36 About Trees, Shrubs and Climbing Plants for S.A. 



-the Coastal . humidity gradually decreases until continental 

 conditions of atmosphere prevail. 



'(d) Heat and Cold. Where there is plenty of atmospheric mois- 

 ture the~extremes of Summer heat do not seem to seriously 

 affect the growth, and failures on the Coast lands are more 

 probably due to the nature of soil, or subsoil, than to heat. 

 The extreme limit of cold which this Acacia will stand, how- 

 ever, is very marked and again defines the area of possible 

 successful cultivation. It is not likely that any plantation 

 could be successfully laid down where the minimum Winter 



.temperature reaches 15 degrees or more, of frost. This, 

 however, does not necessarily mean that a whole district, 

 or even a whole farm, need be looked upon as hopeless for 

 Wattles because at some part of the farm the minimum 

 temperature is a low one. There is very often a difference 

 of 10 degrees between the flat portion of a farm and a hill- 

 side, but a little distance away. Shelter from cold winds, 

 elevation above cold flats, warm up-draughts caused by the 

 contours of land any one of these may make the proposition 

 a success in the colder districts. Again, Autumn sowing, 

 which allows the young plants to lie prone on the ground 

 during the first Winter, may ensure the success of a planta- 

 tion in some rather cold districts. 



Methods of Culture. 



No two large Wattle planters will agree on all points of cul- 

 'ture. They vary in their opinions of ploughing, distances, cul- 

 tivation, and reaping also. The opinions and advices given on this 

 point, therefore, may not agree with those of some old planters, 

 but will, we think, be found quite practical for all purposes. 



Preparation of Land. One planting, just sown, which we have 

 "watched this season, was bare veld in November, ploughed in 

 December to February, disc harrowed as fast as ploughed, and 

 sown with seed in March. This was the work of a practical man, 

 and yet we feel sure that if he were asked for advice, he would 

 not advise this way of putting down a plantation, but would ex- 

 plain it by calling it an urgency method. It is not an unusual 

 way, but it is actually rather slipshod and hurried, and not cal- 

 culated to give the best returns in the end. 



The planter should aim at quick and early and even growth of 

 tree from the beginning, and this cannot be got by an uneven and 

 'hurried preparation of land. The season which is supposed to 

 l>e saved is lost again in later years, and the so-called economy 

 in ploughing is lost many times over at reaping time. 



Our advice is to plough a six or seven inch sod in Autumn, and 

 let the sod lie and rot over Winter. As soon as the Spring rains 

 will allow of a recommencement of work, cross plough well, and 

 let the disc harrow follow this ploughing at once. This will 

 give a well pulverised and clean seed bed ready to hold fast the 



