184 SYLVICULTURE IN THE TROPICS pt.ii 



object which the plantation is destined to fulfil. In all 

 cases it is desirable to protect the soil as soon as possible ; 

 and in the case of plantations which are being raised 

 for the production of timber one must aim at obtain- 

 ing leaf-canopy without much delay. If, however, the 

 planting is made too close, it will soon become necessary 

 to weed out a number of young trees, and the time and 

 expenditure spent on raising them will be thrown away. 

 A happy mean should therefore be sought for. 1 Small 

 transplants should be put in, as a rule, closer than large 

 ones, not only because otherwise it would take longer 

 to form leaf-canopy, but because small transplants are 

 much more liable to suffer from drought or attacks of their 

 numerous enemies than larger ones. Similarly, trans- 

 plants belonging to slow-growing species should be put 

 in closer than those which start at a great pace, like 

 Teak, certain Eucalypti, Acaciae, etc., and shade- 

 avoiding species will also be all the better for not being 

 crowded out too early. In the case of plantations 

 consisting of climbers, such as Landolphia, which, after 

 making a start, will have to be trained horizontally on 

 supports, the distance between the plants will have to 

 be much greater. 



It may be useful to obtain the transplants from 

 natural - grown seedlings in a neighbouring forest. 

 These seedlings usually develop a very irregularly shaped 

 rooting apparatus, and it is chiefly with young seedlings 

 which have not yet had time to develop any considerable 

 roots that transplanting is likely to meet with success. 



The methods of raising plants from cuttings, layers, 

 and rhizomes have already been described in the 

 chapter on Nurseries, and there is nothing to add to 

 them. 



If there is a regular rainy season, the best time for 

 planting is at the beginning of this season. The plant- 

 ing should not be done during a heavy downpour, when 

 the streams of water would convert the soil used for 



1 In the Tropics, moderate -sized plants put in for timber are commonly 

 planted 6 ft. x 6 ft., according to the square pattern. 



