bunches of nine hands. Taking 

 a seven-year period, the yield should be 

 330 payable bunches per acre per annum. 



Southside Cultivation. 

 " On the southside 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 1\ cubic yards 

 per hour to each acre. No plough is used 

 for the first three years on this light 

 soil, but instead the hoe and the Assam 

 fork. 



I will now go more into detail. 



Preparation of Land. 

 Clearing-— In ground covered with 

 forest or woodland some are content to 

 cut down and burn, leaving the stumps 

 to decay ; but it is better if it can be 

 done, so to fall the trees that they will 

 tear up their roots in their descent. 

 The tree should be carefully selected, 



