Among the many very absurd mistakes made in the cultivation of the Tea plant, none exceeds the ridiculous way Tea seed used to be sown in the Government plantations in the North-western Himalayas. The seed was sown in drills, as I have advised, but in six linear inches of the drills, where it is right to put two, or at most three, seeds, perhaps thirty were placed! I do not exaggerate; the drill, six inches deep, was filled with them. Many and many lacs of seed, in those days worth many thousand rupees, were thus sacrificed. Private planters in the Himalayas, taught by the Government method, once did the same. I believe the absurd practice is exploded now. Seed cannot be sown too soon after being picked. It is ripe early in November, so the beds should be all ready by November, and if the seed has not far to come it can thus be sown early that month. To each maund there are in round numbers 30,000 seeds, (see page 56). The number of plants it will take to fill an acre depends, of course, on the distances they are set apart (see page 72), but having decided this point, also the area to be planted, and consequently the number of maunds of seeds to be sown (see page 56), the following table will be found useful in calculating the size of nursery required:-- _Table showing the size of nursery required for one maund and ten maunds seed, the drills being 6 inches apart, and each seed 3 inches or 2 inches from its neighbour._ -------------+-----------+------------------+---------------+---------------- Distance each|Area in sq.|Area, in sq. feet,|Area, including|Size of nursery, seed is set |inches each|of beds without |paths required |including the apart in the |seed will|paths required for|for each md. |paths to take in drill. |occupy. |each md. | |for 10 mds. -------------+-----------+------------------+---------------+---------------- 3 inches | 18 | 3,763 |4,513 sq. feet | 100 yards | | | or | by | | | 501 sq. yards.| 50 yards. | | | | 2 inches | 12 | 2,500 |2,995 sq. feet | 100 yards | | | or | by | | | 332 sq. yards.| 33 yards. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- If nurseries for more than ten maunds are required, then allow 100 yards to be the breadth, and for each extra ten maunds add respectively for 3 or 2 inches (see 1st column) 50 or 33 yards to the length. Thus fifty maunds will require nurseries 100 yards by 250 yards, or 100 yards by 165 yards, according as it is decided to plant the seed 3 inches or 2 inches apart in the lines. FOOTNOTE: