xii SISAL HEMP AND BLACK WATTLE 119 



such a piece of land, if procurable, £5 an acre would 

 be no excessive price. 



The site selected, an area will be ploughed annually, 

 off which a crop will be taken. The wattle will then 

 be sown in situ, filling up failures from a nursery. In 

 Natal the rows are usually 12ft. apart with 3ft. between 

 the seedlings in the row. Possibly 8ft. by 8ft. will 

 answer better in this Protectorate, or even 6ft. by 6ft., 

 though the latter system necessitates thinning. Before 

 sowing, the seed should be placed in a bucket, boiling 

 water poured on it and allowed to stand for 24 hours. 

 It will then be apt to stick together, but can be sep- 

 arated, if necessary, by washing in cold water or mix- 

 ing with sand. The bed for the seed is made with a 

 sharp stick, a hole a couple of inches deep being made 

 into which three seeds are dropped. If two or three 

 seedlings make their appearance, only the strongest is 

 allowed to stand. One pound of seed per acre should 

 be sufficient. 



The trees will probably be stripped after four years' 

 growth, and for the stripping several methods are 

 adopted. That recommended nowadays is to ring 

 the tree as high as the stripper can reach, and tear the 

 bark downwards. This system ensures that the bark 

 be taken right down to the roots where it is richest 

 in tannin. The trunk is then cut, the branches are 

 trimmed, and the bark is then obtained from the 

 higher portions. 



The proper drying and preparation of the bark is all 

 essential. If the weather be set fair it may be dried 

 out of doors, but in our country it will probably answer 

 best in the long run to erect sheds of sufficient size to 

 enable all drying to take place under cover. 



After the stripping, and when all the serviceable 



