September i, 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
Lay of Laud, — A nice goutle slope, well protected 
from winds and with an eastern aspect, should be 
chosen if possible, but as regards aspect I do not 
cousider it an absolute necessity, as 1 have seen 
pepper growing with other aspects, and doing ex- 
ceedingly well. 
Soil. — Light sanely soil must be avoided, as peppor 
likes soil of a retentive nature. The majority of 
the soil in the Si raits is of this description, being 
composed principally of disintegrated granite and fer- 
ruginous (day, with a free subsoil, aud ou top generally 
a few inches of Vegetable mould. Pepper also grows 
well in well drained swamps composed almost of 
pure vegetable matter. I have also seen it growing 
ID magnificent volcanic soil, and the peppor, though 
very flue, showed clearly, both iu wood anil crop, that 
the soil was a little too free, and did not retain 
sufficient moisture during the hot weather. 
Felling and '/leaving. — This work if possible should 
be done on contract. The men commence by cutting 
down all the undergrowth aud small trees and spread- 
ing these evenly over the ground. They then com- 
mence from the bottom of the clearing and work 
upwards, cutting all the trees half through. On the 
top of these tuey fell a "gniut of the forest," and 
this brings down the trees immediately beiow and 
around it, and they iu turu briug down the others. 
The men then proceed ovei the ft lied clearing, and 
lop oil all branches, and if these latter are too large, 
out thorn up also, all being spread out so as to cover 
the ground. When well dry, the clearing is fired. 
It is best to agree with the contractor to take the 
risk of the burn, as if it should turn out bad, he 
has to heap aud burn again. Besides if he takes the 
risk, he will be all the more likely do the work 
well. 
Digging- — After the burn the clearing should bo 
dug up entirely to the depth of ono foot, all roots, 
twigs, etc., being carefully heaped and all small logs 
over six feet in length kept for temporary posts; 
but if labour is abundant, I advise permanent posts 
being split at once, iu which case the small (6 foot) 
logs cau be added to the pile of roots, etc. I will, 
however, presume that the permauent posts cannot 
be split in time, so that temporary ones must be 
used. 
lioail* should bo cut so as to give easy communi- 
cation to every part of the estate. The gradient 
should not exceed one foot in twenty (?'. c. a rise 
or fall of one foot in every twenty feet), as then 
the roads can eventually bo turned into cart roads, 
making transport of manure cheap and easy. The 
extra outlay will eventually amply repay itself. Breadth 
of the road not less than 4 feet, aud if it is to be 
eventually widened, the extra bit required for the 
widouing should not be planted. Having chosen the 
line your road is to fake, drive iu a small peg 
i about 8" long) to the Uve] of the ground anil be- 
side it drive another peg (about 18" long) so as to 
show where the level peg is. On the level peg place 
your tracer, alter having adjusted it to the proper 
gradient. A cooly with the sighting pole should go 
on ahead about 25 feet or so, and when the gndient 
m found, a small peg should be driven in to the 
level. Another sight should be taken to see if all 
18 correot, and another long peg driven in beside 
the level peg. The tracer i-. then brought iu to the 
second level peg, and the Wul'k proceeds as before. 
When the road is cut a drain one foot deep and 
wide should be cut on the inside, aud the road 
should have a slight slope in the direction. 
Drain* should be traced at the same gradient as 
tho londs, but the h vel peg is not needed. They 
should he u chain apart and IS inches deep and 
broad, liroat care is needed in tracing drains, ns 
if (here bo any deviation in tho trace, the drain is 
apt to burst during a heavy .shower. All drains 
should be led into the nearest ravine; but if that 
mount be done, or tho drain be too long, outlet 
drains should tie cut, nil I erne should be taken not to 
ruler the pmi-s drains in pa.rs, but alternately, and 
the last few feet should have a steeper gradient, so 
•8 to iuvo the. tides of the outlot drains. 
Lining. — Pegs having been cut 18 inches long, a base 
line should be ruu at right angles to the road, pigs 
being placed seven feet apart. Some plant 8' v. 8', but { 
consider 7' x T the right distance. Having run the 
base line to the end of the clearing, a cross ljue must 
be run at right angles to the base line, and the pegs 
placed the same distance. A rope is then taken about 
180' long, and this is mtasured at regular intervals of 
V and is marked off by a bit of coloured cloth. The 
rope should be remeasured 3 or 4 tunes a day, aud 
alway s after a shower. The two euds are then tied to 
two sticks, and a cooly takes hold at each end. One 
man places the end rag on the rope at his end, on the 
top of tho cioss line peg nearest the base line. A man 
at tho other ond measures with a seven foot stick 
lrom and at right angles with the base line, and puts in 
a peg at the ond of tho measure. The rope is then 
pulled straight, aud the pegs placed in to correspond 
with the rags ou the rone. The subsequent work is the 
same. Beyond the lo. k of the thing I see no use in 
square lining, aud a place looks just as well if lined as 
above. Lining 7' * V gives 880 to tbe acre, 8' x 8' 
gives 081, a considerable difference. 
Holing. — At each peg a small whole should be cut, 
about a foot deep and large enough to take the 
temporary post, which should be firmly fixed in it. 
On tho lower side of the post the soil should be 
dug up to a distance of about 18 inches from it, 
and about 9 inohes deep aud in a heart shape, the 
broader end being near the post. All rootlets, etc., 
being removed, the earth is piled up along tho centre 
in a ridge leading from the post, leaving a hollow 
on three sides. It is then ready to receive the cutting. 
Nursery. — Cuttings should be bought, or if they 
are vines, cut two months before they are required 
for planting. Each cutting should have not less 
than seveu root joints and two branches, but three 
are preferable. When cut from the vine| they should 
have all the branches cut off the seven joints which 
are to form roots, the next two or three branches 
left, and all above the top branch that is left should 
be cut off about half au inch above the joint, all 
such cuts being clean ones. Cuttings should not be 
taken from old vines, nor should old bark hardened 
cuttings be used, as in both cases they grow very 
slowly and never make good vines. In choosing 
cuttings, there is one kind which should always be 
rejected. It is difficult to tell it from a good 
cutting. It has the rojts like the other cuttings, 
aud may look healthy and probably does, but if 
carefully examined, au eye or even two or three will 
be seen at the root joiuts, and all is round aud 
smooth, and the top and eyes will only keep on 
sending out branch shoots upwards without roots, aud 
iu clusters, aud no amount of cutting down will 
change its growth. Having chosen a flat site 
close to water for your nursery, have it dug 
up to a depth of 15 to 18 inches, and all roots, 
etc., removed. Put over this a covering about 
5' 6" high, and thoroughly shade. Divide the 
ground into beds 4 feet broad and any length, 
having paths between each bed, paths being either 
ou the same level, or even raised above the beds 
slightly. Begin at one end of a bed, and cut a 
trench across deep enough to take the cutting as far as 
the lowest branch. The top side of the trench should 
have a slight slope, and against this slope tho cut- 
tings should be laid roots downwards, and about three 
inches from each other. The cuttings having been 
placed in the trench as described, against them a slop- 
ing bank of soil, about! inches broad, should belaid, 
and against this hank another layer of cuttings, which 
are again covered like tho first row, the subsequent 
layers being placid the same way, to that cuttings will 
be 3" x 4" apart. Immediately after btiug planted 
they should be watered, and should have water ri gularly 
morning and evening and sufficient to thoroughly 
sink into the soil. Of good cutting*, about ."> °/ 0 die in 
the nursery. Care must be taken that tho lowest fork 
formed by the stem and branch of tho cutting .sbon'.d 
not bo buried. 
Burin' Earth. — It will be noticed that under tho 
heading "Digging ' I have recommended all rooti, etc., to 
