IV TEA 125 



The trees must be protected from heavy winds ; and. Shelter belts 

 in exposed situations, therefore, shelter belts ought to be 

 planted. 



Propagation. — Tea is propagated from seed, which may- 

 be sown in nurseries or at stake in the fields. The seeds are 

 enclosed in hard coverings, and some planters advise that 

 they should be put in the sun until the shells split, as, in this 

 way, germination is more rapidly effected, but it is quite un- Sowing the 

 necessary to do so, and the seeds may be sown as they come ^^^^^' 

 from the trees. 



The seeds must always be fresh before they are planted Seeds must 

 for they contain a large quantity of oil which becomes rancid ^^ ^''"'^' 

 if they be kept out of the ground. They may be preserved, 

 however, for a time, in dry earth, and when they have to be 

 sent long distances it is recommended that they be i^packed 

 in this manner. The seeds are sown four inches apart in the Nurseries. 

 beds, six inches between the rows, and at a depth of two 

 inches below the surface. When transplanted, care should 

 be taken to remove a ball of earth with the roots, for the 

 seedlings are delicate, and they will soon die out if they are 

 not dealt with carefully. 



Planting. — The land having been prepared in the usual 

 way, as described in the chapters on coffee and cacao, 

 and pickets having been set at distances of four feet by four Distances, 

 feet, or four by five, or five by five, according to the nature 

 of the ground, holes must be dug, but they need not be so 

 large as for coffee and cacao. In planting out the seedlings Transplant- 

 from the nursery, which may be done as soon as they are '"^' 

 from nine to twelve inches high, particular care must be 

 taken not to injure, or double up the tap root. 



CULTiv.A-TlON.— The tea "gardens," as they are called, 

 must be kept free from weeds, and the soil is to be loosened 

 occasionally between the rows. All weeds should be buried ; Green crop 

 for, as the tea plant requires a vegetable soil, green crop '"^""'■^^- 



