34 TEEE CULTURE IN SOUTH AUSTKALIA. 



applied to plantations containing from ten to thirty thousand trees. 

 Artificial watering in this way, should only be resorted to when the 

 weather is extremelj- dry and there are no signs of immediate rains. 

 Loosen the soil round the plants the day after watering. 



In about ten days or a fortnight after trees have been planted, the 

 soil about them should be nicely hoed for a space of at least 2ft. aU 

 round, and this should be repeated from time to time during the 

 season, as the ground shows signs of baking or becomes overgrown with 

 weeds. A good time to execute hoeing of this kind is after a shower of 

 rain, when the soil will work freely and pulverise nicely under the hoe. This 

 hoeing should be done in the driest of weather, as the loose soil will draw 

 moisture from the air to the roots of the plants. I hardly know of 

 any operation which conduces more to the success of young plants than 

 this one. 



I have already casually referred to the providing of some sort of pro- 

 tection to young trees for the first year after they are put out into the 

 plantation. Good results wiU unquestionably flow fi-om this, and it should 

 be resorted to if it can be done conveniently and without a great deal of 

 expense. Strong deciduous trees do not require protection of this kind, 

 but GKims, Pines, Sterculias, Lagunarias, Moreton Bay Figs, Araucarias, 

 and Cedars, &c., will be much benefited by it. For this purpose use what- 

 ever may be easiest procured, such as old palings, posts, old bags, &c.. 

 If good strong palings are sawn up for the purpose, they can be made 

 available for several successive plantations, as it is not necessary to 

 continue protecting the plants after the end of the summer succeeding 

 the year of planting. 



Owing to the extremely dry weather experienced here in summer 

 time, it is necessary that the ground round the sites of all small and 

 tender plants should be thoroughly " mulched." This operation should 

 be performed about the end of the rainy season, and immediately 

 before the hot weather sets in. This may be either in September or 

 October, and perhaps even later, and its performance must of course be 

 guided altogether by the character of the season at the time. It is best 

 done after a shower of rain. As the operation is not generlly understood, 

 I will now give a short description as to how it should be performed : — 



Hoe and thoroughly loosen the soil for a space of 3ft. round the 

 tree ; then prepare the mulch, which should consist of short weU-dried 

 grass, road sweepings — or, what is perhaps better than anything else, 

 well-rotted and thoroughly-dried stable manure, with lots of short straw 

 mixed with it. Take this " mulch " and lay it all over the hoed ground 

 to a depth of at least nine inches, packing it solid and taking care not to 

 press it too closely about the plant, but to leave room for a fi-ee current 

 of air to pass round its stem. 



This done, soil should be spread round the edge of the mulch, and a 

 little spread over its top, in order to prevent its removal by the winds. 



With this covering the soil underneath will remain damp during the 

 most drying period of summer. The operation, as completed, is 

 represented in Fig. 4. The mulch should not be removed until the hot 

 weather is over and the winter rains have begun again. 



