Faces of Papua New Guinea

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Bitmap Image | 1995-01-31 | 87KB | 241x353 | 4-bit (4 colors)

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OCR: Several of the photographs illustrate the process of agricultural intensification among pre-industrial peoples. Starting with a low density of population, the forest covers most land and acts to keep the soil fertile and the weeds suppressed. The diverse, polycultural gardens require little labor and provide a varied diet. As population grows and fallow periods shorten, the forest is gradually replaced by grassland. The photograph on the top left shows Imperata grass, one of the best known weedy grasses that take over gardens and require a great deal of labor to eradicate or control. Heavy grass infestation requires that the soil be turned and tilled in preparation for gardening. Although this is possible without machinery, it requires hard work with simple tools.