WATTLES AND WATTLE-BARKS. 
5 
The importance of care in the selection of seeds can hardly be over-esti¬ 
mated. They should be gathered from thoroughly healthy trees, for it is 
false economy to use auy but the best procurable. 
Mr. (x. S. Perrin, State Conservator of Forests, Victoria, recommends 
half a bushel of sand to be mixed with each pound of seed sown, and after 
treating the seed with hot water, as before described, to broadcast thoroughly, 
as in sowing wheat. He .justly remarks that, if done with discretion, much 
after-labour will be saved in the thinning process. 
Mr. F. Abbott recommends that the seed be soaked and simply sown broad¬ 
cast on ploughed ground. 
In soaking seed (as directed) for sowing, sufficient only should be prepared 
for one day’s sowing at a time. "Where seed has been soaked and sown, it 
must be covered immediately with soil, say by means of light harrows. 
Mr. J. E. Brown advocates the raising of wattles in bamboos. The raising 
of trees by this means is so common in India, has been so successfully 
carried out in South Australia,* by Mr. Brown, and is, withal so simple, 
that I give a brief account of the method here, compiled from that gentle¬ 
man’s evidence before the Victorian Royal Commission on Vegetable 
Products, and published in the Fourth Progress Report. A wattle planter in 
New South Wales substitutes little twists of brown paper for the “bamboos,” 
and doubtless other simple expedients are in use. 
Method of Tree-propagation hg means of “ bamboos .”—In India the true 
bamboo is used because it is abundant; in South Australia a large South 
European reedt (Arutido Donas, Linn.), which locally bears the name of 
“bamboo,” is used instead. The reed is cut to 4 inches in length, by means 
of a small circular saw driven by hand or water-power. Endeavours are 
made not to include joints in the pieces cut, but if one should occur it is 
bored through; the pieces arc packed together upright, filled with soil, the 
seed put in,^ and allowed to remain there till the planting season. The 
seedling is transplanted in the “ bamboo” just as it stands, and in cases 
where the bamboo is not sufficiently rotted, they are split up, in order to 
allow the roots to expand. Five hundred trees thus start their careers, and 
can bo transported in one small box — a brandy case for instance. 
In planting with wattles that wretched desert country near the Melbourne- 
Adelaidc Railway, from Bordertown to Murray Bridge (hitherto considered 
useless for any purpose), Mr. J. E. Brown, in giving evidence before the 
above mentioned Commission, stated his intention simply to roll the scrub 
down, scatter the seed, and then set fire to the scrub. This rolling is effected 
by making a team of bullocks draw an old boiler; the larger saplings are 
previously cut with an axe. 
“Five years ago I put in 50 acres of wattles in a very sandy portion of 
Mount Burr Forest, and next year I intend stripping it, and I have no 
doubt I shall receive 5 tons per acre from it. The country is very sandy— 
almost pure sand— the seed was sown broadcast, a flock of sheep run over it 
to trample it in, and the crop was so thick that we have had to thin it 
twice.” — (*T. E. Brown). 
* It has also been tried to a limited extent in New South Wales, 
f Sometimes known as the Danubian reed. 
