TECTONA 717 



termed ' callus shoots ', are of adventitious origin, while the latter, which may 

 be termed ' side shoots ', probably arise from dormant buds. Mr. Hole notes 

 that high coppicing appears to prevent the formation of callus shoots owing 

 to the rapid drying and shrinking of the wood at the cut surface, causing 

 separation from the bark : also that, subject to further confirmation, present 

 evidence seems to show that it is best to coppice teak low shortly before the 

 commencement of vegetative activity, when as little of the dry season as 

 possible remains, or if felling must be done in the season of rest, high felling 

 may possibly be preferable, so that the base of the stump will still remain 

 alive if the upper part dies. 



It is stated ^ that observations in the Melghat, Berar, have indicated that 

 in the case of old teak stumps whose vitality is poor it is better to leave stools 

 4 or 5 in. high than to trim them flush with the ground, as in the latter case 

 the dormant buds appear to be cut away. 



Experiments carried out in 1909 in North Chanda to some extent corro- 

 borate the Jubbulpore experiment as regards the season for coppicing teak. 

 Stools coppiced in successive months from April to September showed the 

 following percentage of success in producing shoots : April 100, May 100, 

 June 92, July 91, August 40, September 71. 



There is little doubt, from observations made in localities where felling 

 or coppicing has been carried out for a long series of years, that teak stools 

 retain their vitality for a considerable time, and also, particularly in the case 

 of old hollow stumps cut flush with the ground, that the coppice shoots may 

 develop independent roots of their own, and may have the external appearance 

 of independent plants, until a search below the surface of the ground reveals 

 the fact that they are connected by the periphery of the old stump. In some 

 cases this connexion may possibly disappear in course of time. 



The question whether or not teak produces root -suckers has been the 

 subject of some inquiry. In his account of teak in the Wynaad, North Malabar, 

 Mr. G. F. Foulkes states : ^ ' Where free seedHng reproduction is absent the 

 tree reproduces itself from coppice-shoots and more chiefly from root-suckers. 

 This is the case at the present time not only in the Wynaad but throughout 

 the teak areas of the Madras Presidency.' The statement that teak rej^roduces 

 from root-suckers, which is reiterated elsewhere in the same article, evolved 

 some comment from Forest Officers in other localities, and an inquiry was 

 accordingly instituted with the view of ascertaining to what extent the pro- 

 duction of root-suckers is a general characteristic of the teak. A search was 

 made for root-suckers in different provinces and localities, including North 

 Malabar, and reports and specimens were sent to Dehra Dun. As a result 

 of this inquiry Mr. E. Marsden ^ contributed a paper summarizing the con- 

 clusions arrived at. An examination of the various specimens received, which 

 included specimens from North Malabar, revealed certain characteristics 

 common to all, namely : 



' (i) The " root-suckers " are close to each other or to the parent stem 

 (usually not so far that their point of attachment to the " root " could not 

 have been reached by a buttress or a lateral extension of the stem). 



1 Annual Forest Administration Report, Berar Circle, 1913-14. 



2 Ind. Forester, xl (1914), p. 192. ^ Ihid., xlii (191C.). y. A\\. 



