THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Jan. i, 1894. 
no one at that time who doubted the mischievous 
efiect of weeds on the coffee. The weeds had no 
friends till long after clean weeding had been nni- 
versally practised, and then there were only one or 
two who pleaded for their being tolerated or en- 
couraged. One persistent advocate of weeds was 
allowed to use the columns of a leading paper for 
some time, but he made few if any converts, and 
at last the editor refused to publish his letters any 
longer. The subject was exhausted." 
'i'be editor does not mention here the greater 
enemy Buperintendents had to contend with, the 
black bug ; (ind the then proprietora the financial 
oiiBiB. If it was the weeds, then bow ie it the leaf 
diaease and green bug billed our coffee outiight 
though our estates were kept clean. The advocate 
for weeds later on was Mr, Halliley, who signed 
hifl name to his letters, so it is no secret. 
" An attempt was made, when planters were seek- 
ing advice about the caltivatioa of Tea, by experts 
from India, to let weeds grow on the Tea fields, 
as thej said was the praotioe in Assam. Happily, 
tbii part of their advice was not followed by tbe 
Fioneer Tea planter* of Ceylon ; and we have not 
heard of any more of the praiiea of weeds for many 
years, until the Mayaxiw of the School of Agriculture 
published, in its latest number, a plea on their be- 
half. The author who is quoted by the editor of 
the Magazine divides the whole obtrasire family of 
uninvited gueits of tbe farm and field mto two 
classes ; and while making friends with one of these 
olssaes, be extirpates tbe other as leleotleesly as 
experienced Ceylon planters do the entire family." 
I for one have proved that weeds at times 
and in some land, are of the greatest assistance to 
make earth into soil and soil into mould and 
latter strengthened my trees and gAve me good 
crops (see my letters to Observer, 17th August, bept. 
17tb, Oct. 19(h, 1892 ; see also "Magazine of the 
School of Agriculture of January" 1893.) I main- 
tain in some lands weeds are necessary to make the 
upper earth into soil, to give vigour to young plants 
and enable them to get a firm hold in the sub-soil, 
"Oar readers muat not suppose that we deny, or 
ever denied tbe good that some weeds, under certain 
circamstanoes, are capable of doing in agriculture. 
We have not been actuated in our intolerance of 
weeds, either by ignorance or blind prejudice. Nor 
do we dispute that the plea and the practice of 
the author, who is quoted in the article under 
review, may both be sound under certain eonditious. 
If, for example his beneficent class of weeds are not 
80 intermingled with hi* enemies that, in ordinary 
farm practice, tbe latter may be extirpated without 
destroying the others ; or better still, if the welcome 
guests come anaocompauied by the enemy, — and if 
the land is not so steep that in stirring the soil 
to remove the weeds a large portion of the best of 
tbe surface mould is not sacrificed in tbe operation 
of weeding, — and if there is a winter season to give 
the farmer a fair chance, — and if the fields are left 
unencumbered after each crop, as is the case generally 
with the crops cultivated in temperate climates, — 
theti, nnder these conditions, weeds are not tbe same 
thing at all, as when good, bad and indifferent kinds 
come all together, — and when the fields are on steep 
land, where, even with a good system of surface 
drainage, loas of soil cannot-be avoided if it be dis- 
tntbed, — and when a forcing climate eocourages tbe 
growtb, especially of indigenous weeds, without inter- 
mission all the year round, — and when the plough 
and other mechanical meana of weeding are entirely 
unavailable and even light-band tools are rather 
objectionable : nnder these conditions, we repeat 
weeds are an unmitigated evil." 
I Bay weeds of most kinds are useful under 
oeitain aonditionsj same as fire or water. You must 
remember that when you have a rich loamy virgin 
soil you require no weeds. Then by all means keep 
your estate clean ; but when you have to plant 
up old lands that were in coffee oooe or have been 
gb«oae4 trejpgatQdly ao4 l^urraban growa oo iti oi 
jour soil is very griddy, then weeds are of great 
nelp, but you mubt learu what weeds to encourage, 
how large lo let Ihem grow, «nen and haw w 
wtrk tnem ia iha boil, dto., how far io keep 
free of weedd aroULd the plant — on eteep lanU 
they can be made to cave eou from waahiag away, 
" Circumsiauces niter oases. In Cejiou, expcrieuce 
lias proved ibat it m ujI posBible lo oottkin tne little 
beuebt weeds are capable of iitfording without mcuiriug 
iu&uitely greater lOSs and diaaavautage. W e cau 
never lurget the eioaiy ycUow uu^e mat a crop ot 
growiug weeds imparted to the cunue buctics, even 
ou the bnust eslaiej ! When tne collee waa uia aiiug, 
and the beans were bluing oat ilie tuiiuna oi ibo 
buehes. under ihe duabte Btrmo, turiieJ nearly 
white, and tbere was often a coii«iaerable tall of leal. 
The sudden trausitiou iroin tbis sickly, aemi-iuuribuiid 
Biaie of ihe oofiee bunliei to the neb dark ciluur 
natural t\> them when lu bealtn aud riguur, that 
occurred alter wet.diug, was conuiuBive evidence 
agaiast the wieas. it put all sr^uineut aa re- 
gards the injurj' thuy lutlicttd tcyouu dispute." 
in Ceylon it is possible to giow weeas tor 
benefit of ci/ffee, tea or cacao, 1 have done bo 
with markea eucceBS in Iniid where i louna soil 
griddy, poor or btuep. I have setu splendid ooli«e 
in heavy weeds from 1858 onwardti; some aid suller 
irom tne weede, wnere tfie weeda were pro- 
perly used soon after crop when labour was availaoie, 
iho coiioe aid not auller, in fact BOon recovered fiom 
etIi.cbaol crop anl ^ave good crop alierwaroe. Ciaoao 
requires a great aeal oi ve^^etaoie matter ana lime. 
" Tbe writer bad tue good tortuue lu eUj^age tbe 
bervices ot tbe late Capiaiu Blackmure lu Ie4b Ki 
manage ibe £.lkauua entate, on wbicD ibeie wan on« 
particular hid tuuad three siaes ul wbicb a cirt- 
load rau. Here weeds were rampam, tne laud was 
bteep, weeaa weie very vigoiuui, and the buj>he«, 
whicb were wiae apart, tunired eeverel). Tbe plot 
coudisted of but a few acree, and seemed to be tbe very 
piaoe for au expenmeiit. 'Ibe iiue loaud which ^tie 
road diu not run was bouuaed by loreai, tbat com- 
pleted the beparaliou ut tnis plot trooi ttie burroucd- 
lug cofiee fioide. Ihe new uiauager was lutiiructed 
to cut suriace diains tnrougn tbe plot, so ak to stop, 
ad elfcctuaLly ae possible, all losd of euil frum wasu. 
He was a man ut experience, a strict disciplinariaD, 
aud carrioa out bis luetruciiuue, to tbe letter, 'ibc 
next step wastu cxurpate tne weeas, nbicu were ot 
tue worst kind aud tburdugoly estaDliabed lu the soil. 
B%ob portion ot the plot, as sjuu as it was cleared of 
tbe olu roots aud oi everytainjt but tbe cotl'ce buebes, 
was kept oiean oy moutuiy weedmgs. Xiiti eliect ot 
this tteatmeut was magical. Tne p ot wnicb, pre- 
yiuuaiy, bad always beou an e^esor' , iu tour or hve 
oiontba' time, put all the fiue cottee tu shame. Ibe 
nob colour auu luxuriance ot tbe foliage tormed a 
sriking contrast witu ail tne fields adjoiuiug uno con- 
clusively proved tne lujurioua etfects ot weeds and 
also tbe praoticaoiiity oi eztupaimg ibem." 
No wonder cofiee, tar apart, land sttep, 
weeds allowed free growth, anu giving crop aid 
sutler; had ifiose weeds been kept low su aa only to 
cover ground a lew inches and some ul the weeds 
cut down and used as manure tne coffee would 
have Kept in good heart, ^low wtiat will the editor 
Bay lo tne oiner picture : a laud where no piants 
even no weeds would grow on was forkea and 
limed, then weeds carried to and planted on the 
land. Weeds then did grow ; wtien six inches high 
they were dug under, again allowed to grow, again 
dug under and limed, men planted with cachO ^art 
ot a nourishing estate) now cacao treea are giving 
good crops. 
"Notwicnstandiog the conspicuous success of tbe ex- 
periment aboveiueutioiied, it was mauy years.before 
sunace draining aud muDibly weeiiiug were generally 
Carried out. In ihe interval, the etteot oi a liead 
molon of maua grass was tried witn snob marked 
success on the Yacdessa estate, that a live mufoh 
was tried go Hal Oj^a la Uaataue aie(rtct. 4li^ 
