RUBBER PLANTING 109 



number of trees per acre. This is probably an ad- 

 vantage during the short period when the lateral 

 branches are just beginning to meet. The method is 

 somewhat more troublesome than the square system 

 and is seldom adopted. The arrangement of the trees 

 on the two systems is shown in Fig. 14. 



xxx xxx 



xxx x x x x 



xxx xxx 



Square system. Fig. 14. Hexagonal system. 



Holing and Planting. 



After the positions of the trees have been staked 

 out, holes must be dug for their reception. The holes 

 should not be less than one and a half feet each way, 

 and may conveniently be cubical. The larger the holes 

 the better will be the general growth of the plants. 

 They should be filled in with surface soil and allowed 

 to settle for some time before planting. The strongest 

 seedlings in the nurseries should be selected for planting 

 out, and all weakly and defective plants rejected. On 

 removal from the nursery the seedlings are frequently 

 stumped, that is to say the whole of the green top is 

 cut away, and the tap root is severed about 18 inches 

 below ground level, most of the lateral roots being also 

 cut short. Mr Tisdall tells me that it is a mistake to 

 cut the tap root and laterals too short. This operation, 

 which at first sight appears somewhat drastic, has great 



