76 TREE CULTURE IN SOUTH AUSTEALIA. 



months only in the pots before they are put out into the plantation. 

 Immediately the plants are potted they should be put imder a frame made 

 entirely of calico, or one of stonework with glass frame on top fFig. 64), 

 in the ordinary way, and kept nice and moist for some eight or ten days, 

 until their roots have " struck " once more. This can be judged by the 

 appearance of the plants : if aU right, they wiU stand upright and have 

 no a,ppearance of drooping. After the plants are considered secure in 

 this way, they should be removed from the frame and "plunged" in 

 the propagating shed. This plunging consists of packing the pots close 

 together in nice loose sandy soil to their full depth, but closer than, is 

 shown in Fig 66, in which position they should now remain until the 

 summer months are over. It is as well to have beds specially prepared 

 with concrete floors for this plunging, in order to prevent worms getting 

 amongst the roots of the plants. Once every fortnight, or three weeks, 

 the pots should be gently lifted and replaced in their positions again, 

 so as to check any undue growth of the roots through the holes in their 

 bottoms. 



Plants Grown in Eamhoo Tubes. 



In the Forest Department of India, a system of rearing young plants in 

 short pieces of bamboo cane, was introduced a good many years ago by a 

 Captain Beddome, one of the conservators of forests there. This was found 

 to be admirably suited for the purpose, and is thus briefly described in 

 the Journal of Forestry iar: ivlj, 1880: — "Cut the bamboo of which 

 estate baskets are made, and which is not more than an inch or two in 

 circumference, into bits about three inches long. Place these pieces 

 endways close together, in thousands, cover over with forest mould or 

 fine soil and sow your seed. In this way thei-e will be from one to three 

 or four seedlings in each piece of bamboo. When carried out in the 

 bits of bamboo the best plant can be left, the others being removed and 

 utilised immediately or at a subsequent period." 



When the subject of forest conservancy was first being mooted in 

 this colony, Plis Excellency 8ir Anthony Musgrave, the then Governor 

 of South Australia, in a lecture on the subject, incidentally referred to 

 Cajtain Beddome' s system, which he had heard of or seen carried into 

 efiect in India. The idea of trying to adopt the method to tree planting 

 here was not, so far as I am aware, suggested at the meeting in question ; 

 simply, I would suppose, from the want of bamboos wherewith to carry 

 it into effect. The idea, however, occurred to Mr. Murray, who was 

 subsequently appointed as conservator to the Forest Boai-d, that the 

 same results might be obtained by the use of small pieces of the well- 

 known reed, arundo donax. Acting upon this notion, he had several 

 pieces prepared, filled with fine soil, and gum seeds sown in them ; and 

 the result was such that on his appointment to the Forest Board he 

 suggested that he might be allowed to apply the system to the planting 

 on the Bundaleer Reserve, where the Board had just commenced opera- 

 tions. This the Board allowed, and under the immediate supervision of 

 Mr. John Curnow, nurseryman, the system has been carried out at Bunda- 



