ise up in a cluster when the rains come on. They are seldom
transplanted, but sometimes four to six are put quite close to form
a fine bush."[9] By this method nothing is gained, and the
expenditure of seeds great.

If the plants germinate in November, which, as already stated, many
do, they ought to be covered with a _chupper_ made of bamboo and
grass.

In the hills, everywhere at an elevation of 6,000 and 7,000 feet,
the ringal, a small kind of bamboo, of which there are several
species, is found in great abundance, and well adapted for the
purpose, and in the Deyrah Dhoon the bamboo occurs in vast quantity;
the market of the Upper Provinces being chiefly supplied from that
valley and other forests at the base of the Himalayas. Bamboos are
also met with to the height of six and seven thousand feet on the
Himalayas in the neighbourhood of Almorah. During the day, in the
cold weather, the _chuppers_ ought to be removed, and again replaced
at night; as the weather becomes hot, it is necessary to protect the
young plants from the heat of the sun, that is, in April and May,
and until the rains commence; the _chuppers_ at this time ought to
be put on about eight a.m., and removed again about four p.m.

_Method of rearing plantations by layers, and by cuttings_.--The
best season for laying down is when the sap is dormant, or in cold
weather; or when in full action, as in the rains. "Laying," as
expressed by Dr. Lindley, "is nothing but striking from cuttings,
which are still allowed to maintain their connection with the mother
plant by means of a portion of their stem." There are various
methods of making layers, but the most simple and efficient is to
bend down a branch, and sink it into the earth after having made a
slit or notch in the centre of the embedded portion. By so doing,
the descent of the sap is retarded, and thus the formation of
radicles or young roots is promoted; about five or six inches or
more, of the branch, is to be allowed to remain above ground, and in
a position as perpendicular to the point where the plant is notched
as possible. In three or four mouths these layers are ready to be
removed and transplanted; the removal of the layers is to be
gradual, that is, they ought first to be cut half through, then a
little more, and finally altogether separated.