S90 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[March 1, 1905, 
roots, it may still be too compact for their proper 
growth, and for the admission of air, an 3 the roots 
will remain near the surface, an easy prey to dry 
veather, Every three or four years should be often 
enoogh for the use of the sub-soil plough, except in 
spots where water settles frequently. The time at 
which bananas are ploughed is a very important 
point. I have found it a very good plan to fork 
vonng bananas when about two months old, so as to 
break the hard earth immediately outside the hole ; 
which could hardly be done thoroughly with the 
plough. Of course, it is better to thoroughly prepare 
the land with the plough before planting ; but where this 
cannot be done, forking the plants at this stage will 
be found to give them a ^good start. This also helps 
to economise water. 
Feuiting of Plants. — The object of every plant i^ 
to produce fruit and seed, and so perpetuate itself ? 
and any disturbance of its growth while preparing 
for this, the object of its life, will seriously impair 
its condition, and reduce the quality, and quantity 
or size of its fruit. It is therefore highly necessary 
that the root system should suffer no shock ; but 
should be so treated as to be strengthened. No plant 
can successfully make both roots and fruit, nor can it 
produce good fruit without sufficient roots. Hence 
we see the importance of ploughing bananas before 
they begin to make the bunches. Just how late we 
can do this is hard to say, as there is little precise 
information to got on the subject. Under present 
conditions, where the bulk of the fruit is wanted 
from March to June, I would not consider it desir- 
able to plough bananas after November at latest. 
As soon as the bulk of the crop ia cut, the plough 
should be started, and all ploughing should be finithed 
before December. 
CuLTivATOBs. — It is a good plan when ploughing 
to throw the soil into the centre of the rows, and so 
produce a convex surface. "When the soil is thrown 
towards the plants, and the rows become hollowed, 
it is very hard to irrigate thoroughly. If the trench 
is put at the side of the row, the water is very apt 
to break away and cause ponding ; or if in the middle, 
the water will wet only a small portion of the land. 
When the row is " round-ridged," so to speak, and 
the trench cut in the centre, the water is easy to 
control, and more thorough work can be done, It 
also induce the roots to travel towards the water, 
80 increasing the feeding area, — a most important 
point in dealing with land which has been in culti- 
vation for some time. Ploughing finished and the 
harrow having been i freely used, the planter has 
then to devote his attention ;to a most important 
point, namely, how to make the most of his water 
supply. Constant surface cultivation is perhaps the 
best remedy for drought we have. It gives a mulch 
which does not require to be drawn off and on, 
drives the feeders down out of the wilting influence 
of wind and sun, prevents loss of moisture by eva- 
poration -•in short it keeps the plants growing. 
Should heavy rains fall, beating the surface down,' 
causing it to bake into a cruit, it will be found 
quite safe to plough lightly if surface cultivation has 
been diligently employed. The surface should never 
be allowed to bake. Various implements are in use 
for stirring the surface, from the scuffle hoe, 
worked by hand, to the riding cultivator drawn by a 
pair of big mules. In practice, I have found the disc 
oarrow the most useful implement, it giving a mulch 
of thoroughly pulverized soil about four inches deep. 
The spading harrow will even break up a crust perfectly 
impervious to any toothed implement— thus obviating 
the necessity for using the plough. It also chops up 
weeds, covering them lightly. The best time to use 
the disc harrow is always when the soil is not too wet. 
Pbunino. — This is a question on which opinion is 
very much divided. The term " pruning " as applied 
to bananas is sometimes taken exception to, for which 
reason it is hard to say. Pruning is a removal of nse- 
leea and dead growth, to throw all the strength into 
the reproductive part of the plant ; and this is pre- 
cisely what is done with the banana. 
Time of Pruning.— The time of pruning should be 
regulated by the need of it. Slow growiug plants 
require pruning as a rule once a year, and that at a 
well defined time— usually when the tree is at rest. It 
may be taken as an axiom that the quicker the growth 
of a plant, the more constant care it requires ; as auy 
influence for good or evil will be ftJt quickly— this 
applying to all the operations of the farmer. Hence 
It would follow that pruning bananas should be done 
whenever neceseaiy, at any time of the year. 
Objections. — It is sometimes urged that pruning at 
any other time than in the winter months is highly 
injurious to bananas, owii)g to the excessive bleediog 
of the trees. This is true to a certain extent, as all 
vegetation naturally has a most vigorous growth in 
the spring. But is this bleeding out of proportion to 
the amount of sap in the tree ; and is it more injurious 
than the demands of a crowd of suckers on the avail- 
able plant food ? When it is remembered that every 
young sucker occupies a certain space on the bulb 
that might otherwise be occupied by the roots of the 
parent tree; and that e\ery young sucker, be it only 
an inch above ground, has roots of its own, it will be 
seen that every sucker other than those intended 
to bear fruit is a distinct check to the growth of the 
parent tree and its destined successor. It is bar ly 
necessary to define the condition of a field when 
pruning should be done. It will be of more service 
to examine the effects of want of pruning. Cutting 
off the trash and leaves hanging down is the first 
operation. The trash seems designed to protect the 
tree from the direst ravs of the suu ; but in a plan- 
tation, where a great deal of light is filtered through 
the tops of the trees, it is not often required for 
this purpose— except in the outside rows, and where, 
from wind or other cause, the sun can enter too 
freely. Too much sun causes the outer sheath of 
the tree to dry up. Too much trash hinders the 
circulation of air, causes the young suckers to run up 
into spindly whips, and contributes to a weakness 
of the stems of the trees which is only too apparent 
in a heavy wind. This latter point will be referred 
to again. 
Cutting Trash.— Another point in connection with 
the trash is that in plant bananas it often rests on the 
ground at the base of the tree, causing the roots to 
come to the surface. This is, of course, to be avoided 
Selection of Suckebs — It is important that the. 
best suckers only be left. Those which are deep 
rooted are the best, as they have a better grip of the 
ground and are less liable to blow down whtn well 
grown. Due regard to position mast also be had, one 
sucker to each tree, so as to have as much space aa 
possible between them. 
Cut Suckers. — Objection is sometimes taken to cut 
suckers being left— that is, suckers which have been 
cut while the previous pruning was being done ; on 
the ground that the bunches from these suckers will 
be inferior. My experience has not shewn this to be 
a fact, unless the sucker was cut when well developed. 
I measured a cut sucker, and found it was 22 inches 
high, and eight inches across at the level. This 
would seem to indicate that cutting a sucker while 
young tends to increase the size of the bulk. 
Methods of Cutting out Suckebs.— The cutlass 
should not be pointed towards the tree, but sideways 
so as not to stab the parent tree. The sucker should 
be cut down to the hard, white part ; as if imperfectly 
cut, it will spring up again very quickly. 
Geeen Leaves.— Green leaves should not be cut off 
to allow the tree to withdraw the sap from them. 
Old Stumps.— The tree is usually cut over about 
six feet from the ground, the bunch cut off, and 
the upper part of the tree severed completely, leaving 
an "arm." I am of the opinion that the whole of 
this should be left until it can be palled away from 
the bulk ; as observation has shewn that the followinff 
sucker thrives better. 
