360 



XXIII. LEGLMINOSAE 



of twenty years, of over-mature and deteriorating stems subject to the reten- 

 tion of a minimum of 20 seed-bearers per acre, combined with regeneration 

 by breaking up the soil and sowing broadcast : Hardwickia is felled at a height 

 of 18 in. from the ground. 



Under 'natural reproduction' (conclusions) and 'artificial reproduction', 

 pp. 357-9, methods are suggested for obtaining regeneration naturally and arti- 

 ficially, and it will generally happen that even if the former is secured it will 

 require to be supplemented by the latter. Important points are the retention 

 of sufficient siiade until the young crop is established, protection from fire, 

 and closure to grazing until the saplings are out of reach of animals, that is, 

 usually for ten years or even more. 



Rate of growth. The annual rings are not very distinct, but according 

 to Mr. Witt they can frequently be made out with a good lens by the numerous 

 pores filled with resin at the inner edge of the ring. Gamble says the rate of 

 growth is usually about 10 rings per inch of radius, which gives a mean annual 

 girth increment of 0-63 in. In dry localities on poor shallow soil the growth 

 under natural conditions may be extremely slow. Mr. E. D. M. Hooper writes : 

 ' The natural growth of the young tree in the dry Deccan is undoubtedly very 

 slow, and I have watched the species in the Malpangudi and Sherbi reserves 

 of Bellary for the past twenty years and the stems have scarcely progressed.' 

 Trees raised* artificially and tended grow much more rapidly. Mr. Ananda 

 Rao 1 says : ' Some planted in the Nandyal compound about twelve years 

 ago are about 25-30 ft. high and about 6 in. in diameter at breast height.' 



Allusion has already been made, under ' the seedling ', to the fact that the 



rate of growth of saplings can be traced by the annular marks on the stem, 



which denote each year's growth. Mr. Witt "^ estimates in this way that the 



average rate of height-growth of a normal sapling in Nimar, from a height 



of 3 ft. upwards, is 9-12 in. a year, and that allowing for the period of dying 



back in the early stages a natural sapling 10 ft. high would be about twenty 



years old. He also quotes some interesting figures showing the estimated 



rate of growth of trees on trap and on sandstone respectively. Thus forty-five 



trees, planted along roads in the civil station of Khandwa on shallow soil 



overlying trap rock, were thirty-seven years old. Measurements gave the 



following results : 



Average height . . . . . . . ... . . .35 ft. 



Mean annual height increment .......... 9-3 in. 



Average diameter (at breast height) . . . . . . . . .10-1 in. 



Corresponding girth . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ft. 8 in. 



Mean annual girth increment (including bark) ....... 0-86 in. 



Number of rings per inch radius (after deducting 1 in. thickness of bark) . . .9 rings 



As regards growth on sandstone, ring-countings made by him in respect 

 of ten trees of various ages showed an average of between 13 and 14 rings 

 per inch of radius, representing a mean annual girth increment of 0-46 in. 



Mr. A. W. Lushington, quoted by Gamble,^ says that planted trees of 

 known age on the Kistna canals gave 204, 3-23, 4-54, 6-10, 7-35, 8-43, 9-43, 

 10-39, 11-33, 12-26. and 1318 in. diameter for 5, 10. 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 



^ Working Plan for the Yerramalais Hill Reserves, West Kurnool, 1906. 



2 loc. cil.. pp. 101-2. 3 Man. Tnd. Timbers, 1902, p. 277. 



