on . 



CAMELLIA 



M'MBKR OF PLANTS T<) TIM ACRE THEA 



Cultivation 

 and March Tii- | 1 il ),:. iirahl- about N r, Seeding. 



in tin- latter li.ilt "i u. tin,.-!. .1,1.1 packed for transmission in 

 t drv >.'il. A (MIX rontainiii'.' !' \\>. of >helled seed will usually 

 <_;h from 120 to 180 lb. The seed does not keep well, aii'l ou-_rht to 

 M.on a- possible? after being plucked. It has often been upheld 

 in- seeds t>eii!u r rich in oil might be systematically collected and 

 sold \>\- tin- planter.- as an additional source of revenue. 



Nurseries. The sowing is now almost universally made in nurseries. Nurseries. 



1. sometimes previously germinated, is deposited at either 4 or 

 ches apart and 1 inch deep. A piece of particularly good land is Selection of 



n, and formed into beds from 3 to 5 feet wide. Such a nursery 

 t be well drained and very careful attention given to the preparation 

 the soil, which should be raked as for a flower-bed. If previously 

 under tea culture, the land must be richly manured with cattle-dung, 

 te situation is hot and dry, the beds should be covered with grass 

 immediately after sowing; in any case water must be accessible for 

 rin^r the nurseries. Forty pounds of seed may be expected to give 

 about 10,000 plants, and will put about 2 to 2i acres of land under 

 tea. As soon as the young plants are visible above the surface, the 

 beds should be shaded by raised frames covered with grass or mats, be 

 frequently weeded, and, if the weather be dry, watered in the evenings. 

 As a rule, the plants sown in the nursery in November or December 

 be planted out in the following May or June (six months old 

 {hinting), or when a year old in the following November or December. 



Preparation of Land. In order to ensure a good result, it is necessary prepara 

 to bestow much care on the preparation of land for tea. If it has previously 

 ( under forest, the whole of the trees should be cut down, the stumps 

 removed as far as possible (since many of them are liable to cause root 

 ie in the tea), and the land hoed carefully all over. If grass land is 

 be planted, the roots should be carefully removed when the land is 

 ing hoed up. If hillsides are to be put out, it is advisable to arrange 

 before planting for terraces, running along the contour of the slopes. If 

 stones exist in the soil, they should be brought to the surface and utilised Draining. 

 in making the terraces. On level land the lines of drainage should be 

 arranged, and, where necessary, narrow drains, 3 feet deep, put in before 

 nting out the tea. 



Planting Out. These arrangements having been completed, plant- Trans- 

 can be commenced. In order to secure regularity, lines must be marked planting, 

 out and the seedlings placed at definite distances apart along these lines. 

 What these distances should be varies with the type of plant, the richness 

 of the land, and the method of planting. Speaking generally it is not Lining the 

 wise to put the plants nearer than 4 feet apart in any direction, nor wider 

 than 5 feet apart. If planted in rows at right angles to one another 

 (square planting), this means in the one case 2,722 and on the other 1,742 

 plants per acre. Four and a half feet apart is perhaps the most generally 

 advisable, equal to a little over 2,000 plants per acre. In recent years Plants to 

 it has become usual to plant in rows at an angle of 60 degrees to one 

 another (triangular planting), thus making the plants equi-distant from 

 each other. In this case a distance of 5 feet between the bushes gives 

 a number of plants per acre about equal to that obtained at 4 feet apart 

 in square planting, and is thus to be preferred. When the spacing 

 and condition have been decided upon, lines should be formed, and stakes 



223 



tion of 

 Land. 



Terracing 



