Supplying Vacancies. 147 



a ring trench round it, say six or eight inches wide 

 and a foot deep. When practicable, it will always 

 be desirable to put a basketful or so of new soil 

 from the forest into the pit near the top. Where 

 this cannot well be managed, and where the land re- 

 quires renovation, a few handfuls of pounded poonac 

 should be mixed with the surface mould ; or, what 

 is better still, a basketful of rotten dung or compost. 



Good, strong, healthy plants must be chosen for 

 this duty, either from the forest or the nursery : if 

 the former, they must be "stumped;" but well- 

 formed nursery plants, with three or four pairs of 

 primaries, and say twelve or fifteen inches high, 

 put in just as they come from the beds, with a good 

 ball round the roots, are greatly to be preferred 

 where steady wet weather can be calculated on for 

 some time. 



" Supplies " ought to be put in early in the wet 

 season, so as to give them every advantage, their 

 circumstances being (it should be remembered) 

 less favourable than those of plants on virgin land. 

 What they want is a good start before the dry 

 weather comes round. 



Before leaving the subject it may be well to state 

 that it will be useless to incur the expense and 

 labour of filling-up vacancies, unless the ground in 

 which the young plants are placed is to be kept 

 perfectly free from weeds. 

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