738 



XLVI. VERBENACEAE 



twigs being placed below the straw^ to prevent it from mixing \Adth the earth ;^ 

 the object of the straw is to prevent the earth from being washed off the beds 

 when watering is in progress. The beds are Avatered copiously every day, 

 and germination takes place in 10-20 days, when the straw and twigs are 

 removed. Thereafter watering is carried out more sparingly as the plants 

 become stronger. The monsoon sets in, as. a rule, in the beginning of June, 

 and it is of the greatest importance that the seedlings should be of the correct 

 size, that is, about 3 in. high, with two pairs of leaves besides the cotyledons ; 

 the third pair of leaves are usually a good deal larger, and if they have appeared 

 they should be nipped off. The larger plants are discarded in favour of those 

 about 3 in. high. Planting should always be carried out during continuous 

 rain ; if this is not done, or if there is a break of a few days after planting, 

 much failure results. Planting should be completed as early in the rainy season 

 as possible ; in this case the seedlings reach a height of several feet by the 

 end of the season, while those put out late show poor development. If late 

 planting is unavoidable, small seedlings which have germinated late are 

 selected in preference to larger ones with long thick taproots. The planting 

 site is felled in December, the felled material being allowed to dry until March, 

 when it is burnt, the unburnt logs being then cross-cut, piled, and again burnt. 

 Lining is then carried out, and after the ground is softened by rain pits 10-12 in. 

 cube are dug and filled in with the loose earth, in which the planting hole is 

 made with the hand or with a bamboo stick at the time the seedhng is planted ; 

 the earth is then replaced round the roots and pressed well down, care being 

 taken not to place the seedling in a hollow, but rather to raise it slightly above 

 the surrounding level of the ground, in order to allow for the settling of the 

 earth. 



Under this system the cost of formation is somewhat high. Mr. J. Fer- 

 guson, who was in charge of the Mlambur plantations for many years, made 

 out the following statement of the average cost per acre of clearing and planting 

 on forest land : 



Weeding undergrowth preparatory to felling 

 Felling ...... 



Firing after felling .... 



Cross-cutting remains of first burning 



Piling and burning off clear 



Lining, marking, pitting, and planting out 



Weeding and hoeing round the plants 



Second, third, and fourth weedings at Rs. 140 each 



Collection of teak seed .... 



Preparing, sowing, and watering nursery beds 

 Contingencies ..... 



Total 



36 



This does not include the cost of superintendence. The average cost of 

 formation is now usually reckoned at Rs. 40 per acre for complete establish- 

 ment up to the first thinning. Pruning is carried out only in the case of 

 unlignified branches of young plants up to three years of age ; these often 

 <levelop forked stems or produce strong side branches which may be pruned 

 off w4th advantage. 



In some localities, particularly in parts of Bombay, it is customary to 



