NUTMEGS. 405 



long nuts are to be rejected, particularly any of a pale color at 

 one end. 



The planter having selected his seed, which ought to be put 

 in the ground within twenty-four hours after being gathered, setting 

 it about two inches deep in the beds already prepared, and at the 

 distance of twelve to" eighteen inches apart, the whole nursery 

 to be well shaded both oil top and sides, the earth kept moist and 

 clear of weeds, and well smoked by burning wet grass or weeds in 

 it once a week, to drive away a very small moth-like insect that is 

 apt to infest young plants, laying its eggs on the leaf, when they 

 become covered with yellow spots, and perish if not attended to 

 speedily. 



Washing the leaves with a decoction of the Tuba root is the 

 best remedy I know of, but where only a few plants are affected, 

 if the spots be numerous, I would prefer to pluck up the plant 

 altogether, rather than run the risk of the insect becoming more 

 numerous, to the total destruction of the nursery. The nuts 

 germinate in from a month to six weeks, and even later, and for 

 many months after germination the seed is attached to the young 

 plant, and may be removed apparently as sound as when planted, 

 to the astonishment of the unlearned, who are not aware of the 

 great disproportion in size between the ovule and albumen, the 

 former of which is alone necessary to form the plant. The plant 

 may be kept in nursery with advantage for nearly two years. 

 Should they grow rapidly, and the interspaces become too small for 

 them, every second plant had better be removed to a fresh nursery, 

 and set out at a distance of a couple of feet from each other. 

 When transplanted, either in this way or for their ultimate 

 position in the plantation, care should be taken to remove them 

 with a good ball of earth, secured by the skin of the plantain, 

 which prevents the ball of earth falling to pieces. The nurseries 

 being established, the ground cleared and ready, the next pro- 

 ceeding is to lay out and dig holes about 26 or 30 feet apart, and 

 as the quincunx order has so many advantages, it is the form I 

 would recommend for adoption. The holes should be at least six 

 feet in diameter, and about four feet deep, and when refilled the 

 surface soil is to be used, and not that which is taken out of the 

 hole. Each hole should be filled up about one foot higher than 

 the surrounding ground, to allow for the settling of the soil and 

 the sinking of the tree, which, planted at this height, will in a few 

 years be found below the level. Over each hole thus filled up, a 

 shed, made of Attap leaves or other shelter, closed 011 two sides, 

 east and west, and proportioned to the size of the plant, is to be 

 erected. It is not a bad plan to leave an open space in the centre 

 of the top of each shed, about twelve inches wide, by which the 

 young plant can obtain the benefit of the dew and gentle rains, 

 which more than compensates for the few rays of sun that can 

 only fall upon it whilst that body is vertical. After the sheds 

 have been completed, each hole should have added to it a couple 

 of baskets of well decomposed manure, and an equal quantity of 



