M 
ing water throughout the year. Very little manure is required and 
it would never be fresh or raw. Burnt earth or ashes will be found 
useful. The burning of all roots, stumps and weeds directly over 
the beds serves to kill the seeds of weeds and insect life, in what- 
ever stage of metamorphosis, and further renders the inert plant- 
food soluble and assimilable. Ashes afford material for the early 
formation of woody fibre and are therefore ef exceptional value 
in giving stability to the young plants. 
(b) . Collection of Seed. — As remarked before the fruit is ripe 
when it changes to an orange yellow and is noticed to drop from 
the base of the cluster. If whole clusters are plucked the unripe 
fruits near the apex should be discarded. After the collection of a 
sufficient number of ripe fruit, say each week’s gathering, the whole 
should be exposed to the sun on mats. This may be done for 3 or 
4 days, when all the seed will have been shed. If not required for 
immediate use sifting the seed and putting away in glass stoppered 
bottles is recommended. The fruit receptacles or empty cones may 
be burnt over the beds as they contain potash amongst other con- 
stituents. Care should be taken that the mats are carried in during 
showers; kerosine oil sprinkled in a continuous ring round the mat 
will keep off ants. Sparrows and rats are also fond of the seed 
and must be guarded against. 
(c) . Sowing.— The seed should be thickly sown in one or two 
beds,* depending on their length and the quantity of seed to be 
sown. The beds having been previously levelled and prepared and 
seed scattered broad cast, a thin layer of fine or sifted soil is sprin- 
kled over and pressed down. The whole is thoroughly watered with 
a watering can having a fine rose. All exposed and uncovered 
seed should now be pressed down or covered, where necessary with 
more fine soil. The beds should now be covered with a layer of 
lalang, The lalang may be lightly tied down over the beds in windy 
localities, by means of sticks inserted opposite each other and -about 
3 feet apart on either side of the edge of the bed and tied across 
with -olit rotan or thin creepers, The object of the lalang is to 
protect the sprouting seedlings from the direct* rays of the sun and 
to prevent rapid evaporation. In the absence of rain, daily water- 
in- should be indulged in ; the watering should be evenly distri- 
buted over the beds. 
The plants should commence sprouting from a week' to ten days 
and in 3 months time will be about 4 inches high. No weeding is 
necessary in seed beds as any attempt at it would only uproot the 
tender seedlings. If any is done the kebuns should be carefully 
instructed to cut back the weeds but on no account to pull up any 
weeds. 
(d) . Pricking out (/) intp Nursery beds or (//) into Tile-pots. 
(1). Pricking out into Nursery beds: — Beds in the meantime 
havin" been got ready and holes of about 9 inches depth, at least, 
been made at one foot apart, the seedlings are raised from the seed- 
bed with balls of earth using a Bengali or Malay spade. If 2 or 3 
