TECTONA 701 



to second quality at a short distance from it, even where the ground is well 

 di-ained by feeders ; where the drainage is at all deficient third quality is the 

 result. 



Teak is found on various geological formations, but the extent to which 

 it flourishes depends largely on the depth, drainage, moisture, and fertility of 

 the resulting soil. It grows well in Burma on the soft tertiary sandstones and 

 shales of the Pegu Yoma and parts of the Chindwin drainage, where the result- 

 ing soil varies from sandy to clayey loam, usually of good depth and drainage. 

 It is fairl}' plentiful in the sandstone areas of the Indian Peninsula, particularly 

 on the Vindhyan sandstones, but on hard metamorphosed sandstone or 

 quartzite, which disintegrates with difficulty, the teak becomes stunted and 

 of poor groAVbh. Teak flourishes on granite, gneiss, schists, and other meta- 

 morphic rocks in the hills east of the Sittang river, in the Ruby IVIines district, 

 and parts of the Madaya drainage of Burma, as well as in North Kanara, 

 Malabar, the Anamalai hills, Coorg, and elsewhere in the Indian Peninsula. 

 The soil resulting from granite and gneiss is often very sandy or gravelly and 

 porous, and on ridges and in dry situations generally it may become unfavour- 

 able for the growth of teak. On the limestone of the Thaungyin valley, the 

 Ruby Mines district, the Madaya valley and parts of the Chindwin drainage 

 of Burma, teak flourishes well where the rock has disintegrated to form a deep 

 loam, though on hard limestone with a shallow soil the growth is poor. Teak 

 occurs on limestone in parts of the Central Provinces and locally in North 

 Kanara. The great trap areas of the Indian Peninsula are extensively covered 

 with teak. As a general rule the soil is of no great depth, and although teak 

 is often remarkably plentiful, it is of small size ; only in valleys and on lower 

 slopes, Avhere there is some depth of soil, does the tree attain fair dimensions 

 in the trap areas. Teak as a rule avoids laterite, and where found on this 

 rock it is invariably stunted ; only M^here the laterite is highly disintegrated 

 and mixed with other rocks does it attain any size. 



Local occurrence and types of forest. Burma. The general limits 

 of teak in Burma have already been given. The tree does not extend to 

 (1) Arakan, South Tenasserim, and the extreme north of Upper Burma, 

 where, apart from other possible reasons for its absence, the heavy rainfall 

 frequently renders the forest evergreen in type ; (2) low -lying savannah lands, 

 tidal regions of the delta, many laterite areas, and other places which are 

 unsuitable for its growth ; (3) elevations higher than about 3,100 ft. ; (4) the 

 drier parts of the diy zone of Upper Burma. It occurs round the fringes of the 

 dry zone, but does not extend into regions where the rainfall is much below 

 40 in. ; outlying patches of teak within the dry zone occur on the lower slopes 

 and round the base of Popa mountain in the Myingyan district, but here the 

 rainfall is heavier than in the drier tracts around, and the soil is composed 

 of fertile volcanic debris. Elsewhere teak occurs in suitable localities through- 

 out the greater part of the province, though there are considerable tracts 

 where it is absent. 



In 1917 the total area of teak-bearing forest in Burma was roughly esti- 

 mated to be 35,000 square miles. The majority of these forests are situated 

 on hilly or undulating ground, but there are some important forests situated 

 on flat ground of alluvial origin. Perhaps the most important stretch of teak- 



