104 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



labour the work involves, and when the ridge is afforested and 

 gives the aesthetic touch to the New Capital which I believe it will, 

 it will be difficult to realize the enormous efforts of the original under- 

 taking. 



Water is pumped and made available at one of the commanding 

 points of the ridge and is taken into a main pipe feeder which follows 

 as nearly as possible the contour level at which it is made available, 

 minus, of course, the absolute necessary hydraulic grade to overcome 

 friction. 



Branch lines every 500 to 600 feet apart, or according to the 

 configuration of the hillside, take water down the ridge slopes. 

 Small cocks 200 to 300 feet apart enable water-carriers (bhishties) 

 to fill their leather bags (mashocks), and the furthermost distance 

 these leather bags have to be carried seldom exceeds 300 feet or twelve 

 lines of pits on either side of branch lines. 



These afforestation operations were originally started on a tentative 

 scale during 1914-15, when an area of 52-40 acres was treated on the 

 natural system described. Prominence was given to sowing, with 

 the unreliable result alluded to before, and it soon became evident 

 that the only practical solution was the planting of nursery- grown 

 saplings. 



It is not that the seeds sown did not germinate, but, with the advent 

 of the winter, most of the seedlings died owing to inadequate root action, 

 the dry and cold season setting in before the roots could get deep 

 enough to nourish the plants. It must also be said that the area 

 originally selected for this tentative trial was, on the whole, not exactly 

 suitable for the purpose. 



Simultaneously with the above, a tentative trial on the terrace 

 system was also made, covering actually an aggregate area of 4*55 acres. 

 Sowings in furrows were resorted to and proved what has already 

 been advanced on the subject in these notes. The success here is 

 attributed to a uniform depth of good soil with an even moisture of 

 surroundings, which it is impossible to attain with isolated pits some 

 25 feet apart. A reference to the photograph (fig. 9) will convey 

 a better idea than pen can describe ; a few nursery-grown saplings 

 were also planted in the furrows, and these have already attained, 

 comparatively speaking, to a large size, if the environments are taken 

 into consideration. 



The land between these terraces, representing approximately 16*45 

 acres, was also afforested, but on natural lines. The aggregate area 

 treated during 1914-15 represents 73*40 acres, this acreage gradually 

 developed by the warding staff to 103*40 acres as water could be 

 spared. Further extensions were undertaken last year on the north 

 and south of the old plantations, and these will represent an approxi- 

 mate acreage of 134 acres, which, added to the original work, brings 

 the total area under afforestation work to 237*40 acres. It will be 

 seen from the above that it represents a very small part of the whole 

 of the 2,500 acres that really face the New Capital. 



