CH. IV 



NURSERIES 



137 



In such a case care should be taken to select the twigs 

 only of such plants ns have leaves which do not easily 

 drop off and injure the seedlings by falling and decaying 

 on them. Tender shoots which easily droop should also 

 be avoided. In places where the Gleichenia fern is to be 

 found, its fronds make an excellent light shelter ; they 

 should be stuck all over the bed, but not so densely as 

 to shut out light and air. The bracken fern (Pteris 

 aquilina) also does fairly well, but not so well. 



The beds should be kept carefully weeded and the 

 surface should be kept suffi- 

 ciently loose to admit the access 

 of air to the roots. In breaking 

 up the surface care has to be 

 taken not to injure the seed- 

 lings. The weeding should be 

 done frequently, and at the 

 same time, if seedlings come 

 up too thickly in the beds, they 

 should be carefully thinned out. 

 The weeding can be done with 

 the hand, or with an implement 

 such as a weeding-fork (Fig. 32), 

 or a knife, or, when the seedlings 

 are in rows sufficiently far apart, 

 with a Dutch hoe (Fig. 33); 

 but with natives who prefer 



doing their w T ork squatting, a long-handled tool like the 

 last would not be popular. They will even prefer a 

 short length of hoop-iron with a piece of rag wrapped 

 round one end. 



In the case where seedlings are taken direct from the 

 seed-bed to the field, and before being transplanted are 

 allowed to attain a certain size, it may be desirable to 

 carry out pruning of the taproot sometimes before the 

 moment for transplanting has arrived. In order to 

 disturb the seedlings as little as possible, the cutting 

 back of the taproot is done, without lifting them, by 

 means of a spade with an oblique cutting edge w T hich 



Fig. 32. 



Fig. 33. 



