JOSIAH 



preferred the soft stem of the oHve. After close investiga- 

 tion I discovered that the seeds that had passed through 

 the guts of the pigeon germinated. It became obvious to 

 me that this was nature's way of perpetuating this most 

 valuable species. I had already created a demand for this 

 wood which provided pencil cedar and this demand was 

 rapidly increasing. I was now confronted with the prob- 

 lem of providing sufficient supplies of this wood to meet 

 the growing call for it. I did not catch pigeons and keep 

 them in the nursery to feed them upon the fruit of the 

 Juniper, but I endeavoured to devise a process which 

 would subject the seed to similar conditions to those ac- 

 quired naturally. After the seeds were collected I soaked 

 them in hot water to which I had added a diluted solu- 

 tion of sulphuric acid. After some hours of treatment, 

 the seeds were partially dried and rubbed on zebra skins. 

 Again they were soaked and partially dried and this 

 process was repeated several times. When the seeds were 

 sown ninety-five percent germinated. 



The most convenient place for my nursery was hard 

 by the platform of the railway station at Kikuyu, where 

 I could obtain an ample supply of water for the railway 

 hydrant. This was where the west bound trains stopped 

 to take on water, while the passengers generally availed 

 themselves of refreshments which were supplied at a tea 

 store on the station platform. My millions of young 

 Muturakwa delighted the Settlers, who had long sought 

 the secret of growing what they realized was the most 

 valuable tree in their country. 



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