588 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULIUKlST. 
LMarch 1, 1902. 
made after the style of the old cinchona seed sheds 
answer well for standing the boxes in, and if made 
light and airy would do well to sow the seeds in 
direct, but care should be tsken not to allow the 
young plants to be ' drawn.' 
" We find it a good plan to prick out the seedling 
into supply baskets as soon as they are lurge enough 
to handle comfortably, or transplant them into beds, 
placing the pUnts 6 inches apart every way, and 
keeping them shaded and watered until they begin to 
grow, when they will bear the full light of the eun, 
but will require to be freely watered iu dry weather. 
" When the plants ,are from 9 to 15 inches high 
they are at their best for final planting, but if the 
weather is unsuitable they may be kept iu the 
nursery till they are 2 feet high, or until good plant- 
ing weather occurs, viz., dnll showery weather, In 
Buch weather they require very little shading, and 
BOon take hold of the soil. 
" Cuttings do not strike root readily, and only 
under certain conditions v/ill they be successful. If 
the prevailing weather should be too dry they soon 
go off, and if too wet and cold they decay before 
roots are formed. We have had batches of cuttings 
with 70 per cent, beginning to call us over, and young 
shoots forming, that hare gone off after three or 
four days of rough weather — cold high winds and 
heavy rains — and others that have gone the same way 
after a week of dry sunny weather. The favourable 
conditions are equable heat, light, and moisture ; with 
these, and wood for cuttings in a proper state, a large 
percentage will strike root and make good plants. 
" The nursery beds for seeds as well as cuttings 
should be made in a well-drained situation, and as 
near water as possible. The beds may be any length, 
and from 3 to 4 feet wide. The soil for cuttings 
should be composed as follows: one part good sandy 
loam, one part leaf mould, and one part clean sharp 
sand (to this it would be beneficial to add a good 
sprinkling of powdered charcoal), all thoroughly 
mixed. The soil should be 6 to 9 inches deep. A 
layer of good sharp sand one inch thick should be 
laid on the surface. As a protection against hot sun 
and heavy rains it would be well to put a roof of 
thatch over tue beds in the form of a shed, but it 
should be [constructed with open sides to allow 
plenty of light and air. A shed 4 feet wide, with a 
lean-to root on stout posts, open at the back and 
front, will be found a useful size. The posts should 
be 6 feet high in front and 3 ft. 6 in- at the back. 
The roof may be thatch, shingles, or other light 
material. If more than one is required, a space 4 feet 
wide should be left between the sheds to give room 
lor watering, weeding, and general attention. 
'•The best material for cuttings is that from 
straight, healthy, and well-matured shoots of the 
current year's growth, not too soft or too hard. It 
too hard they ^ ill not root readily, and if too soft 
they will be liable to damp off. The cuttings may 
be of any size from the thickness of a lead pencil to 
I inch in diameter. They should be cut into lengths 
of from 6 to 9 inches. A clean cut with a very sharp 
knife immediately below a joint to form the base of 
the cutting is of the greatest importance. If the cut 
portion is torn or jagged, or too far away from the 
joint, it is almost certain to decay, though it may 
remain green for a long time. 
" The operation for inserting the cuttings is best 
done by opening a trench with a sharp spade so as 
to form a straight edge. The prepared cuttings 
should be laid against this and the soil pressed 
firmly round them. They should be placed iu rows 
9 to IS inches apart, and 3 inches apart in the rows, 
and at a sufficient depth to leave only two or three 
buds above the surface. 
"The sooner the cuttings are made and put in 
after being taken from the trees the better. After 
the cnttingB are put in the beds should be watered to 
settle the soil, and if in the open they must be care- 
tftUy eUaded apd sunlight mw\ ije only gradually le{ 
in as they become rooted and can bear it. If all 
goes well they should bo rooted in 2 to 3 months, but 
they will not be ready for planting out for three or 
four months. 
" Camphor may also be propagated by layers. The 
operation of layering is very simple. The shoots should 
be sent down to the soil. The brauch at the bead 
should be cut halfway through, thou cutliog upwards 
for about li to 2 inches, so as to form a tongue. Tne 
cut portion must be kept apart by a slight twist, or 
by placing a piece of brick or a small stone in the 
cleft. The shoot should then be pegged down firmly 
into a groove made in the soil for its reception and 
covered with soil. The end of the shoot must be 
kept upright by tying it to a stick. 
•' Another simple way ia to split the branch at the 
bend where it is to be laid iu tlie ground, making 
the split about 2 inches long, and keeping the cut 
parts open by inaertiug a piece of wood or stone. 
Peg down well into the soil and stake. The euds of 
the shoots should be cut back a few inches with a 
sharp knife," 
It ia thus evident that the plant will thrive almost 
anywhere in the Island if the water supply be suffi- 
cient and the soil well drained. The best method of 
treatment ia probably to grow it as hedges, which are 
easily managed and clipped. It may also be planted 
along roads, jungle edges, &c., but should never be 
mixed with tht tea, as the young leaves are very 
like those of tea, and a twig or two of camphor 
will spoil a whole break of tea. 
The following analyses of two soils at Hakgala — on 
one of which (A) camphor does very well, on the 
other (B) only moderately — will help to guide to the 
selection of suitable spots: — 
CAMPHOR SOILS. 
" Six samples of soil were received from Mr. Nock 
at Hakgala, which represented the character of the 
soil and sub-soil, where camphor trees grew well and 
only fairly well, 
" No. 1 A represents a section 15 inches deep between 
trees showing the beet growth, viz., 20 to 25 feet high 
and 12 to 15 feet in diameter at five years and nine 
months from the time of planting. The surface soil 
here is about 1 foot deep. It is composed of agglo- 
merated particles of dark brown colour and yellow 
fragments of decomposing gneibs. It is very rich in 
nitrogen and the lower oxide of iron, has a fair 
amount of lime, but is deficient in potash and phoB' 
phoric acid, 
" A'o. 2 A, representing the upper 6 inches, is of a 
dark brownish colour when dry, and is almost entirely 
composed of the agglomerated particles mentioned in 
No. 1 A and rootlets, &c. The analysis shows it to 
contain the bulk of the nitrogen, and an excess of 
the lower oxide of iron, but it is deficient in potash 
and phosphoric acid. 
No. 3 A represents the sub-soil at 15 inches deep 
or 3 inches below the actual surface soil. It is com- 
posed of yellow pieces of decomposing light-coloured 
gneiss, more or less bound together with a clayey 
matrix. It also contains a fair amount of nitrogen 
and rather more phosphoric acid and potash than 
the surface soil, and would be fairly easily pene- 
trated by roots. 
" No. 1 This is taken from a section 15 inches 
deep, where the camphor is only doing fairly well. 
The plants five years and nine months old are from 
9 to 10 ft. high and 6 to 8 ft. in diameter. It is more 
finely divided than No. 1 A, and is of a lighter-brown 
colour. Chemically, it is also somewhat poorer, 
though containing a good amount of nitrogen. Lima 
and mineral plant food generally may be considered 
deficient, especially potash, and this no doubt ac- 
counts for the poorer growth of the camphor trees in 
this part. 
" No. 3 B, representing the top 6 inches, is a dark 
coloured loam, somewhat richer in nitrogen and 
phosphorio acid than No. I B, but ia very poor io 
lime, mEtgnesia, and potash, 
