Timbers. 



[August, 1909. 



Care should be taken to see that the 

 level of the surface of the soil recurs at 

 the same point on the stem of the plant 

 as it did when the plant was in the 

 nursery. The earth filled into the pit 

 must be pressed down by the foot. 



Tending the Plantation. — As soon as 

 the trees are planted it is advisable to 

 fence the plantation. 



Plantation require to be cleared of 

 rank jungle growth, while the plants are 

 young where such growths choke the 

 plants. 



As the trees get taller they may 

 require thinniug. When the plantation 

 is first formed there are several thousand 

 plants on an acre of ground ; as these 

 develop it is obvious that some must be 

 thinned out, it being impossible for all 

 to remain alive on the same land till 

 they have reached maturity. The object 

 of thinning is to remove the weakest 

 trees in favour of the stronger. The 

 trees thinned out form an intermediate 

 yield of poles which are useful for many 

 purposes, Care must be taken when 

 thinniug that too many trees are not 

 removed at one time, and that the 

 canopy is not sufficiently opened to 

 expose the -soil, A good deal of skill is 

 necessary in making the thinning, or 

 more harm than good is done by the 

 operatiou. Unless there is a particular 

 species of tree which it is wished to 

 favour, the suppressed and dominated 

 trees only should be removed, A sup- 

 pressed tree is one which is growing 

 entirely in the shade of those surround- 

 ing it and which enjoys no light. A 

 dominated tree is one which is domi- 



nated by those around it, only a few 

 of its top branches being free to enjoy 

 light. In heavy thinniugs a number of 

 thedominated trees are usually removed, 

 but in light thinniugs they are left and 

 only suporessed trees cut. 



-Avenues and Windbreaks. — Avenues 

 intended for shade to be effective should 

 be formed of tree-i which grow to a 

 height of 50 to 100 feet, and which form 

 dense crowns. The trees may be planted 

 at any distance apart and alternate trees 

 cut out as found necessary. Unlike 

 plautatious, the branches of trees in an 

 avenue should not be allowed to inter- 

 lace, usually some protection is required 

 against animals by young plants on the 

 edges of roads. A wattle fence will be 

 found cheapest and most satisfactory. 



Avenues to be effective must be formed 

 of the same kind of tree. Care must be 

 taken when watering piants that the 

 water does not lie round the stem, if it 

 does the bark becomes softened, the sun 

 then dries and hardens it, and the next 

 application of water softens the bark 

 agaiu ; if the process is constantly re- 

 peated the bark cracks aud the plant dies. 



Trees intended to form wind breaks 

 should be plauted at right angles to the 

 direction of the prevailing wind. The 

 lines of trees should be kept sufficiently 

 far apart to prevent the branches of the 

 trees in different lines interlacing. The 

 object of this is to produce as much leaf 

 surface as possible to stop the force of 

 the wind. Branches of trees planted 

 close together soon interlace, the leaves 

 then drop off, and the bare branches 

 offer little resistance to air currents. 



HORTICULTURE. 



DIDYMOSPERMA DISTICHUM. 



This remarkable and rare palm is sel- 

 dom seen in cultivation in Ceylon, or 

 indeed elsewhere outside its native habi- 

 tat, viz., Sikkim. It was introduced 

 by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Pera- 

 deniya, in 1880, aud has become quite 

 established and acclimatised here. It 

 may well be called the "Panpalm," 

 owing to the peculiar distichous arrange- 

 ment of its long graceful feathery leaves. 

 The latter are effectively set in a pretty 

 network of black fibre and bristles, 

 which forms a striking characteristic. 

 The palm grows to a height of about 30 

 feet, and, like many other palms, dies 

 soon after flowering and fruiting. The 

 pinnate leaves are slender and arching, 

 being about 15 feet in length from the 

 base. There is a young avenue of this 

 striking palm at Peradeniya. 



HEDGES AND HEDGE PLANTS 

 AT ANTIGUA. 



(From the Agricultural Neivs, Vol. 

 VIII., No. 181, May 15, 1909.) 



Very few hedges are in existence in 

 Antigua, and with the purpose of giving 

 an object-lesson to planters in this direc- 

 tion, successful efforts have been made 

 to develop growing fences round the 

 Experiment Station at S&errett's. The 

 plants mentioned which appear to be. 

 especially satisfactory for the purpose 

 of the establishment of hedges are the 

 bread-and-cheese (Pithecolobium Unguis- 

 cati), the Barbados cherry (Malpighia 

 glabra), and the logwood (Haematoxylon 

 campechianum). Since the hedges at 

 Skerrett's have attracted considerable 

 attention at Antigua a number of 

 enquiries have been received by the 



