, 1912-03-09

QXD0rleDc6 GudI SOOO buO CdI0lul lAltS0 10
necessary to insure success, for instance if
We do not fallow plough our heavy clay soils,
a,.1 keep them in a clean, loose and we'll
Dulverized condition, they will not give re-
munerative returns.
One of our greatest faults is in not being
careful in subsoiling our plant top holes, ana
thereby keeping a good filth, so as to assist
the newly planted top, until it has establish
ed it's %rootlets, and got a good start.
Aud another source of loss is III bad, faulty
planting. The plant top should be planted as
Derpendicularly as possible, and not let any
portion of the top project over the ground
if possible, as in planting cuttings with cane
Joints over the ground, when the strong sun
acts upon them fermentation sets in too
soon, and thereby affects their germlnatlYe
power and vitality, thereby causing a great
waste i'll material and labour. The soil should
be tightly pressed against the top, SO as to.
prevent the action of the atmosphere and
winds from drying up its sap.
RED LIMESTONE SOILS.
In treating limestone soils we often find
them resting upon 81 very hard hlnty bottom
of rock, such soils are often called Red Soils,
from the subsoil being OF Il very reddish
colour. We find from experience such soils
to be excellent soils when well cult waited,
and when the climatic conditions are favour
able. Still there is a wonderful attraction of
heat in such deep soils, it will be seen at
noon in a very hot sun, that # you take II
little of such soil in your hand, it will be
found so hot, that you would wonder how
plant life can exist, it is this reason why the
Barbados planter has adopted his system of
trashing off, which acfs as a non-conductor
to the suns rays, and keeps the soil cool and
moist.
Whereas in a heavy Clay soil the reverse
is the. case,a good mechanical filth or a mulch
suits better, but such a mulch is useless if
the land is not deeply puIverized or has
what is termed q hardpan or plou8hpan
underneath.
Mulching is meant when we apply half
rotten trash, or such like matter or sub.
stance around the roots OF q tree to keep 1t
from heat OF cold, to keep moist etc.
Too much stress cannot be laId on the
benefit of applying decayed trash or trnshln8
matter, for covering light porous soils III the
tropics, rs the evaporation under o thermo-
meter of IS or59O deg. Fab. is something
that we scarcely can comprehend, and hence
plant life without moisture under such con-
ditIons. cannot flourish and thrive. Our great
est evil in st. CroiX is in extending our Gull
t~ivation over too great an area and thereby
being unable to cultivate or keep our land
in a thoroughly clean or healthy condition,
we allow obnoxious grasses and pests to de-
velOp and produce seeds which scatter and
produce pests which it takes years to era
dictate, and which impoverish our best soils.
BY keeping such extended areas we are
prevented from paying the proper attention
in making and producing efficient pen man
ure, we waste labour by It's impractical ap.
plication in innuInerable instances, and we
do not apply pen manure enough to our new
ly planted land. The Merchant does not
import more than he can get sale for, or
he suffers a loss on perishable goods, bat the
Planter is always taking risks and always
having losses.
If we cultivated one fourth less land on
each estate we then could make one fourth
more manure, and perhaps grow just as
much in crops and improve our soils and
save that waste of money on fields that
give any 1emunerative returns. 1t
would then be a pleasure for the Agricul-
tural Instructor to go arou0d AMI see clean,