32 TREE CULTURE IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 



prepared by digging and smoothing down the soil to about 12in. to 

 18in. square on top, for the reception of the seeds. The soil on these 

 spaces should be made nice and fine, so that there may be a good bed 

 for the seed. These places made ready, a man, provided with a small 

 bag containing the seed, should go along each row, and bending down 

 at each spot, remove a little of the soU with his hand, and then placing 

 a few seeds on the place, cover it up again to a depth of from Jin. to 

 lin., according to the size and nature of the seed which is being sown at 

 the time. If three or four seeds are used, keep them an inch or two 

 apart. Should all germinate, they can be thinned out to one plant after 

 it is seen which is likely to become the best tree in every respect. This 

 sowing of the seeds should be done as early as possible after the winter 

 rains have set in. Care should be taken to use fresh seed only, in order 

 that no blanks may occur, and the spots sown ought to be slightly under 

 the general surface of the ground, though not in such a hollow as will 

 allow the lodgment of water. Seed-sowing may be done at from 4 to 

 5ft. apart, as blanks are) likely to occur, and if at aU successful, this 

 will prevent the necessity of much fiUing-up in after years. 



All planting should be performed in such a way that the trees will 

 stand alternately in the rows ; that is, the trees of the second row should 

 be placed about midway between every two trees of the first row, and 

 those of the third row in the middle of the second, and so on through- 

 out the whole plantation. I show this in Fig. 7. 



In the inajority of cases — that is where not more than from fifty to one 

 hundred acres are about to be planted in one season, the planting should 

 only be done in weather really suited for the purpose. Never plant out trees 

 on a hot day, but when the weather is cloudy or somewhat dampish push 

 on the work as much as possible. Trees planted on a dull day are 

 almost sure to give a good result, but if they are put out in sunny, warm 

 weather, disastrous consequences are sure to follow. 



