XYLIA 411 



fire-protection, however, does not appear to be universally beneficial, for cases 

 are recorded, particularly from South Tenasserim, where owing to the thick 

 carpet of leaves, and possibly owing sometimes to the dense undergrowth, the 

 seedlings fail to establish themselves in fire-protected forest. This appears 

 to indicate that, as in the case of teak, when the type of forest passes a certain 

 degree of moisture protection induces conditions adverse to successful repro- 

 duction ; this degree is passed at a considerably drier stage in the case of 

 teak than in the case of pyinkado. 



Another factor of great importance to the establishment of pyinkado 

 reproduction is light. Although seedlings appear under fairly heavy shade 

 and may even persist for a time, they become suppressed and killed out unless 

 a moderate amount of light is admitted. Operations carried out in Tharra- 

 waddy to assist natural reproduction have shown, however, that if the overhead 

 cover is opened out severely a heavy growth of grass and weeds tends to spring 

 up in which pyinkado seedlings, though they may appear in large numbers, 

 become suppressed, while, on the other hand, if the cover is removed gradually 

 weeds are prevented from coming in to the same extent and the advance 

 growth of pyinkado grows rapidly : repeated weeding and cleaning in the 

 earlier years is necessary, however, in order to bring up the young crop. 

 Figs. 158 and 159 illustrate the manner in which natural young crops of 

 pyinkado can be established in fire-protected forest by the gradual opening 

 of the canopy combined with weedings and cleanings. Observations have 

 been recorded in various localities regarding the quantity of reproduction 

 which springs up in areas where felling and bamboo cutting have taken place, 

 the disturbance of the soil no doubt assisting as well as the admission of light. 



Mr. T. W. Forster,^ writing of the effect of the admission of light on the 



reproduction of pyinkado in Tharrawaddy, notes that whereas young pyinkado 



is well distributed over areas where bamboos are absent, it is conspicuous by 



its absence in many bamboo areas except along the outer edges where side 



light has penetrated and in places where clumps have died after seeding. 



That seedlings do appear in large quantities in untreated bamboo areas may 



be realized from the following countings made in two plots : (1) area I acre : 



seedlings present, 3,309, or 13,200 per acre ; (2) area 1 square chain : seedlings 



present, 1,088, or 10,800 per acre. In such cases, however, if sufficient light 



is not admitted a very large proportion of these die off. The following countings 



on a linear survey 9 chains in length covering 1-8 acres in untreated bamboo 



forest in the Mokka reserve show the extent to which the establishment of 



seedlings and saplings is prevented by the effect of overhead cover : 



Seedlings 1 ft. in height and over ...... 3,691 



Poles 8 in.-l ft. in girth . 



Trees 4-5 ft. in girth 

 Trees 5-6 ft. in girth 

 Trees over 6 ft. in girth 



21 

 2 

 2 

 2 



Within recent years special attention has been paid in some of the Pegu 

 Yoma tracts to the question of obtaining natural reproduction of pyinkado. 

 It has been demonstrated clearly that once their roots have become well 

 established young pyinkado plants are capable of surviving severe burning 

 almost as well as teak, and although bm-nt back they afterwards send up strong 



^ Ind. Forester, xxxviii (1912), p. 45.5. 



