MtSOM AND COOEG. 303 



vide pages 254 to 261, Further details may, with advantage' 

 be taken from the same article. The pits for Casuarina must 

 be truly a cubic yard of 27 cubic feet, i. e., a square yard at the 

 top, bottom, aud on each side. The advantage of the yard- 

 cube size of pit is, that the cooly can get into it and dig it out 

 large and square at the bottom, vfhere it is most important for 

 root development. The pits should be lined and spaced with a 

 rope so that the lines intersect in simple squares ; they should 

 be dug at 12 feet apart each way, if Casuarina alone is planted, 

 and at 9 feet where its rows alternate with sandal. 

 Another plan is to plant at 6 feet apart with the intention of 

 subsequently removing every alternate sapling when it has 

 attained 4 — 5 years' growth. By this arrangement, the young 

 trees are better sheltered froin the wind, being so much closer, 

 while a considerable return on the initial outlay may be ex- 

 pected from the sale of such saplings. 



4. Bat as pits are dug as labor ofEers, and when the ground 

 is favorable for pitting, it is often, and properly, the case to 

 have a large balance of pits on hand. The pits so dug should 

 be left fully exposed to the action of the weather. The cold 

 damp soil in the bottom of the pit will be enriched by exposure 

 to the sun's rays and other atmospheric influences, which will 

 also be at work on the heaps of loose earth lying around the 

 pits. Before pitting, the land should be thoroughly cleared 

 of scrub growth. 



5. Formation of Oround Nursery. — The Hebbe system of 

 raising seedlings differs from that of the pot-tile in that seed- 

 lings are raised and reared in the nursery -bed until such time 

 as they are fit for direct removal to the field or plantation. 

 When large enough, these seedlings are carefully lifted with 

 balls of soil adhering to their roots and are replanted into pits 

 for permanent cultivation. This mode of treatment, however 

 carefully performed, is liable to injure the young roots, and 

 growth is checked at a time, viz., in the rainy season, when the 

 seedlings should make a good start. As a rule, therefore, 

 except when the cost of pot-tiles is prohibitive, the Hebbe 

 system of narsery should never be adopted- 



In cold and temperate countries, where the root develop- 

 ment of seedling trees is not so active, the operation of trans- 

 planting direct from nursery-bed to plantation is not so diffi- 

 cult. But in the tropics, seedlings of six inches in surface 

 height will often have a descending axis of one foot. The site 

 selected for a nursery, of whatever class, should be near to a 

 permanent supply of water. The ground should be trenched 

 in December, thoroughly cleared of all roots, and finely di-essdd 

 for sowing operations in January, Febrtiary, and March. By 

 extending the sowings over a period of three months, the vegeta- 

 tive powers of various species can be rfegulalted so that the 



