GMELINA 773 



Dehra Dun, although they sprouted and remained alive for some time, died 

 off in the dry season. 



For transplanting purposes the fruit-stones should be sown in drills in 

 the nursery as soon as the fruit ripens, as a rule shortly before the rainy season 

 commences. No shading is necessary, but the beds should be regularly watered 

 and weeded. The seedlings ordinarily begin to appear in about two to three 

 weeks. 



Transplanting may be carried out either in the first or in the second rainy 

 season. In the former case small plants about 3 or 4 in. high should be used, 

 the seedlings being separated and planted out during damj) weather with 

 roots and stems intact. If the plants are to be kept for a year in the nursery 

 they should be separated and pricked out to about 9 in. apart in the first 

 rains while still small. Next rainy season they should be planted out with 

 the stem pruned down to about 2 in. from ground-level, and the root trimmed 

 to a length of about 1 ft. ; they stand this treatment well. Subsequently it 

 may be necessary to prune off surplus shoots springing from the stumped 

 plants. For plantation purposes a spacing of 6 ft. by 6 ft. is ordinarily suitable. 



At Dehra Dun direct sowing in lines has proved much more successful than 

 transplanting, and has given excellent results. Where irrigation is possible 

 this stimulates growth, but unirrigated line sowings have also given very good 

 results, always provided the lines are kept regularly weeded. Items (8) to (18) 

 of the statement under ' seedling ' on p. 771 give some idea of the growth under 

 different methods of sowing, and Figs. 295, 296, and 297 show line sowings in 

 different stages. A distance of 10 to 12 ft. between lines and an interval of 

 about 1 ft. between fruit-stones will be found sufficient,, and 1 lb. of fruit- 

 stones may be allowed roughly for 600 ft. of line. The stones can be most 

 conveniently sown along a shallow furrow or dibbled in with the aid of a pointed 

 stick, and lightly covered with earth in either case. Irrigated line somngs are 

 carried out in the manner described for irrigated sowings of Dalbergia Sissoo 

 (Vol. I, p. 306). Of unirrigated line sowings the most satisfactory are those 

 carried out with the aid of field crops, but care should be taken to leave a width 

 of about 2 ft. along the lines unsown with cereals, the latter being sown in the 

 intervening spaces. If the field crops are sown continuously over the area the 

 seedlings suffer from suppression during the first season, and may even be 

 killed off if the cover is dense. In experiments carried out at Dehra Dun the 

 crop employed was the lesser millet (Eleusine coracana), which was sown in 

 May, formed a dense crop 3 to 3| ft. high, and was reaped in October ; the lines 

 of Gmelina were sown in June. In line sowings along with field crops it is 

 preferable to allow cultivation for a second year, the cultivator keeping the 

 lines weeded, as this saves expense and serves to keep the ground clear of 

 weeds for a longer period than if cultivation is done for one year only ; at the 

 same time the longer cultivation is permitted the smaller the area which can 

 be planted annually by a given number of cultivators, and this may be a matter 

 of importance if the area to be planted is large and the number of cultivators 

 is limited. 



In sowings of any form certain supplementary operations are essential to 

 success. Weeding is of great importance, and hence the advantage of sowing 

 in regularly spaced lines. Weeding should commence during the first season, 



