184r PEBMANENT NTJESEEIES. 



ordinary seed-bed with at least equal ease and success, the sys- 

 tem in question is suited only for those few exceptional species 

 that cannot stand any appreciable injury to their roots, and to the 

 still more exceptional case of seedlings being required with a long 

 tap-root and few side roots or root-fibres. The system is extreme- 

 ly costly as regards both the nursery work and transport to the 

 forest, and should therefore be altogether avoided in permanent 

 nurseries, unless the area to be planted up is in the immediate 

 vicinity. 



0. Flower-pots and baskets. 



Plants raised in flower-pots or baskets are carried to the place, 

 where they are to be used, without being removed from the pots 

 or baskets, and are thus saved from all risk of injury to their roots. 

 There is no advantage in raising small plants by this method, 

 since they can always be transplanted with perfect ease and safety 

 from an ordinary seed-bed. The method may be adopted only 

 in the case of large plants required for avenues, groves, fields, 

 hedgerows, parks and gardens. The pots and baskets should be 

 filled with thoroughly well manured soil, a hole, in order to secure 

 proper drainage, covered with a potsherd, being made at the bot- 

 tom of the pots. The pots and especially the baskets must lifted 

 up from time to time to prevent the roots of the seedlings from 

 getting into the ground. 



§ 4. Manner of sowing. 



In sowing four considerations have to be kept in view, (i) the 

 disposition of the seeds, (ii) the quantity of seeds to sow, (iii) the 

 depth of sowing, and (iv) the method of covering the seeds. 



A. Sowing broadcast. 



In sowing broadcast the quantity of seed to be used will depend 

 on the nature of the seed and the age at which the young plants 

 are to be removed. For instance, in Central India, where a bed 

 of teak once sown goes on producing seedlings for three con- 

 secutive growing seasons, we cannot sow too thickly, even to the 

 extent of completely covering the ground. Again, there are 

 certain species, like Anogeissus, Adina, Stephegyne, Nauclea, &c., 

 an extremely large proportion of the seeds of which are usually 

 barren ; in their case also the beds should be literally covered 

 with a layer of seeds. 



Small or light seeds that are easily blown away by the wind and 

 are difficult to scatter evenly, should, before being sown, be mixed 



