ESSAY ON FUEL PLANTATIONS. 67 



best at 5,000 feefc elevation;* the Tasmanian blue gum, 

 E. Globulus, from 5,000 to 8,000 feet. To form a Eucalyp- 

 tus plantation, first secure sholah-land, if possible, for 

 the returns from sholah-land in the first ten years will be 

 double those from grass-land. If sholah-land is not avail- 

 able, then secure grass-land facing the north with a good 

 yellow sub-soil to retain the moisture. Make your nursery 

 beds near water, procure your seeds from the strongest 

 trees. Sow in March in beds, the lines to be six inches 

 apart, one inch deep; cover the seed half an inch deep, 

 no more ; water lightly ; when the plants are six inches high, 

 take up, cut back tap-roots to four inches, replant in beds 

 six inches apart; when 12 to 18 inches high, take up with 

 transplanter, aud put out in pits, these should be 18 inches 

 cubic. The young trees may be put out between June aud 

 September, selecting cloudy weather, if showery the better. 

 Very heavy rain, or high wind, is bad for planting out. In 

 placing the plant in the pit, press the earth well down, or the 

 air will get to the roots and dry them up. If the trees are 

 put out 6 feet x 6 feet, they must be thiuned out in the ninth 

 year. And as I have already shown that coppicing even for 

 a fuel plantation does not pay, I shall show a balance sheet 

 on the fuel and building timber basis. If we take the acre 

 as holding 1,000 trees 50 feet high, and 12^ cubic feet 

 each, then we cut out 500 trees in the ninth year at 12 J 

 cubic feet each and 50 Ibs. the cubic foot = 139^ tons, or to 

 be within the mark, say 125 tons at Ks. 8 a ton = Rs. 1 ,000. 

 The balance sheet shows expenses up to tenth year as 

 Rs. 458; returns Rs. 1,000; profit Rs. 542. To show that 

 the average weight of 625 Ibs. a tree is not excessive, aii 

 eight-year old average tree out of a plantation was felled 

 and weighed, it was found to exceed 1,600 Ibs. A single E. 

 Globulus tree about 40 years of age is known to contain 400 

 cubic feet of timber, which at 50 cubic feet the ton = 8 tons. 

 This tree stands alone. In another place 25 trees of E. 

 Globulus measure 9 feet in circumference at 6 feet from the 



* The Jarrah E. Marginata might be found to grow well in Wynaad and 

 similar climates. 



