January i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



601 



before from one Bide of the chatty to the other to see 

 if they are germinating ; seemingly impervious to the 

 fact that the constant diBplacemeut of the seed 

 arising from this unaccountable practice reduces 

 any chance it may possess of rooting to zero. An- 

 other popular error not easily disproved is that 

 Ledger seed cannot be propagated in a house all tlie 

 year round irrespective of season. Prolonged and con- 

 tinuous practice has, however, satisfied me on that 

 point, an<l I can safely assert that seed, will germinate 

 with equal facility at any season, provided untoward 

 exigencies arising from change of season and temper- 

 ature are coped with intelligently and the interior 

 condition of the propagating house and frames judi- 

 ciously cbaTiged and regulated accordingly. 



Under a moist atmospheric temperature, varying 

 from 00° at night to 75° Fahrenheit by day and with 

 the glass of the propagating house well shaded, the 

 seeds should commence showing active signs of germin- 

 ation in from 9 to 15 days, according to tlae age 

 and constitution of the seed, while from 3 to 5 weel;s 

 should sutlice for the seedlings to be plainly visible, 

 each with its two small cotyledons fully expanded, 

 and as soon as this is observable more light and air 

 may be beneficially admitted, mainly as a preventitive 

 of weak aud spindly growth. The actual jjeriod at 

 which the tender young seedlings should be trans- 

 planted will probably ever remain a matter of dispute 

 but if at all possible, I always commence about the 

 fifth or sixth week after sowing. Early transplanting I 

 consider highly desirable while the laborious occupa- 

 tion of transplanting is greatly enhanced if performed 

 before the pi-imary radicle becomes forked or has 

 time to develop lateral or surface rootlets, as the 

 expeditiousness necessary in transplanting under any 

 phase of growth is considerably retarded when ea.'h 

 seedling possesses a bunch of rootlets, 



A good average compost in which to transplant 

 sturdy seedlings may be composed of moderately rich, 

 open loam or good shola soil mixed in the propor- 

 tions of two-thirds soil to one-third of clean river 

 sand, or fresh brick dust. 



The chatties into which the seedings are to be 

 transplanted require the same kind of drainage as 

 reoomniendt'd for the seed, the soil must, however, be 

 disposed in a different manner. I find that success is 

 considerably fucilitated after filling up the chatty with 

 soil by smoothing the soil to a convex surface, or I 

 think it may be appropriately termed "barrelled :" 

 about 4 an inch of the surface soil should be about 

 half sand with a superficial sprinkling of the same 

 material. This precaution ensures the highest amount 

 of draiu.age attainable, aud, if air and water are judi- 

 ciously applied after transplanting, scarcely any ap- 

 prehension need be enterlaiued regarding the plants 

 damping or dying off. 



When the soil in which the seed is sown is loose, as 

 advocated, scarcely any difficulty is experienced when 

 transplanliug the seedings, as they may bo readily 

 lifted between the thumb and finger aud dibbled out 

 with a small stick at intervals of about J of an inch in 

 the chatties prepared for them. 



When filled, each chatty contains on the average 

 from 70 to 80 seedings aud the quantity that may be 

 put out per dkm by an experienced cooly depends 

 chiefly on his expertness and perseverance. So far as I 

 have seen the numbers varied from 600 to 1,400 or a 

 little over. I have myself put out as many as 70 chatties 

 and more per day, but this result cannot be expected 

 from native propagators, and from 15 to 20 chatties 

 from each man will be found an excelleut average. 



The very best style of glass frames suitable for the 

 most successful and rapid development of the young 

 transplanted seedlings are long ranges of low frames, 

 each being about 4 feet squure. These are built at a very 

 moderate cost and are not heated iu any manuer 



excepting by that derived from the sun, and on hot 

 dciys even this should be carefully regulated by shad- 

 ing and ventilation. 



Strictly observiDir the fact that the temperature 

 should not exceed 15° Fahrenheit, the seedlings sub- 

 jected to the above treatment should be reaily in 

 about 8 or 10 weeks to be turned out into the open 

 nursery, either under pandals or a matted erection, under 

 which they can be well hirdeued previous to trans- 

 planting iu nursery beds. Sometimes however they 

 may be as successfully hardened under glass or by 

 standing the pots on a nursery bed in rows, sticking 

 iu piece.f of bracken feru at short intervals to break 

 the strong light. These two latter systems will be 

 found in practice rather risky, unless close personal 

 attention can be afforded for a tew days by the 

 supervisor. Transplanting into the open nursery, al- 

 though most easy if adopted towards the end of the 

 monsoon, may be carried on with more or less suc- 

 cess even during the driest months : tlie appliontion 

 of those indi9|)en3able requisites, shade aud water 

 requiring a greater amount of attention and regulatioii 

 than is necessary at other periods. 



The propagation of this valuable species can be 

 carried out more succci-srully at the higher elevations 

 thun at the lower, although for permanent occupation 

 as a tree the case is vice versd. At alow altitude the 

 extremely high temperature liable to be encountered at 

 seasons are extremely prejudicial to the seed during 

 germination and often constitutes the foundation 

 of disaster aud ill-success. These high atmos- 

 pheric conditions appear to be specially favour- 

 able to the rapid development of a minute 

 fungoid growth, mainly consisting of epider-web-like 

 filaments, which, growing with a rapidity little short of 

 the marvellous, ramify ^indiscriminately in all directions 

 over the surface of the soil and which often destrovs 

 many thousands of good seeds during the earlier stages 

 of germination or just after the cotyledons have ex. 

 pauded. This fungus is probably of the same nature 

 as the destructive mycelium described by Dr. King of 

 Calcutta as devastating the seed beds in .Sikhim and is 

 I am of opinion, identical with that popularly termed a- 

 mong plant-propagators at home "potting bench fungus," 

 and which is in evil repute as carrying off indefinite 

 numbers of young seedlings and even cuttings of the 

 more tender and succulent kinds of soft-wooded plants. 

 The chief element suitable for its exuberant gro if th be- 

 ing.in the estimation of eminent hoitioulturists, an un- 

 necessarily high temperature, sup-rfluous to the growth 

 of the individual plant near which it appears and which, 

 although its germs may be latent in many soils, ia 

 practically harmless unless subjected to the conditions 

 above specified, while, according to my experience, it 

 seems to be most rampant at a temperature of 80° or 

 thereabout?, whilst an unnecessarily hioh, moist, nifht 

 temperature, caused by the undue application of fire- 

 heat seems equally conducive to its rapid growth and 

 destriictivencss. 



Tlie most eBectual remedy to .idopt on the appear- 

 ance of this destructive fungus is to change the 

 temperature of the house to a much lower dearee 

 than previou.sly existed dusting over the chatlies 

 lightly every evening with dry sand to absorb 

 any superfluous surface moisture. A duslinc with 

 sulphnr will sometimes partially check its rava"es 

 but is by no means a certain preventative, aand if 

 suificicutly forward in growth the untouched seedlinos 

 should be shifted into fresh soil without delay. Con- 

 spicuous among other intolerant pests at the lower 

 elevation are a species of small black ant, which some- 

 times appears in myriads and unless ceaseless vigil- 

 ance is forthcoming, they will carry off thoueands of 

 seeds in a very short time, often causing an incal- 

 culable amount of dam.^ge. With a little trouble, 

 however, they may be thoroughly checked simply by 



