ing water throughout the year. Very little manure is required and 

 it would never be fresh or raw. Burnt earth or ashes will be found 

 useful. The burning of all roots, stumps and weeds directly over 

 the beds serves to kill the seeds of weeds and insect life, in what- 

 ever stage of metamorphosis, and further renders the inert plant- 

 food soluble and assimilable. Ashes afford material for the early 

 form at ion of woody fibre and are therefore ef exceptional value 

 in giving stability to the young plants. 



(/;). Collection of Secd.—A* remarked before the fruit is ripe 

 when it changes to an orange yellow and is noticed to drop from 

 i he base of the cluster. If whole clusters are plucked the unripe 

 fruits near the apex should be discarded. After the collection of a 

 sufficient number of ripe fruit, say each week's gathering, the whole 

 should be exposed to the sun on mats. This may be done for 3 or 

 4 days, when all the seed will have been shed. If not required for 

 immediate use sifting the seed and putting away in glass stoppered 

 bottles is recommended. The fruit receptacles or empty cones may 

 be burnt over the beds as they contain potash amongst other con- 

 stituents. Care should be taken that the mats are carried in during 

 showers; kerosine oil sprinkled in a continuous ring round the mat 

 will keep off ants. Sparrows and rats are also fond of the seed 

 and must be guarded against. 



(c). Sozving. — The seed should be thickly sown in one or two 

 beds, depending on their length and the quantity of seed to be 

 sown. The beds having been previously levelled and prepared and 

 seed scattered broad cast, a thin layer of fine or sifted soil is sprin- 

 kled over and pressed down. The whole is thoroughly watered with 

 a watering can having a fine rose. All exposed and uncovered 

 seed should now be pressed down or covered, where necessary with 

 more fine soil. The beds should now be covered with a layer of 

 lalang, The lalang may be lightly tied down over the beds in windy 

 localities, by means of sticks inserted opposite each other and about 

 3 feet apart on either side of the edge of the beds and tied across 

 with split rotan or thin creepers. The object of the lalang is to 

 protect the sprouting seedlings from the direct rays of the sun and 

 to prevent rapid evaporation. In the absence of rain, daily water- 

 ing should be indulged in; the watering should be evenly distri- 

 buted over the beds. 



The plants should commence sprouting from a week to ten days 

 and in 3 months time will be about 4 inches high. No weeding is 

 necessary in seed beds as any attempt at it would only uproot the 

 tender seedlings. If any is done the kebuns should be earefully 

 mstrueted to cut back the weeds but on no account to pull up any 

 weeds. 



{(I). Pricking out (I) into Nursery beds or (//) into Tile-pots. 



(1). Pricking out into Nursery beds: — Beds in the meantime 

 having been got ready and holes of about 9 inches depth, at least, 

 been made at one foot apart, the seedlings are raised from the seed- 

 bed with balls of earth using a Bengali or Malay spade. If 2 or 3 



