108 SPICES 



CHAP. 



The beds should be shaded with the leaf-roofing 

 known as ataps in the Malay region. These are made 

 of plaited or folded palm or pandanus leaves, and should 

 be sufficiently loose in texture to let through a certain 

 amount of light. The roofing is supported on sticks 

 about 3 ft. tall. If the place is very exposed, it may 

 be advisable to shade the sides also of the nursery 

 beds. 



The beds should be watered every other day or 

 oftener, according to the temperature of the air and 

 dryness of the soil. It should not be allowed to get 

 too dry, nor should it be over-saturated. 



The seeds germinate in a month or six weeks, some- 

 times later. They sprout very freely if they are sound 

 seed, and under ordinary circumstances at least 95 per 

 cent can be raised. 



During their growth, which is rather slow at first, 

 all that is necessary is to keep the bed watered, and to 

 remove the weeds which spring up in the beds. It is 

 a good plan to lighten the shading of the nurseries as 

 the plants grow, so as to accustom them gradually to 

 full light, and to allow a good current of air to pass 

 through the foliage of the seedlings. 



The young plants remain in the nurseries till they 

 are about 6 in. tall, or even taller, that is to say, about 

 six months, after which they are planted out in the 

 estate in the positions they are intended permanently 

 to occupy. 



It is advisable to have the nurseries in close 

 proximity to the plantation, to save trouble and expense 

 in transporting the seedlings. 



Hart, in the Trinidad Bulletin, recommends that 

 the seeds should be planted in old brandy cases, about 

 500 or 600 in a dozen cases. When they are 6 or more 

 inches tall, he would transfer them to bamboo pots, to 

 grow for another six months before transplanting. 



Some planters prefer planting the seeds in bamboo 

 pots and allowing them to germinate and grow there 

 till they are big enough to plant out. The advantage 



