Pin us.] co Nina 



which would seem to indicate that the growth in Sikkim is slower than in the North- 

 West Him;il;iy;i. From a paper by Mr. Smythies in the Indian Forester, Vol. VI, 

 ],. 13, a list of countings of 153 lives made by a Forest Guard under his supervision 

 is given, the result being an average rate of growth of 12 rings per inch of radius. 

 This would give 13S years as the average age at which <> feet girth is reached, though 

 Mr. Smythies gives 104 years, or, excluding suppressed trees, 8(5 years. Urandis gives 

 four to five rings as the rale, and probably live rings per inch is the proper rate for well- 

 grown trees at a tolerably high elevation such as that when.- II U3 and H G02 

 were cut. The growth in height is undoubtedly fast at first, as the leading shoot 

 often reaches LS to 24 inches yearly, and the growth in diameter appears to bo 

 equally great in well-grown trees. 



Regarding the weight and transverse strength of Chir the following experiments 

 have been made : 



Captain Jones at Alrnora in 1844 



Weight. P == 



15 experiments, unseasoned wood, 4 ft. X 2 in, X 2 in., gave 31) Ibs., 626 

 5 seasoned 27 555 



Experiments at Roorkee in 1858 on Garhwal wood by Colonel Maclagan, R. E. 



Weight. P = 



3 experiments, with bars 22 ft. X 1 in. X 1 in., gave 27 Ibs. 000 



4 34 X 1 X 1 27 9(51 

 4 34 X 2 X 1 27 916 



Dr. Worth's weighings of our specimens shewed that the weight varied from 37 

 to 45 Ibs., averaging 41 Ibs., the Sikkim wood being rather heavier, as well as darker 

 coloured, and more filled with resin. The wood is not durable; it is attacked by- 

 insects and decays rapidly when exposed to wet ; it is, however, easy to work and is 

 extensively used in some localities in the hills for building, shingles, tea boxes and the 

 bottoms of boats. It gives large quantities of resin, more than any of the other 

 Himalayan Pines, but the process is exhaustive. Brandis says, " The yield of an 

 ordinary tree is 10 to 20 Ibs. of resin the first, and about one-third of the quantity tin- 

 second year, after which the tree either dies or is blown down." Tar is also 

 extracted from it, and turpentine is distilled from the tar. The bark is used for 

 tanning and as fuel for iron-smelting. The wood i$ often made into charcoal, and the 

 charcoal of the leaves mixed with rice-water is used as ink. 



Chir requires much light and seedlings do not spring up under shade ; but the 

 natural reproduction is good and should present no difficulty if fire and cattle are 

 excluded from the cuttings. 



Ibs. 



H 602. Tuttul Forest, Kangra 37 



H 13. Simla, 6,000 feet 39 



H 93, 39 



O 3003. Garhwal (1874) 45 



E 704. Badarntam Forest, Darjeeling, 2,500 feet .... 15 



E 2435. Great Rangit Valley 2,000 feet . . . .42 



E 2436. Darjeeling, 7,000 feet (planted). 



2. P. Kasya, Royle ; Brandis 508 ; Kurz ii. 499. Verii. Dingsa, 

 Khasia ; Tin?/ it-be n, Burm. 



Bark thick, with deep cracks and fissures. Wood very resinous, 

 hearbwood red. Inner layer of annual ring- soft and spongy, outer lavcr 

 moderately hard. Resinous ducts moderate-sized, numerous in tho 

 outer and middle belt of each annual ring", very prominent on a vertical 

 section. 



Kliasia Hills above 2,000 feet, higher bills of Chittagong and mountains between 

 the Sittang and the Sal ween rivers in Burma above 3,000 Feet. 



Growth, our specimen slu.\vs a moderately last, growth, 6 rings per inch of radius; 

 the weight is 3Slbs. per cubic foot. In an account of the iirs of the Kliasia Hills by 

 Captain Jones of the Quarter Master General's Department in " Gleanings of Science, 

 vol. i., p. 202, 1829, the weight determined by Captain Baker, but with small 



