The rubber tree book . aily . $ per acre Food for four bullocks at $10 per month, each bullock working, say, twenty-five days per month . , Depreciation on bullocks and cultivators . ,, $ On some estates where the benefit of cultivation was recog-nized, but inadequate financial resources exercised a restraininginfluence, a compromise was resorted to. Circles round theyoung trees were well dug over with marked improvement in WEEDING AND CULTIVATION 225 the appearance and the growth of the trees. Where the treeswere very young they were dug round within a radius of 4
The rubber tree book . aily . $ per acre Food for four bullocks at $10 per month, each bullock working, say, twenty-five days per month . , Depreciation on bullocks and cultivators . ,, $ On some estates where the benefit of cultivation was recog-nized, but inadequate financial resources exercised a restraininginfluence, a compromise was resorted to. Circles round theyoung trees were well dug over with marked improvement in WEEDING AND CULTIVATION 225 the appearance and the growth of the trees. Where the treeswere very young they were dug round within a radius of 4 cost $ per acre. Older trees were dug around within aradius of 8 to 10 feet at a cost, in this case, of $3 to $4 per acre,the wider circle involving, of course, very much more cost, however, seems very high for the work. While agreeing that clean-weeding—from a strictly monetarypoint of view—is generally the most economical and the bestmethod of working, and that lalang must be got rid of whatever. Fig. 60.—Cullivalion by means of Bullock-ploughs. the expense may be, 1 am persuaded that clean-weeding issometimes rashness. On estates which are very hilly, and have very steep slopessubject to severe wash of soil, clean-weeding is generally mostunwise. The surface-soil is the rich soil—rich in vegetablehumus. It is full of bacterial life. If washed away it cannotbe replaced. The best way to retain this surface-soil in suchcases is to encourage the growth of light and harmless grassesand weeds. The roots of these do not penetrate into the soilmore than from 2 to 3 inches, and do not interfere much withthe tender surface roots of the young Heveas, which are from4 to 5 inches below the surface of the soil. Their presence does 226 THE RUBBER TREE BOOK not greatly retard the growth of the trees, although it certainlydoes retard them. Of course, some qualification of the foregoing should bemade. Where companies can face the expense of terracing,contour-drains, wa
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