-30 XLVI. VERBENACEAE 



of borers ; (3) the earlier the thinnings are commenced and the shorter the 

 intervals between them, the lower will be the incidence of the borer. 



The labom: question is certainly a difficulty in some localities, and planta- 

 tions have to be limited accordingly, but the want of an adequate staff cannot 

 be taken seriously as an excuse for not forming jDlantations, since the remedy 

 is obvious. It has been held that plantation teak is inferior in quality to natural 

 teak, but ]Mr. Pearson has carried out two separate series of tests with planta- 

 tion teak from Burma, in both of which it was found that the timber was in 

 point of strength in no way inferior to natural teak. 



Wherever conditions are suitable, on the other hand, there are strong 

 arguments in favour of teak plantations. It is obvious that land which is made 

 to yield, say, 40 mature teak trees per acre after about 100 years or less is 

 being utilized to much greater advantage than the same land which under 

 natural conditions yields only a few mature trees per acre in 150 years or more. 

 Again, the cost of tending, upkeep, and supervision for a given number of 

 trees is much reduced by the concentration of work possible in the case of 

 plantations, and this results in more rapid growth and a considerable reduction 

 of the rotation, which means a great financial gain. Experience in Burma has 

 shown that taungija plantations formed on correct lines cannot be approached 

 for cheapness as a means of increasing the stock of teak, and that the financial 

 prospects of such plantations are decidedly good. Finally the financial results 

 of the Nilambur plantations, quoted below, should remove any doubts as to 

 the desirability of forming teak plantations, always provided care is taken 

 regarding important details such as the choice of site, the extent of area 

 planted, the method of formation, a suitable mixture of species or isolation 

 of planted blocks where the attacks of insects, and particularly the bee-hole 

 borer, are to be feared, careful tending throughout the life of the plantation, 

 and other matters. 



Particulars of some teak plantations. Teak plantations have been formed 

 to a greater or less extent in many parts of the natiu-al region of this tree as 

 well as in localities outside its natural habitat. A short account of some of 

 these plantations may be of interest. 



Central Provinces. Small jDlantations exist in various districts. In 

 the Sipna valley of the Melghat forest division of Berar about 1,000 acres 

 were planted between 1868 and 1879. 



Bombay. A good deal of planting has been done from time to time in 

 different localities. The earliest plantations formed were those at Sulgeri, 

 Kadra, and Mardi in the Kalinaddi valley in North Kanara. The Sulgeri 

 plantation was started in 1867-8, and continued until 1881-2, by which time 

 the area amounted to 410 acres. The Kadra plantation was commenced about 

 1865 or 1866, and continued until 1881-2, \vhen the area aggregated about 

 200 acres. The Mardi plantation was commenced in 1869-70, and an area 

 amounting to 102 acres was planted at different times. The spacing was 

 9 ft. by 9 ft. The success of these plantations has been variable. Most of 

 the planted area is on laterite, with very shallow soil in places, and here the 

 growth is poor or complete failure has resulted. The plantations also appear 

 to have suffered from want of tending in the earlier vears, and from the fact 

 that thinnings wore too long delayed. Considering that much of the area has 



