They also require more careful planning and more work, and thus have a correspondingly greater effect in promoting industry.
Difficulties of the Tropical Farmer.— (1) Rapid Exhaustion of Soil.—Agriculture in tropical countries is more difficult than in the temperate zone. In the first place, the soil is easily exhausted, or spoiled by the accumulation of bacteria. The constant heat and moisture cause dead vegetation to disappear so completely and rapidly that the soil contains little humus and hence little nitrogen. Other plant foods are also scarce, for as soon as the soil is decomposed by weathering, the heavy rains leach them out. Thus although the first crop is often most bountiful, later ones diminish rapidly, especi ally when corn and millet are planted and bacteria become abundant. Hence many jungle farmers clear a new patch of jungle every two or three years, and often every year.
(2) Tough Grasses.—In densely populated regions the same land must be used year after year in spite of the scanty crops. Here other troubles arise. For instance, if other weeds are kept down, tropical grasses, like witch-grass but far worse, often overrun the land. In the Philippines " cogon " grass has been the ruin of thousands of farmers who have tried to use fertilizers and otherwise follow modern methods so as to keep the same field in cultivation for a number of years. A.s the grass often grows as high as a man's head and has correspondingly tough roots, no ordinary animals can drag a plow through it.
(3) Sparsity and Poor Quality of Domestic Animals.—The difficul ties due to the poor soil and rank grass are increased by the fact that in the jungle regions domestic animals generally thrive only a little better than in the equatorial rain forest. In proportion to the popu lation, the United States, for example, has nearly thirty times as many horses and mules as India, and 50 per cent more cattle, even though Indian buffaloes as well as the common humped cattle are included. Moreover, the Indian animals are of poor quality, under sized, ill-fed, and ill cared for. Hence not only are they unable to plow tough sod, but they supply only a small amount of manure, es pecially in the moister regions, where animals are least abundant and fertilizer is most needed. Even in moderately dry parts of India
animals are so scarce and fertilizer so valuable that people often pay for the privilege of having goats and sheep herded on their fields during the night.
(4) Insect Pests.—As the climax of his difficulties the tropical farmer has to contend with all manner of insect pests, rusts, blights, and bacterial infections. They dre worse than those of the temperate zone almost in proportion to the greater luxuriance of vegetation. Thus although the farmer can get a living without much difficulty, he is greatly handicapped when he attempts new methods.
When to the handicaps of poor soil, tough grass, few domestic animals, and insect pests we add the lack of energy which is natural in a tropical climate, it is not strange that through long ages the jungle farmer has acquired the habit of not caring whether he makes progress or not. If our ancestors had lived for centuries in such a region, we should probably be as inefficient as the present people of the tropical jungle.
The C•areless Rice Farmer of Ceylon.—The inefficiency of tropical people is well illustrated by the way in which rice is often raised. When in the wet districts of Ceylon, for example, have been tho saturated by the first rains of the season, or by water turned on from irrigation ditches, the soil is turned up with a rough spade or wooden plow and then trampled with the feet until it becomes a creamy paste of mud on which the seed is sown broadcast. When the seed has germinated, water is again admitted, and the rice left to grow until harvest time. Then the water is turned off and the crop ripens upon dry ground. The grain is harvested with sickles and is threshed by being trodden under the feet of bullocks. It is winnowed in an equally primitive fashion by being thrown into the air from flat basketwork trays, and caught again, while the chaff is blown away.