TH.E iVlAaAZlxMH; 
ov 
T5G mWl OF nx,. 
COL,CMBO 
Adc^erf r/,^ a SupjJement Monthly to the 'TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST." 
The following pages include the Contents of the Magazine of the School of 
Agriculture for May -.— 
Vol. v.] 
MAY, 1894. 
[No. 11. 
SYSTExMS OF CULTIVATION. 
I N continuation of our remarks on 
this subject, we would next 
notice the bare-fallow system, 
according to which no crop is 
grown for a certain period, the 
land being allowed to lie fallow, and the interval 
taken advantage of to thoroughly clean it, turn up 
the soil and allow it to mellow down. Owing 
to the rapid propagation of weeds in this country 
there can hardly be said to be any real bare- 
fallow possible, unless the land be kept con- 
stantly weeded. 
In the green-fallow system, a green crop is 
substituted for a bare-fallow. The advantages of 
this over the bare-fallow system are that there 
is less loss of combined nitrogen through washing 
by raiu,— the roots of the fallow crop being 
nresent to utilize it,— and that a crop is secured 
which can either be fed off to cattle or used as 
ereen manure. In the ordinary process of fal- 
lowing among paddy cultivators a natural crop 
fallow takes place, aiul the resulting growth of 
gra.ss would seem to be much valued by them 
as past unige for their cattle. 
What is known as Front's system consists of sell- 
ing all the crops off the land cultivated, without 
making any manure from them. ISo livestock 
for fattening or breeding would thus be kopt, 
the manures used being all imported into the 
land. For the adoption of this system special 
conveniences are positively necessary ; for in- 
stance, then- must be easy accem to :t r.-ady 
market for the produce. 
In the livestock system the businc.-^f of the 
occupier of the land is confined to the keeping of 
iivi'.<t.'ck, and the cultivntion of gras^ and making 
f hay for toe upkeep of his animals. Artiflci*! 
foods are all bought, the only natural food being 
hay and grass. The manure from the stock is 
returned to the land if the cattle are not kept 
out. In dairy farming and sheep farming this 
system is generally followed. 
By the irrigation system, water, liquid manure 
or town sewage is used in the cultivation of the 
crops. The system is applicable to the case of 
grass farms, market gardening and even fruit 
culture, but seldom in the case of cereals, though 
irrigation water may be said to be indispensable 
in the case of paddy cultivation. 
The systems that have been enumerated and 
briefly touched upon are : — (1) Jethro Tull's 
system, (2) the Lois Weedon system, (3) bare- 
fallow system, (4) crop-fallow system, (5) Front's 
system, (6) the livestock system, and (7) the 
irrigation system. Though some of these are 
adopted as distinct modes of cultivation, it is 
more common, however, to find modifications and 
combinations of them. For instance, the culti- 
vation of cereal crops is frequently carried on 
together with the keeping of livestock. The intel- 
ligent cultivator will adopt one or other of 
these systems according to their suitability to his 
circumstances, and if necessary modify and celB- 
bine them as he thinks best. 
OCCASIONAL NOTES. 
Those who have cultivated viSgMtilferwili'knbW 
how groat a pest is tlie commouarit. Ants ar# 
often found swnniu>ij^ in .-olonies ih tlie bed* sad 
even nipping off tlte tteuder shoots of plants. 
After repeated endeftifWtl^ to destroy the pest 
by means of lime, blueitbne, arsenic and Paris 
green, it was found thal^ the spraying on of 
kerosine emulsion Conipk'tt^jy routed them after 
the second or third applittitien. The emulsion 
(which did no damirge to the growing plants) 
was made iip ns follKVwS :— 1 pint of soft soap or 
\ lb. of hftftl soap in 2 qwslits of h6t -(♦^ter, wi^h 
1 pint of kero.-^ine. 'SU'x. -thoroutifilx while thu 
mi.\ture i» etiU hot until a peifect emuJiiou 19 
