the sal area. Most of these seedlings have since been killed outright by frost and the few that 

 have survived in scattered patches are now periodically cut back by the same cause, some 

 even succumbing altogether. The resulting blackened stems with their shrivelled up branches 

 have at a distance the appearance of having been scorched by tire. Thus, while the hard, poor 

 grass-invaded soil is now responsible for the scarcity of young seedlings, severe frosts, occur- 

 ring at intervals of only a few years, give but little chance to the few which may happen 

 to come up out in the open. 



44. (II) Teak Forest. Being here, as said above in para. 41, at its northern limit, teak 

 has but little extension, being confined to those scattered localities where the soil and under- 

 lying rock are favourable and night frosts are neither too frequent nor too severe. As said 

 before in para. 40, it is entirely absent from the Gondwana and laterite formations and is 

 almost wholly confined to the hilly portions of the trap and Vindhyan areas, attaining its 

 largest dimensions and being most numerous on the trap. A few trees may exceptionally 

 reach a height of 65 feet and a girth of 5 feet and even more, but the average dimensions 

 attainable are a height of about 50 feet and a girth of 3| feet, for soon after, or even before, 

 this girth is reached, the trees become topsore and die off rapidly. In the total absence of 

 any cultivation of the soil, penetrated, as it is, throughout by a matted mass of grass roots, 

 the reproduction of teak is extremely backward, seedlings being rarely met with. 



45. (Ill) Mixed Forest with, practically no Teak or Sal. This is by far the most widely 

 distributed of the four main types. The principal constituent species are dhawa, seja, saj, stunted 

 khair, ghont, salai, tendu, tinsa, bija, aonla and Bauhinias ; the first seven being the most 

 common and abundant. Mahua is found scattered nearly everywhere. Numerous harra are met 

 with in sandy soils and on hilly ground. The amount of reproduction is very variable, but 

 wherever there is some depth of soil, it is abundant, especially on laterite and on rough, but 

 easy slopes, whatever the soil or rock formation. On laterite and also on sandy soils, a 

 dense undergrowth of siharu is a notable feature. This undergrowth covers up the ground 

 within three years of a felling, without, however, doing any ultimate harm to the associated 

 coppice of tree species, which does not take long to push its way up through it and overtop it 



It is needless to say that in those blocks which also contain the teak type, there is not 

 clear line of demarcation between these two types. 



46. (IV) Bamboo Forest. The species of bamboo here being the Dendrocalamus strictus, 

 it does not of course form pure forest, but runs through types II and III, thereby essentially 

 modifying the character of these types and justifying the establishment of the mixture into 

 a separate type. The bamboo flowered throughout the Division 5 6 years ago, so that very 

 few of the old productive clumps are now left. The resulting reproduction has been all that 

 could be desired and will begin to yield saleable culms in another 6 8 years'. 



ARTICLE 6. Injuries to which the Crop is liable. 



47. The chief sources of injury are (a) fire, (6) grazing, (c) night frosts and, in a minor 

 degree, (d) climbers. 



48. Fires. None of the forests of the Division are in the slightest degree self-protect- 

 ed. Without special protective measures fires begin to rage, according to the species which 

 form the crop and to the locality, between November and January, and the season for fires 

 does not terminate until near the end of June, after the new grass is a few inches high and 

 the soil has become sodden with rain. The extent of damage done by a forest fire obviously 

 depends on the character of the forest growth. Where, in consequence of the absence of 

 sufficient soil, the forest growth is naturally limited to a few scattered bushes and stunted trees, 

 annual fires can do little harm, and may do some good by inducing an early and clean growth 

 of grass. 



49. Grazing. A few blocks excepted, the average grazing pressure cannot be said 

 to be excessive (see Appendix IV). As shown in the statement below, certain areas have, for 

 various reasons that need not be specified here, been closed against cattle. But even after 

 excluding these areas, the average incidence must be pronounced to be not excessive. Owing, 

 however, to the unequal distribution of the forests as well as of the population and to the 

 tendency of herdsmen to concentrate in certain localities, these are overgrazed, while others 

 are scarcely frequented at all. As is to be expected, natural reproduction in the overgrazed 

 areas is practically nil, and no improvement can be hoped for until the grazing is better 

 regulated. 



