362 
Supplement to the " Tropical Agriculturist.'* [Nov. 2, 19C3. 
Very shortly the desirability of planting out some 
of them in the open •will arise, and one or more 
garden beds should be prepared, the requisite tools 
being bought as desired." 
Here follow the directions for box and pot cul- 
tivation : — 
" Tools etc., required. — A supply of boxes and 
pots are the first requisite. Thf>se can be obtained 
without; much expense, as many waste household 
articles can be utilized. Any stout wooden boxes, 
and kerosene tins, are extremely useful, and many 
small plants may be grown well in small tins such 
as old butter tins. 
A few»pots, bamboo or earthenware, should be 
obtained, and also a shovel and trowel, soil, some 
cocoa-nut fibre refuse, and a little sand. 
A sieve is very useful, but, as a rule, expensive. 
Very good substitutes may be made for a small 
sum with fine-meshed wire-netting nailed on to a 
small shallow box with top and bottom knocked 
out, or by replacing the wire-netting by a sheet of 
tin pierced with holes about one-quarter to one- 
half an inch in diameter. 
Two sizes of boxes are wanted, shallow ones for 
raising seedlings in, and deeper ones for trans- 
planting them into later. 
Plat slips of wood about six inches long by one 
broad, smooth on one side and pointed at one end, 
should be obtained for use as plant labels. 
SeedB«xet. — The seed boxes should be shallow, 
from four to six inches in depth, with sides 
securely fastened so that tbey will bear the weight 
of the moist soil. Ordinary wine and whisky 
cases answer very well, and useful seed boxes can 
be made from the bottoms of kerosene tins. Bore 
a number of holes, about half an inch in diameter, 
in the bottom of each to secure good drainage. 
Stand the boxes on a layer of small stones 
or ashes. 
Soil for the Boxes. — Prepare a good supply of 
soil for filling the seed boxes according to the 
following directions, and store it, under cover, 
ready for use : — Pick out from some good soil all 
the larger stones and put in a heap. Then pass 
the soil through t he sieve, by which means the 
gravel is removed and may be stored in a second 
henp the soil itself forming the third. 
Filling the Boxes. — To prepare a box for sowing 
seedf^, pltice on tlie bottom a layer of the stones 
obtoiiued !is above, then a layer of cocoa-i*ut fibre, 
to pievent the fine soil which is to be added 
blocking up the spaces between the stones and 
impeding drainage. Over the cocoa-nut fibre put 
a.layer of the gravel and finally of sified earth. 
Level this,, .-Mid sli^rlitly press it down to make the 
top l:\yer.s of soil firm. Tliis is important as if 
tli« is Liose the .«eeds will quickly be dried up, 
and also it is much more difiSeiilt tor them to get 
oat of rheir seed-oonts in very loose soil. 
lowing Seeds in Boxes. — The box having been 
filled i 1) soli in accordance with the previous 
dive(;;i.ins, water well, and allow to drain. 
lu the ciise of very small seeds, such as lettuce, 
etc., -caiter iliem evenly over the surface, and 
cover very lightly with a small quantity of the 
finest obtainable soil. Larger seeds may be buried 
deeper ; with ordinary seeds half an inch may be 
taken as a good average depth. In all cases press 
the earth gently down after covering the seeds' 
and water very lightly, using a watering-can with 
a fine rose. If ants are troublesome and carry off 
the seeds, support the seed box on a couple oj 
pots standing in water. 
Put the seed boxes away in the shade and 
water them very carefully. It is some'timea 
advisable to place a sheet of glass over the top 
of the box. By this means the air is kept uni- 
formly moist and germination is usually hastened. 
The glass also prevents damage by rain if the seed 
boxes cam ot be placed under a roof. 
Care of Seedlings. — After the seedlings have 
appeared above the ground tend them very care- 
fully, the most important thing being to water 
them regularly. Do not keep them in dense shade 
too long, or they will grow very tall and weak, 
and have a tendency, if crowded together, to 
' damp off,' owing to fungoid attacks. When large 
enough they must be transplanted into their 
permanent positions. Prick the plants out 
separately with a fiat pointed piece of wood, for 
instance the pointed end of a wooden pot label 
press the soil lightly around the roots of each as it 
19 lifted up, and place them either in separate 
pots, or at a sufficient distance apart in deep boxes 
or kerosene tins. The pots, boxes, or tins should 
in all cases be filled in a similar manner to the 
seeds boxe?. 
Precautions necessary in Pot Cultivation. If 
the position where the boxes and pots will stand 
finally is very exposed and sunny, some attempt 
should be made to screen the pots from the direct 
rays of the sun. They may be buried in the soil, 
imbedded in trash, or cocoa-nut fibre refuse, 
screened by a board, or protected in any other 
way local conditions may suggest. It is also well 
to stand them in saucers of water. Daily water- 
ings are essential. It is best to cover the soil in 
each pot with a little cocoa-nut fibre refuse which 
will prevent the top hardening as a result of 
constant watering, and also diminish evaporation." 
Manurial experiments can be carried on in 
garden beds or in boxes and pots. In some cases 
they are easier in the latter because it is then 
possible to ensure that exactly similar soil is used 
throughout the experiment; that the plants are 
treated exactly alike as regards water, light, and 
other conditions. 
Oue difficulty in ccrryiug out 'nauu'-ial experi- 
ments in garden beds, is that in many gardens the 
soil is so rich to start with, that it contains all the 
constituents necessary to the plant's growth. 
The manured plot, therefore, will merely contain 
more of same coustilueuts thuu the unma lured 
plot, which, however, has quite eaough. That is 
to say, to get quicker results as to the action of 
various manure;, very poor soil only should be 
used. 
* « * » * 0 ^ 
The importfint point is that the different pots 
should be treated exactly alike throughout. For 
example, with two boxes or pots, one manured 
and the other unmanured, the result is worthless 
if the same soil is not used for both; if one is kept 
in the sbad« and the other not if one is exposed 
