PROPAGATION. 29 



12 inches. The distance apart to sow the seeds in the beds 

 must depend upon the quality of the seed and the length of time 

 the plants have to remain in the nurseries. 



It is safe to transplant the young plants when they are from 

 i to 2 feet high. If this be the object in view, rows could be 

 made I foot distant, and the seeds sown in them about 9 inches 

 apart. The seeds should be sown about I inch below the soil, 

 and the seed beds or pots kept thoroughly and regularly 

 watered. Regular watering does not imply that the beds are 

 to be watered every day, but that they are to be watered when 

 they require it, or when the surface becomes dry. 



Young plants need protection from animals, . which will 

 eat them greedily. A few days previous to transplanting the 

 young trees, the shading materials should be removed from 

 the shelters in order to accustom the plants to the direct rays 

 of the sun, or what is known in England as " hardening off the 

 plants." 



Seeds may be obtained from Ceylon or the Straits Settle- 

 ments at about 6s. 8d. per 1,000. In each of these colonies they 

 ripen in July and August, but they can be obtained through any 

 leading European seedsman. 



Bamboo pots are manufactured by sawing up bamboo poles 

 into sections about I foot long. The bottom of the pot is 

 formed by sawing one end off about an inch below an internode 

 or division of the pole, a hole being made in the division to allow 

 water to drain away. A few rough stones should be placed over 

 the hole to prevent fine soil filtering through, and the pot filled 

 to within 2 inches of the top with light friable soil. Providing 

 the vitality of the seed be good, one seed is sufficient to sow in 

 each pot, and this should be placed on the soil in the pots 

 prepared in the manner above described, and then covered with 

 about an inch of soil. 



After the seeds germinate, and the pots become filled with 

 roots, more frequent waterings will be necessary. If the plants 

 suffer for lack of water at this period, they are liable to receive a 

 severe shock to their proper development. 



In the Malay Peninsula, the usual plan is to germinate the 

 seed in nurseries, and when the plants are about 5 or 6 feet 

 high to cut them down to within 6 inches or a foot of the 

 ground, the stumps being then planted out in the plantation in 



