ee 
We Ye See 
402 
trees already present. Many of these latter no doubt will hold their own 
and will occupy a place in the new, matured forest which will be 
developed. Owing to the rapidity of the growth of the bamboo seedlings, 
but few of the dicotyledinous seedlings will be able to compete suc- 
cessfully with them. Attention also should be called to the fact that 
according to the observations of Indian foresters, from the seed it takes 
from eight to ten years for the culms of Bambusa arundinacea to reach 
full size. No doubt a number of years would elapse before the culms of 
“boho” could reach their ultimate height of from 15 to 18 meters. If 
such be the case, this period of maturity would be sufficiently long to per- 
mit the young trees and saplings to gain considerable headway in a young 
forest of bamboo. Thus, as the bamboo growth reaches maturity, the 
dicotyledinous trees present, but which previously had been suppressed, 
will also reach maturity and the new forest which is thus developed 
will in many respects resemble the original one which it replaces. Kurz ™* 
is also authority for the statement that where bamboo growth in the 
original forest has taken place around clearings or what would correspond 
to cogonales, these bamboo seedlings soon spring up and choke out all 
other vegetation except that of light-loving, quick-growing sapling trees. 
If this should become the case on the Lamao Forest Reserve, then 
portions at least of the cogonales will be captured by the bamboo growth. 
Whether the bamboo seedlings will be able successfully to survive or 
even whether the seeds will germinate at all under the tolerable dense 
shade of the forest types of parang growth, remains to be demonstrated. 
It is not likely that many seedlings will be able to exist under such 
conditions. It must be understood that what is said represents only a 
conjecture. Extensive observation on the spot is needed to demonstrate 
the actual behavior of the bamboo when it seeds. 
As I have already mentioned, there is evidence to show that the 
dicotyledinous trees of the original growth of the Bambusa-Parkia 
formation are gradually encroaching on the parang, especially at its 
thinner portions and into the cogonales themselves. Many instances 
were noted where seedlings were starting in the semi-shaded area produced 
by the woody growth of the periphery of the cogonales. Where the 
parang borders on the grass areas, then the species which are thus intro- 
duced are rather more generally those of the parang than of the original 
growth. Nevertheless, if the parang is in the neighborhood of seeding 
trees of the latter class, or if these trees be in the parang itself, there 
will be developed some seedlings. After a number of years at least 
some of the latter will overtop the low growth of the parang, causing it to 
become more or less suppressed, and it therefore will be reduced to a sub- 
ordinate place in the new forest thus established. Many instances were 
noted where such alterations were taking place. Of course, the new 
forest would almost.entirely be a dicotyledinous one unless, during some 
Li. ¢,,;'Introd., p. xxx. 
