THI-; MALI-: BAMBOO 



BAMBOOS 



The Culm 



tro 



in 



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most useful or the most abundant species in India as a whole. It is quite 

 customary also to read of ltamlnttm rit/</<tri.s rendered as "The Common 

 Biiiuliiio," whereas in India, at least, that cosmopolitan cultivated species 

 is hardly a common plant. In the rice- producing areas it might in fact 

 he more correct to speak of Ittimlmsti Ttildii as "theCommon Bamboo," 

 and as far as Bengal is concerned that certainly is the most abundant 

 ipecies, although It. lllcmnt is nearly as plentiful and ever so much more 

 useful. On these grounds the balku bans would be pronounced " The 

 iioo " by the people of India. The terra " Male Bamboo " is given 

 to any solid (or nearly solid) bamboo used for spear or lance staves and 

 for walking-sticks, though it is more particularly applicable to l>rndro- 

 cnfannis sf rictus. A rinnliiui ri<t I' ruin it and O.i-i/tcininflicra 

 have also, however, more or less solid culms. 



The home of the giant forms of bamboo is the tropical and extra- 



pical forests ; in the temperate zones they dwindle down to mere 

 umler-shrubs, until they become scarcely distinguishable from other 

 asses. Arundimiriti denxijlnru might be described as the smallest 

 nd Itcmlrncalanuis </if/(intciis (or 1). l>r<nt<li*ii) the tallest of 

 bamboos. Some species have their stems of nearly one thickness through- 

 out, and possess at the same time very long joints ; such are specially 

 designated as umbrella bamboos because suitable for umbrella handles. 

 Of this nature may be mentioned Arumliimriti II i</Itti<nt<i, Oxf/ten- 

 Stnc/.sii. r/i i/ffosf<tc/i t/s haiiibuitoides, and T/ii/rsostdchytt 

 ni<i me ii sis. In this connection it may be observed that a Calcutta firm, 

 who manufacture umbrellas on a large scale, have to import from China 

 ;he canes they use as handles because India does not appear able to compete 



quality and price with the imported article. Other species form long 

 ,hin tubes such as. IrniKfimirifi fafcata, and are, in consequence, described 

 as Awfca-tube or fishing-rod bamboos (Ind. For., 1889, xv., 92, 141). While 

 still others have very thin and uniform shells with large cavities, and are 

 in consequence readily adaptable for water-pails, milk-churns, drinking- 

 jugs, and the like. Of this nature may be mentioned Jiatn IHIS<I imllida. 

 D'-inl rorula inns sikkiineiisis and Teinostac/it/uin- Dullooa. Of 

 a very different kind are those specially valued because of the ease 

 with which they can be worked up into mats and baskets, as, for 

 example, the various species of Arnndinaria. Itamhusa ni/t/firis. 

 Cephalostachyum c<tj>if(itnni, I>endroc(tf<imns Ildiniltonii, Melo- 

 ctildiniis comjtficti/foriis and Pseudostac/i i/it in jHift/inorjthiini. 

 Burmese lacquer- ware consists very largely of neatly made boxes, trays, etc., 

 of bamboo wicker-work coated and polished with the thitsi varnish (Ind. 

 Art at Delhi, 1903, 218-24). Lastly, certain bamboos are prized in house 

 and boat construction or for scaffolding, because of their great strength. 

 These are l>nihns<t llafcooft, It. n titans, B. Tulda, Dendrocalanuis 

 1/ii/nntt'its. It. strict us and Mefocanna htunhusoidcs. Mr. Hannan 

 (Textile Fibres of Comm., 145) says : " The stems of Bamboo when spliced 

 are known in the brush trade as the Bamboo fibre. The fibres used are 

 about an eighth of an inch in width and 6 to 7 inches in length. They have 

 a good elastic bending property. . . . This material is also known to 

 e trade as ' Patent Bass.' " 



The bamboo stem, as in grasses generally, consists of a more or less 

 ollow culm, with transverse solid joints called nodes. The thickness of 

 he woody shell and the length of the internodes varies exceedingly in 



105 



"The 



Common 



Bamboo." 



The most Useful 



Thu Mule 



Climatic 

 Inflii';nre. 



Umbrella 



Bamboos. 



Fishing-rods. 



Water-pail 

 Bamboos. 



Matting 

 Bamboos. 



Basket-ware. 



House- 

 construction 

 Bamboos. 



Brush-making 

 Bamboos. 



Peculiarities of 

 Habit. 



