164 



Here again waste coconut fibre or Jadoo might be tried, as it would 

 be a great advantage to obtain plants by this means. 

 The best material for cuttings is that from straight, healthy, and 

 well-matured shoots of the current year's growth, about \" to \" in 

 thickness and 6" to 9" long. The cuts should be clean and just 

 below a joint to form the base of the cutting, this being a point of 

 great importance. 



The beds for cuttings should be similar to those for seeds, and 

 may have a layer of charcoal and sharp sand an inch thick on the 

 surface. 



To insert the cuttings an opening is made with a spade, the cut- 

 ting put in, and the spade withdrawn, allowing the earth to fall back 

 into its place and then pressing it firmly down. They should be 

 planted as soon after removal from the tree as possible, and the 

 beds well shaded, gradually allowing them sunlight as they became 

 rooted, which takes place from 2 to 3 months. 



Camphor may also be propigated by 'layers, where the branches 

 are low enough for the purpose; and this will probably be found 

 one of the best means of obtaining good plants and possibly of 

 selection for yield. The branches should be bent down, laid in a 

 trench in the soil after being cut or twisted to break some of the 

 fibres and encourage root development, then covered with soil, small 

 pegs being inserted to keep them in position. 



A Susceptible Tree. 



In planting out care should be taken to see the holes are large 

 and deep, and the soil well loosened at the bottom, and surface soil 

 should be used for filling them up. From the present growth on 

 various estates it is evident that the tree is very susceptible to its 

 surroundings, as it is rare to see 3 or 4 trees planted together of 

 uniform appearance. This may, of course, be due to differences in 

 the vigour of the seedlings, but is more probably owing to physical 

 variations of the soil in which it is planted. The difference in growth 

 and vigour is sometimes so great that a small area of the prunings 

 obtained from the same aged trees have varied from over 100 lbs. 

 to about 8 lbs. per tree, the latter amount being quite unprofitable. 

 The importance of a careful selection of soil and situation is, there- 

 fore, most apparent. As regards the latter, the trees will not stand 

 exposure to rough winds, so that more or less protection during the 

 S. W. monsoon is essential for luxuriant growth. Probably 8' by 8' 

 would be the best distance for planting, and the trees are to be kept 

 in the form of bushes, and this distance would give about 680 bushes 

 per acre. 



They can be planted amongst tea with little risk of harming the 

 latter in the factory, as an experiment has shown that a high pro- 

 portion of camphor leaf, mixed with the tea leaf, was not detected 

 in the linished article, the quantity added being far more than could 

 possibly occur accidentally. 



In poor tea-soil the growth is very slow, and much better results 

 will be obtained by planting in virgin soil ; the amount of such soil 



