SOWINQ ON MOUNDS. 271 



and injurious extremes of temperature, or through a stratum of 

 soil that is either impenetrable to their roots or is choked up witli 

 the rhizomes and roots of strong grasses. This rapid extension of 

 the roots into good or unoccupied soil secures the early establish- 

 ment of the seedlings, and the narrowness of the holes protects the 

 base, or most sensitive part of their stems, with the collum buds it 

 contains, from weather extremes. 



The holes may be made with soil augers (Figs. 94 and 95) or 

 the borer represented in Fig. 96, if the soil is not stony ; or with 

 a strong boring machine or with crowbars, if it is stony. In 

 filling up the holes good topsoil may be used, or a few inches of 

 manure may be put in last of all, in which the seed may then be 

 sown. 



Where the growth of weeds is very strong' and dense, the pit 

 may be combined with the hole, that is to say, after making a pit 

 in the usual way, a hole may be bored in the centre. By this means 

 the seedlings will be protected from being choked up both above 

 and inside the soil as long as they are still small and unable to 

 struggle successfully with those weeds. 



This method of sowing is no doubt costly, but it gives a certain 

 chance of success to the seedlings and more than repays in the end, 

 by saving heavy after-expenditure on repairs and maintenance 

 and by the accelerated establishment and growth of the young 

 plants. It ought to give excellent results with species, which, like 

 teak, cannot suffer close contact with strong weeds, especially 

 the grasses, or which, hke sal, sissu, Hardwichia hinata, Sfc, do not 

 get established until they have developed a long, deep-seated 

 taproot. 



ARTICLE 13. 

 Mound sowing. 



Mounds are to patches and pits what ridges are to strips and 

 trenches. As plants growing up on mounds enjoy root aeration 

 on all four sides, whereas those on ridges receive it on only two 

 sides, both the height and base of the mounds may exceed the 

 corresponding maxima figures for ridges. Hence mounds may 

 stand up to 2 feet high and even more, and measure from 2 to 

 4 feet across at the base. The ahgnment and spacing of mounds 

 are determined by the same considerations as the alignment and 

 spacing of patches. As in the case of ridges, the sides of mounds 

 should be turfed or otherwise consolidated. 



The mounds may be built up by drawing together the surface 



