( 12 ) 
Cultivation . — The plant is propagated from seed 
which is sown in nurseries. The seed deteriorates 
rapidly and, in order to ensure good germination, 
great care must be taken to obtain fresh seed. One 
pikul of fruits will produce sufficient seedlings to 
plant one hundred acres. The nursery beds should 
be shaded and the young plants carefully watered 
during dry weather. When the seedlings are about 
three inches high, which is at the age of five to 
six months, they are ready for transplanting in the 
field. Transplanting should only be carried out 
during wet weather, otherwise it will be found 
difficult to establish the plants. The most suitable 
distance of planting is 6 ft. x 6 ft., or 1,210 plants 
per acre. After transplanting, little or no cultiva- 
tion beyond ordinary surface weeding is required, 
but careful attention must be given to supplying, 
and any dead plants should be replaced by fresh 
seedlings from the nursery. 
Harvesting . — The crop, which consists of the leaves 
and young branches, may be first collected at about 
fifteen months from the time of planting, and further 
croppings repeated at intervals of four to six months, 
according to the condition of the growth; should a 
period of drought follow the pruning, the plants 
take much longer to recover than when pruning is 
followed by rain. The prunings, which are from 
one to two feet long, should be selected from the 
side branches and never from the main shoots. The 
number of shoots cut from each plant varies con- 
siderably and only the most vigorous shoots should 
be selected. Under suitable conditions, cropping 
may be continued for a period of about ten to twelve 
years, when the land is allowed to become fallow' 
and to revert to “ blukar ” or secondary jungle. 
