375 



to which an equal quantity of sand has been added is usually 

 a good soil for propagating seed. The soil should be sifted 

 and thoroughly fined before the seeds are put into it, especially 

 when small seeds are to be sown. The sieve used should be as 

 fine as mosquito netting. 



Filling the Boxes. 



The boxes should be filled to within half an inch of the top, 

 and the soil smoothed over with a small piece of board. 



Soimng the Seed. 



The seed should be sown evenly over the surface and pressed 

 lightly with a smooth piece of wood to imbed it in the soil. 



Proper Depth for Sowing. 



The proper depth for sowing varies according to the size of 

 the seed. Seed such as the diflferent species of Eucalyptus, 

 Casuarina, etc., should be sown upon the surface and then cover- 

 ed with a very thin layer of finely sifted soil or sand. If free 

 loam cannot be obtained use fine sand mixed with about one- 

 fourth soil. 



From one-sixteenth to one-eight of an inch of covering for 

 seed such as the ones mentioned will give the best results. A 

 very good rule to go by in regard to seed sowing is to make 

 the thickness of the covering equal as nearly as possible the 

 diameter of the seed. 



Attention to the Soil after Sowing. 

 After sowing, the soil should be kept moist but not too wet. 

 If too much water is used damping off is very apt to set in and 

 this fungus disease often proves very disastrous to such seedlings 

 as the different species of Eucalyptus, Casuarina, Gi:evillea, 

 Acacia, etc. A fine sprinkler should be used when watering. 



Transplanting. 

 When the plants have grown to from 2 to 3 inches high they 

 should be transplanted into other boxes and the plants set in 

 lines from 2 to 3 inches apart according to the species, some 

 requiring more room than others. Thus the different species 

 of the Ironwoods (Casuarina) and most of the Eucalypts should 

 be planted about two inches apart, while the Black Wattle 

 (Acacia decurrens), the Silver Wattle (Acacia dealhata) as well 



