| RUBIACEZ. 185 
leaving the bark to renew over the exposed wood; 2, by 
ping and shaving off the bark; 8, by. coppicing; and 4, by 
ooting. The first is that most in use in, and peculiar to the 
giris, having been discovered by Mr. McIvor. The trees 
are barked preferably in the rainy season, when the bark “lifts,” 
or is more easily removed from the wood. The coolie inserts 
the point of a knife in the tree as far as he can reach and draws 
it down, making an incision in the bark straight to the ground; 
he then makes another cut parallel to the first, about an inch 
nd a half apart, and loosening the bark with the back part of 
e knife, the strip or ribbon is taken off. If the operation is 
performed carefully, and the cambium cells are not broken, a 
new layer of bark will. be formed in the place of that which is 
taken away. Other strips are taken at intervals around the 
m, and the tree is then covered by moss, grass or leaves of 
Phormium tenax, and bound on by coir string or fibre. The 
stem is covered after the operation of stripping in order to 
oster the growth of the new bark (renewed bark) from the 
bium, and to thicken the untouched layers of natural bark, 
which are now termed mossed bark. The moss which was first 
used to cover the partly decorticated stem is not now used on 
account of its scarcity, and grass, straw, leaves, tin and news- 
pers have been found to answer the purpose. After about 
o years, the trees are again visited, and if recuperation has 
ne on satisfactorily, the mossed bark is harvested in strips, 
aving the renewed bark to thicken, and to allow a further 
supply of renewed bark to take the place of the mossed. The 
enewed bark is always of greater value than the mossed and 
mossed than the natural, so long as the trees are under 20 
years old, for it has been found that after that time the bark 
ases to thicken, and the alkaloids remain stationary or even 
ease. The bark being collected in wet weather artificial 
at has to be used in drying it. Both at Naduvatam and 
i24 
