76 PLANTING 



Shading. In the tropics it is absolutely necessary to protect 

 young plants, on being first put out in the open ground, from the 

 powerful rays of the sun, by means of some temporary shade. Even 

 when well established, many plants are always liable to be injuri- 

 ously affected by direct exposure to the sun during the hot dry 

 season, and are greatly benefited by partial shade. For some 

 quick-growing young crops, as Tobacco, Vegetables, etc., it is 

 usually sufficient to shade them with any large leaves or fern 

 fronds that may be at hand, these being fixed in the ground by 

 their stalks and bent over the tender seedlings. Twigs or fern 

 fronds which do not readily drop their leaves or leaflets when 

 withered are the most suitable for the purpose. The pretty fern 

 Gleichcnia is, for this reason, a most useful plant, its wiry persis- 

 tent fronds being especially suited for inserting slanting- wise in the 

 surface of nursery beds. For newly planted seedlings or other 

 young plants, plaited palm leaves, especially those of the coconut 

 (cadjans) afford excellent temporary shade, the leaves being loosely 

 woven into a basket-like shape which is placed over the plant 

 and held in position by means of 3 sticks fixed in the ground. 



Watering. Though it is always best to plant in rainy 

 weather, it is often impossible to follow the progress of the elements, 

 and as moisture as well as shade is usually a necessary condition 

 for newly planted plants, watering by artificial means must be 

 adopted when the rain fails. (See Watering of Pot Plants). 



Tree-guards and supports. In public grounds especially, pro- 

 tection of some sort is, without exception, indispensable to young 

 plants which are intended to form useful or ornamental trees. A 

 fence of the "solid" or "male" bamboo forms a substantial protection 

 for a time, but the most effectual and durable supports and 

 barrier are iron tree-guards ; those in which the uprights are 

 pointed at the top and bent outwards are preferable. In exposed 

 or windy situations, it is often necessary to support plants indivi- 

 dually, especially those with slender stems, by fastening them to 

 firm stakes fixed in the ground. Such support should as a rule be 

 provided at the time of planting, and care must be taken that the 

 plant does not chafe against it, and that the tie is not left on too long. 



Planting Distances. The proper distances for planting apart 

 vary, of course, according to the nature of the plants or crop, 

 and also to some extent according to local conditions of soil and 

 climate. As a general rule every individual plant or tree should be 

 afforded sufficient space to allow of its healthy and profitable 



