January 2, 1882.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 613 
of a cord, about, 100 feel long 
at the intervals at which it is 
This cord is stretched on the 
of the marks on it, a piece 
is struck iuto the soil. The c 
lino is staked off at a propel 
and so on. Coolies follow, wl 
about a foot to fifteen inohe 
inches wide, of which the stal 
be the centres. The earth (fr 
which has been taken out of c 
on which marks are tied 
■ished to plant the trees. 
it, 
Plan 
mentio 
nurseri 
their roots in tb 
should be carriec 
Shallow boxes or 
with a plentiful 
round the roots, 
aica is evidently 
favourable condit 
of damp, cloudj 
rain or occasion 
during heavy rai 
and become in I 
lets of the plant 
tbout tobepla 
makes 100 tc 
a the nature 0 
A cooly 
>er day 
holes 
hand 
,'ivo a firmer 
dp- 
it is only necessary to make an opening v\ 
or a trowel in the fresh loose soil already 
them, sufficiently deep to receive the ro 
doubling them. When thus deposited, the 
be tilled in round the plant, and well pros 
thrown in to cover the roots. No plan 
buried deeper in the ground than the col 
of stem and roots. " When a portion of 
buried in transplanting, the growth of the p 
retarded, and it does not, as some suppose, 1 
hold of the ground but the reverse." 
Too much attention cannot be given to the 1 
putting out cinchona plants. " It is too important an 
operation to be done badly: it is not wise to try to 
economiso on it, and it is always unadvisable to do it 
by contract." A good planter should be able to put 
in from five hundred to a thousand plants per day 
accord in^c to the natiu'c of the soil. 
Planting Distances. — In the early days of cinchona 
planting, the trees were put out at distances of twelve 
feet apart, but it was soon found out that, even for the 
strong and freo growing Rod Bark, C. Sucrimhra, this 
Hgtance was too great for remunerative results. "It 
appears that the Red Hark, even in South America, is 
never a large tree : C. Officinalis is but a big slu-ub, 
and it is doubtfid whether any of the species become 
much larger." 
In the Government Plantations of India, at Sikkim, 
the Nilgiris and Darjeeling, even the large leaved Cin- 
chona Succirubra, are now planted at distances of 4 feet 
by 4 fret, c;i\in_' tire-, per acre, whereas when 
planted at 12 feet by 12 feet, as hitherto followed iu 
Jamaica, tbo number of trees is only 303 per aci \ 
j Dr. King, in his •• Manual of Ciuchona Cultivation in I 
India," remark-; thai " wide-planting is obviously nn 
1 error." All the cinchonas have the babit of throwing 
j out a quantity of superficial rootlets, and young oinohona 
plantations do not thrive until the soil between the 
trees is sufficiently protected from the sun to allow 
Use superficial rootlets to perform their funotioni freely, 
The growth of weeds, which is a very important factor 
in tropical cultivation, i-< uUo checked l>y shade. By 
close planting, therefore, two desirable objects arc speedily 
obtuiucd, nud, moreover, the tree-, are t iirorraMcd to 
l.M 
produce straight clear stems yielding a larger proportion 
of trunk bark and less branch bark. On this well 
known habit of forest trees is founded tho practice of 
close planting in forest plantations in Europe, the object 
being to produce long straight unbranching stems from 
which to cut timber of long scantling. 
As the trees begin to press upon each other, they can 
be thinned out and a quantity of bark may thus be got 
at a comparatively early period, with positive advantage 
to the plants that are allowed to remain on the ground. 
It is tine that the cost of close planting is greater 
than that of sparse planting, but on the other hand the 
reduction in the cost of cleaning and the manifest greater 
yield of the plantation will more than compensate for 
this. 
It may, therefore, bo safely assumed that the Red 
Bark, C. Succirubra, should be planted at distances 
not greater than 4 feet by 4 feet, and the Crown Bark, 
C. Officinalis, at not greater than 3 feet by 3 feet. 
The latter may however very conveniently bo put out 
at distances of three feet between the rows and only 
re tne newly planted 
after they are put 
for any particular 
>cal conditions. At 
us it is found very 
ays of the common 
ny side of the plant 
round. Should the 
wind the fern leaves 
, so as not to touch 
action of the wind, 
is often necessary 
locality must of course depend on k 
the Government Cinchona Plantatio 
c onvenient to place two or three spr 
bracken Pterin Aquilina on the sun 
with the stalks well fixed in the g 
weather prove wet with high gales of 
should be slightly moved on one side 
or rub the plant when moved by the 
Stakiiiri. — In windv localities, it 
its h 
will begin to show signs of the numerous tropical weeds 
which everywhere infest the land. It is hopeless to 
think of entirely freeing the ground from such unwelcome 
visitors, and, indeed, in the case of a cinchona plantation, 
it is quite unnecessary to do so. No special rule can 
be laid down as to the number of clearings actually 
required during the first and second years, but it would 
be advisable to keep down by cutting most weeds till 
the young plants are sufficiently grown to overtop them. 
Hoe-weeding as a general treatment should never be 
permitted as thereby the valuable surface soil is loosened 
the 
ally 
in pulli 
up 
tie 
veeds are annuals, and 
ly be advisable occasion- 
for cuttinf,'. 
■face of the soil caused 
roots, affords a rough 
kind of cultivation which is advantageous; moreover the 
bonus are less damaged 
ely be stated that, in pro- 
jrow and their leafy heads 
growth of weeds becomes 
;rticial hoeing of tbo soil 
old, however, Ihj given 
superficial roots of the cir 
than by hoeing. It need seal 
portion as tho Cinchona trees 
cover tho ground, the undo 
less luxuriant. A slight su 
immediately round the plan! 
onco a year if possible. The space to be cleared need 
not exceed ono and a half to two feet in diameter, 
having the tree stem as its centre. To young plants 
especially this is very beneficial, and it is found that 
the oldest trees in the Sikkim plantation are much 
benefitted by tho operation. 
" In all cultural operations it oUtfht to bo boritt in 
mind that the roots of cinchonas arc comparatively super- 
ficial, and that any very deep hoeing is therefore more 
likely to do barm than good." I>. Mourns. 
Director of Public Gardens and Plantation*. 
