542 XXVII. COMBRETACEAE 



the lantana, and the rapid growth of the seedlings, when the lantana is 

 removed, is stimulated by the absence of grass for the first year or two and 

 the fact that the lantana enriches the soil. 



Artificial eeproductiox. The fruits require to be collected when the 

 heads commence to break up, and not before. The infertility of the seeds 

 is a serious drawback to artificial reproduction, and if the theory just referred 

 to holds good the best results would seem to be obtainable after dry years 

 when a fertile crop of seed is obtained. Under ordinary conditions the 

 infertility of the seed would preclude any great success by direct sowings, 

 though in years of fertile seed-production they should prove successful on 

 well-drained porous ground. Many years ago Mr. Haines carried out successful 

 sowings on heaps of loose earth and rubble at Chaibassa, Chota Nagpur. 

 Mr. Pearson ^ notes that he obtained successful germination in the Panch 

 Mahals, Bombay, by sowing the seed on well-irrigated raised beds, the soil 

 being mixed with a large q-uantity of coarse sand ; the seed was sown in June 

 and lightly watered by hand every day. Germination commenced after about 

 twenty days ; it was successful only where the beds were well shaded by 

 a thick covering of leaves and branches some 18 in. above the ground : under 

 this shade a large mass of seedlings came up, whereas in beds exposed to 

 the sun hardly any seed germinated. Seedlings can be transplanted without 

 difficulty. 



SiLVicuLTURAL TREATMENT. At present this tree is worked only as 

 a component species of mixed forests, either as coppice-with-standards or 

 under selection and improvement fellings, when, however, it is frequently cut 

 out in the interests of more valuable species such as teak or sal. 



As the leaves and bark give promise of furnishing valuable tanning 

 material, it is not unlikely that some system will have to be devised before 

 long for working this species for the production of regular supplies of bark 

 and leaves. The young tender leaves and shoots are richest in tannin. Short 

 rotation coppice, or some modification of it, suggests itself, though the best 

 method remains to be discovered by experiment. Meanwhile the following 

 experiment carried out in Central India is of interest : 



A trial coupe of 6 acres on the slopes of the Sharda Devi hill, about 

 2| miles from Maihar in Central India, was coppiced in January 1916, about 

 1,500 trees having been cut to ground-level, leaving rounded stools. The 

 trees were all small and badly shaped. The yield obtained from these was ; 

 Dry leaves . . .31 maunds (of approximately 82 lb. each). 



Dry bark . . .41 maunds. 



Dry fuel . . .214 maunds. 



Within two months of cutting, strong shoots of a bushy growth appeared, 

 covered with fresh leaves rich in tannin. The first flush of leaves was collected 

 and weighed 3 maunds. The method of working proposed in this tract is to 

 continue the collection of the fresh leaves from the coppice-shoots for two 

 or three years and then to leave one strong shoot on each stool to develop 

 into a pole before any further coppicing is carried out. Fresh new leaves are 

 found to be produced on the young coppice-shoots very soon after the shoots 

 have been stripped of leaves. 



^ Irid. Forester, x.xxi (lOOii), p. 637. 



