46 MR. C. B. HARDENBEUG 



the former being advised as the better of the two. This 

 thorough preparation is highly commendable as the 

 soil at that time will throw up a great number of sub- 

 terranean larvae and pupae, leaving them to perish hy 

 the alternate heat and cold and exposing them to insecti- 

 vorous birds. But I would go a step further, namely 

 advise the destruction of the termite nests on the land to 

 be put under wattles and for a certain distance — say 

 half a mile — around it, as the young plantations are 

 often damaged by these insects. I have seen blocks of 

 young trees whereof fully five per cent, had been killed 

 by termites. 



Another precaution which is usually disregarded is to 

 prevent the surrounding fields fi'om becoming a breeding 

 place for various insects which might attack the young 

 trees as the}^ come up. The easiest way to get rid of 

 these would be by burning in the late fall. I have in 

 mind as an example a field which had to be replanted 

 twice, the young plants having been eaten off by cut- 

 worms, {Euoxoa segetus), which had been bred on the 

 veld immediately surrounding the prepared ground. 

 The moths, emerging there, while the grass was still dry. 

 laid their eggs on the green wattles just coming up and 

 the caterpillars made (^hort work of them, eating the plot 

 completely bare. 



Preparing the seed and planting. 



To ensure rapid and equal germination, the seed is 

 boiled or scorched, to soften or crack the seed coat. This 

 ivould destroy any insect with which the seed might be 

 infested and is thus, entomologically speaking, a sound 

 procedure. Very few insects have been found infesting 

 the wattle seed, the principle offender being species of 

 Rhynchophora of the genus Apien. Unfortunately, the 

 boiling of the seed, while effective as a sterilising process, 

 does not prevent later infestation, and cases are known 

 where repeated sowing had to be done on account of the 

 beetle having burrowed into the soil after the seed. ' - 



