CHAPTER III. 

 Germination of the young plants. 



I. CHOICE OF SEEDS. 



As a matter of practice no great amount of trouble 

 is taken over the choice of seeds, and I saw no estate 

 in which selection was carried out. It would have been 

 a matter of great difficulty to have done so for as the 

 seeds ripen, the fruit is thrown off the tree. 



When walking on a sunny day in a mature plantation, 

 the fruit may be heard every moment bursting open 

 with a short sharp report, the seeds dropping directly 

 afterwards through the leaves. Generally it must be 

 taken that a separate collection of the seeds of selected 

 trees is practically impossible. Still some regard may 

 be paid to the position of the plantations from which 

 the seed is saved ; preference would be given to well 

 matured plantations and there the seeds may be gathered 

 from the ground. The oldest trees are chosen if possible 

 without any special reason being adduced. In many cases 

 estates have been planted up so hurriedly that any seed 

 obtainable was sown and sometimes the planter would 

 be in complete ignorance of its source. 



