ESSAY ON FUEL PLANTATIONS. 73 



earth having been washed in. Then one man proceeds with 

 a basket of damp-sand in which are the germinated seeds, 

 and drops a seed in each hole, taking care that the seeds 

 are not more than one inch from the surface. Should the 

 holes be still open, two men should scrape a little damp- 

 earth into the hole, the last man covers the seed. By plant- 

 ing in damp weather with germinated seed, two objects are 

 gained; first, the certainty that the seed grows, second, that at 

 least two months are saved. Thus if the seed is put in with 

 the first heavy rain of the year, it grows rapidly and has all 

 the north-east monsoon before it, whereas if not germinated 

 before planting, it may be two months or more before it 

 comes up, and the monsoon be lost. Many acacia seeds 

 refuse to germinate for months, and require to be soaked 

 24 hours in hot water; but very damp sand is, as a rule, 

 the best for keeping the seeds in, especially if exposed to a 

 hot sun. The seed should not be prepared until a short 

 time before you are ready to plant, say ten to twenty days^ 

 for as soon as the seed germinates, which may be known in 

 most seeds by a small white radicle appearing at one end 

 of the seed, it should then be planted or the radicle may 

 be broken. Having planted our seed, it must be left to 

 nature to do the rest, we cannot afford any more artificial 

 treatment. Very small seeds, such as casuarina, should be 

 planted in beds and treated as in artificial plantations. Trees 

 good for charcoal and fuel only, should be planted, Janne- 

 sabit, Acacia Arabica, A. oderatissima, Speciosa, Ferruginea, 

 Cassia floribunda, Inga dulcis, Eugenia sorts, Neem, Jack, 

 Casuarina. These will be sufficient for the fuel reserve, 

 they all give good results and grow fast. If water is near 

 the surface, it would be of advantage to sink a few chatty 

 wells. Wudders will sink these, not more than three feet 

 diameter, for a small sum, and they last a long time. 

 When not otherwise engaged, the gardeners should be 

 employed in thinning out, making room for promising 

 plants to come on, and by no means allowing the trees to 

 overcrowd each other, and to encourage them to assume a 



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