40 



at Farab is located in a place where the ground -water is 

 only about 1 metre down, and 0,7 m. during summer when 

 the water is high in the Amu Darya. The roots on an ave- 

 rage do not exceed 0,7 metre (1 Arshin) in this place. The 

 conditions of precipitation and heat render it advisable to 

 sow in the autumn, and before sowing the "seeds" are placed 

 10 or 15 days in moist sand, then into the soil loosened to 

 a depth of about 30 centimetres. If Calligonum is to be sown 

 in spring, the fruits must be kept over winter in moist sand, 

 and the seed-beds are covered with straw as the seedlings 

 are injured by late frosts. After sowing all that is neces- 

 sary is to weed the beds and to break up any salt-crusts 

 which may appear, or to strew the soil with clean sand, w r hich 

 prevents the formation of salt-crusts. No watering is done 

 except during abnormally dry seasons, since watering is gen- 

 erally harmful. The seedlings are thinned out, and in the 

 autumn when a year old, they have grown to a height ol 

 from 0,35 to 1,4 metres (Va 2 Arshin) (The author does not 

 mention which species). The seedlings vary considerably, 

 and this PALEZKIJ considers to be due to differences in the 

 salinity of the soil which interferes with growth. Develop- 

 ment is also dependent on the depth to which the soil is 

 loosened, and where this depth is great the plants may 

 attain a height of 2 metres. The distance between the seed- 

 lings is also important, greater space giving larger plants. 



The separation of the seedlings takes place in the au- 

 tumn except Saxaul which is very susceptible to frost, 

 and from January to March the transplanting takes place. 

 The seedlings are planted in rows at right angles to the pre- 

 vailing direction of the wind, and it is highly important to 

 select the right species for the different places. Thus low 

 places with ground-water at a depth of 1 1,5 metres are 

 more suitable for Tamarisks, and where the subsoil is clayey 

 Salsola Arbuscula thrives well. A subsoil consisting of lime 

 and clay is specially favourable to Saxaul, while on pure 

 shifting sand Ammodendron and Aristida and to some extent 

 Calligonum grow readily. The success of the planting is de- 

 pendent among other things upon the winter precipitation. 

 During the first year, the plants are protected, and if the 



