MTSORB AND OOOEG. 307 



does in its undistiirlaed condition underground. This prbdess 

 should hot be itadertaken when the soil is wfet. Working a wet 

 soil, with plough or spade, renders it hard in drying and des- 

 troys its porosity. The filling is best done after a good show- 

 er of rain, and when the soil is sufficiently dry to be pow- 

 dery, but moist. In other words when it is nicely workable 

 with the spade or mamoti. But in certain experimental 

 cases, the Oasuarina will thrive when the pits had been filled 

 up in anticipation of rain. By the planting season the seed- 

 lings in the pot nursery will have attained a height of I5 to 2 

 feet, and the pot-tiles will then be lifted and carried in baskets 

 to the field. Here the cylinders will be carefully sepnrated into 

 their two halves, so that the soil about the roots of the young 

 tree may remain intact. The plants themselves will then be 

 cai'efuUy put into the prepared pits, the earth around them be- 

 ing slightly pressed by the feet of the planter while he holds the 

 seedlings ill an erect and natural position. A. thorough watering 

 should be given directly the plants are put down and, unless 

 the weather is showery, a few succeeding waterings at intei'- 

 vals of two to three days will be of much benefit to the plants. 

 Ponds and hollows about the plantation are furnished with 

 water at this time, and, should the rains hold off, the trans- 

 plants could be watered occasionally at reasonable cost ' and 

 much m.ore than proportionate benefit. In certain private 

 plantations, where fdur waterings were given, the percentage 

 of failures was very materially reduced and the plantations 

 made good progress. When the planting is completed, the 

 halved tile-pots may be returned to the nursery for storage, 

 or to be refilled as in the first iustance. By using pots, the 

 root growth of the seedling, is restrained, while little or no 

 shock is received in transplanting into the field, and the 

 established seedlings are in a position to lay vigorous hold of 

 the soil 'at a favorable season. 



IS. Beplacing failures- — It has here to be noted that the 

 first thing, to be done, under this head, is to replace the pre- 

 vious year's failures as ascertained by final counting at the 

 close of the dry season. The rate for the above will be 

 minus the cost of filling in the pits. 



14. How payment is made. — Tho number of healthy and 

 vigorous plants, which the Department expects to secure at 

 the final enumeration, is 90 per cent of the total number put 

 into the ground. In order to secure this, 25 to 30 per cent of 

 the cost that becomes payable to Mestris should be withheld 

 till the results of final countings are known, and if the failures 

 exceed 10 percent, the value of such excess should be de- 

 ducted from the amount held in arrears, or if necessary 

 from any other amounts due to the Mestris for work done. 

 jBub tie filling in of pits is not paid for independently of 



