Wattle Culture 39 



Preparation of Seed and Sowing. 



Wattle seed has a very hard shell, and will not germinate 

 readily without some preparation before sowing. The usual 

 method is to pour boiling water on to the seed and allow it to 

 stand until equally swollen and soft, say for a full day. Some 

 planters go so far as to boil the seed for a few minutes. After 

 swelling, the seed will be covered with a glutinous substance 

 which causes it to stick together. To remove this it is washed 

 in several waters, and then planted at once. Immediate plant- 

 ing is of great importance, for the soaking has commenced 

 vigorous germination, and if the seed is, after this, allowed to 

 dry out again, it will be of no use. The seed used should be all 

 of the same age not necessarily new seed, for it will hold its 

 germination for many years so that it swells equally and ger- 

 minates together. 



The sowing of the seed is hand work generally, although some 

 few large planters have used the ordinary Mealie planter pro- 

 vided with a specially made disc. As a rule, however, an over- 

 seer lines out with long sticks. He is followed by two (or 

 several two's) boys, the first of whom makes a shallow hole 

 with a hoe, the second placing about a dozen seeds in the hole 

 and covering it with his foot. The depth of the seed should not 

 be more than half an inch. 



It is important that lines should be straight, both for the sate 

 of easy cultivation and the second crop. 



In fair weather the soaked seed will germinate in about a 

 fortnight and will come up in little groups. These are thinned 

 down to one when the height reaches about 18 inches as an 

 average, the work being done by pulling out. Planters do not 

 f'ways leave the largest seedling, but rather try to arrange that 

 the whole plantation should start at the same height and strength. 

 If any filling in is necessary it should be done within three 

 months of the first sowing. 



Cultivation. 



In the average ground some harrow cultivation will be neces- 

 sary towards the end of the first season. Some planters think 

 this unnecessary in a new plantation, and, ignoring the' annual 

 weeds which die out in the Winter, simply send in a gang of 

 boys with hoes to chop out the perennial grass tufts. Yet here, 

 again, a good cultivation will materially assist growth by rain 

 conservation, and the cost of the cultivation be well repaid later. 



General. 



It is not possible, in the space at our disposal, to treat fully 

 of "ell ing, stripping, curing and marketing. The time for felling 



