148 



IRISH GARDENING 



Planting in Uganda* 



By E. Brown, F.L.S. 



Para Rubber, Coffee and Cocoa. 

 The planting industry of Uganda should he 

 of particular interest to readers of Irish 

 Gardening owing to the fact that the principal 

 companies operating there are Duhlin concerns. 



The first plantation to he floated from Uganda 

 was floated in Duhlin. and we believe we are 

 right in saying that 

 this Avas the first re- 

 cord of such a flota- 

 tion in Duhlin. 



Rubber (Hevea 

 braziliensis* — Th e 

 rubber tree is pro- 

 pagated entirely by 

 seed. These, like most 

 seeds of an oily nature, 

 quickly lose vitality 

 after attaining ripe- 

 ness, and must there- 

 fore he sown as soon 

 asprocurable. Tn the 

 early days of planting 

 in Uganda seeds had 

 to be procured from 

 Ceylon, and heavy 

 losses were suffered 

 by the early planters 

 owing to failure of 

 many of the seeds to 

 survive the journey. 

 We have, however, 

 reached the stage 

 when a plentiful 



Supply Of seeds is 



btai na 1) 1 e in the 



country, so that such 

 expenses and dis 

 appointments are no 

 longer experienced. 



The Para seeds are sown in beds about 

 .'} inches apart and 2 inches deep. They are then 

 shaded and watered. Germination commences 

 in about twenty-one days. As soon as germina- 

 tion has taken place and before the radicle da 

 made any considerable growth, the young 

 plants are put into pots or baskets. The re- 

 ceptacles generally used are circular shaped 

 pots made from the sheathing leaf stalk of the 

 banana. These pots are cheaply math' one 

 workman making 100 per day and they are 

 efficient for their purpose for a period of about 

 six months, by which time the Para tree is 

 ready for planting in the field. 



The land usually broken up for planting is 



Photo by) 



I'aka Rib 

 5 years old, mi K i\ 



that under a dense growth of " Elephant 

 Grass "(Pennisetum setorum). This grass grows 

 to a height of 10 feet, and is regularly burnt off 

 every year in the dry season. It has been the 

 only growth on the land for generations, and 

 consequently the soil is very rich and fertile. 



Clearing consists of cutting down the grass 

 close to the ground and burning it when dry. 

 The land is then hoed up to a depth of about 

 1 foot, and the rhizomes of the grass removed 

 and exposed to the sun to dry. The land is then 



ready for lining and 

 holeing. 



The distance of 

 planting Para rubber 

 now usually adopted 

 is 20 feet by 20 feet, 

 or 110 trees per acre. 

 The holes are 

 usually dug several 

 months before re- 

 quired for planting to 

 enable the rain to 

 thoroughly soak the 

 sub -soil. Planting 

 must be done in the 

 rainy seasons, of 

 which there are two 

 each year. The Para 

 plants, still in the 

 banana pots, are car- 

 ried to the field and 

 planted as they are. 

 pot and all. Subse- 

 quent work in the 

 field, for five years, 

 until the trees are 

 ready for tappi ng, 

 consists of weeding, 

 slight pruning, sup- 

 plying vacancies, and 

 combating pests, in- 

 sect and fungoid. 

 After five years' 

 growth the rubber trees are of a height 

 of about 2o feet. They have a clean straight 

 bole of feet, which is the tapping area. 

 Their girth at this age is about Hi inches, at 

 3 feet from the ground. This is the size at 

 which trees are considered tappable, and at 

 intervals the fields are gone over and trees 

 reaching this girth are marked for tapping. 



The usual system of tapping young trees is 

 that known as the basal V. This consists of two 

 oblique cuts, each made at an angle of about 45° 

 and meeting at the base. The cut is made at a 

 height of IS inches above the ground. It ex- 

 tends only over a quarter of the circumference 

 of the tree, which, assuming^ each quarter 



her Trees, 



uvu Estate, Uganda 



