50 PLANTING IN UGANDA 



direction of the water. To facilitate attention 

 they ought not to exceed five feet in width. It is, 

 however, not advisable to have them much 

 narrower than this, or water will drain away too 

 rapidly from them. Each bed should be separated 

 from the next by a trench about 9 inches deep, the 

 soil dug out in forming this being used to raise 

 the bed. The trench serves the purpose of a drain 

 to the bed, and also as a path. For the latter 

 purpose a width of at least eighteen inches will be 

 necessary. 



The beds when formed should be forked over to 

 a depth of 1 foot, in order to reduce the soil to a 

 fine state. All stones and roots must be removed. 

 The beds are now ready to receive the seeds, and 

 the next step is to erect a frame to carry the 

 shading. It will be found advisable to make this 

 of good stout posts which will last for several 

 seasons if required. The actual shading material, 

 consisting of palm leaves or grass, can be put on 

 or removed as required, without interference with 

 the frame-work. We prefer each bed to be shaded 

 independently, rather than have one frame erected 

 to cover many beds. There are several reasons for 

 this. Under a large roof the plants receive less air 



