17 



Held in baskets. Here the cylinders will be carefully separated Into 

 their component halves. The plants with their surrounding soil will 

 then be carefully inserted into the centre of the pit in an erect natural 

 position and the soil firmly pressed round the roots with the feet. A 

 thorough watering will be given immediately after putting in the 

 plants and if rain holds off a few successive waterings, at intervals 

 of 2 or 3 days, will be of much benefit to the plants. This is quite 

 a simple matter in abandoned mining land where water holes exist. 

 At least four waterings should be given so as to reduce the per cent- 

 age of failures to a minimum. 



[g).^ Replacing of failures. — The previous years' failures should 

 be regularly replaced by carefully going o\ er the area in a systematic 

 manner. By the adoption of tile-pot transplants, bv which an effi- 

 cient count can be effected, it should be expected that the failures 

 should not exceed io per cent at the outside. 



(//). Pruning. — In the third or fourth year the lower branches 

 may be carefully sawn off to admit light and a free circulation of 

 air. This operation should be carried out with the greatest care and 

 had better be left undone than done badly or roughly. Casuarin i 

 stands pruning none too well, witness the length of time a young 

 plant takes to replace a lost leading shoot. Older trees have been 

 known to die back when once their leading shoot is topped, by what- 

 ever cause. 



(/). Hedging. — if necessary for fire or wind protection a hedge 

 or belt 20 feet wide should be raised, of Tembusu [Fagraea frag- 

 rans) or Jambu Aver Laut [Eugenia grandis), preferably the latter 

 which like Tembusu grows readily from seed but withstands dam- 

 age from fire to a greater extent. Hedging would be carried out 

 only if ground fires from adjoining Lalang wastes are dreaded. 



( /). Need of working plan and plan of operations. — The object of 

 these is that the work shall be carried out in a regular and systema- 

 tic fashion and a due control be exercised on the results of working. 

 A few points as to method and stages of treatment will now be 

 suggested. As previously remarked careful pruning may be carried 

 out say in the third year. Where the distance of planting is 6 feet 

 by 6 feet alternate plants may be cut out at the fifth year and the 

 thinnings sold for fuel or poles If the plants are 6 feet by 6 feet 

 pruning in the third year may be dispensed with for the alternate 

 plants, to be removed in the fifth year. At least 20 acres should be 

 taken in hand as a "plantation" coupe in any one year and all such 

 coupes should be distinctly separated by cleared lines of a minimum 

 width of 14 feet to allow of two carts crossing each other. It would 

 be better to have a cleared line of 30 feet where lires are dreaded. 



Clear felling is the only method suitable for Casuarina, with re- 

 planting either with Casuarina or some other trees. Casuarina cop- 

 pices badly but if cut at 2 to 3 feet above ground it usually gives good 

 shoots ; while a few of the trees may be found to have layered 

 naturally by their lower branches. At best these shoots and layers 

 should not be counted on. Self-sown seedlings even in this country 



