PLANTING DISTANCES 123 



within the stomata or minute mouths of the leaves and the 

 process of converting the carbonic acid gas of the atmosphere 

 into carbon compounds perforce ceases. In such districts trees 

 grown too far apart may be somewhat slower of growth during 

 their early years. 



A good practice, in such cases, perhaps in all cases, would 

 be to plant the trees in clumps of threes, each tree 15 feet apart 

 from the other two and each clump of trees at least 35 feet 

 apart from the nearest tree of another clump. In this way 

 each tree, while affording some shelter to its neighbours, gets 

 an abundant supply of light and air from three sides, and also 

 room for a wide expansion of roots without interfering much 

 with the other trees. This system offers many advantages 

 and is to be commended. The best specimens of not only 

 rubber trees but very many other varieties are found growing 

 in such clumps. 



Failing this, the best method is to plant the trees in east 

 and west avenues 15 feet by 30 feet, which, while affording 

 shelter and giving a large number (ninety-six) of trees to the 

 acre, allowing thinning later, yet gives a good supply of light 

 and air to two sides of the trees and allows for cultivation 

 between the rows. The objection some have to this method 

 is that it tends to make the branch-system of the trees some- 

 what lop-sided. It is, however, better to have trees well- 

 developed in two directions than very poorly developed in all 

 directions, as is the case when they are closely planted in the 

 ordinary way. 



It is almost unnecessary to state that when wide planting is 

 gone in for, more care must be bestowed on the selection of the 

 original plants, on their upkeep and on the cultivation of the 

 soil, than when there is such a large number of trees to the acre 

 that vacancies cause little or no concern. A vacancy when 

 there are only fifty or sixty trees to the acre is a more serious 

 thing than when there are one or two hundred trees on the same 

 area of land. Of course too much emphasis can be laid on this 

 point. When one plants only fifty trees or sixty trees to the 

 acre one can very well afford to select only the very best and 

 most vigorous seedlings. In the second place, one can also 

 well afford to dig wide holes when there are only fifty or sixty 

 to be dug instead of, say, one hundred and fifty holes. The ad- 



