744 XLVL VERBENACEAE 



forest. Acain. in the Ataran forest division in 1909 teak seed was dibbled in an 

 old clearing about one acre in extent, and half the area was allowed to burn 

 over while the remainder was protected from fire ; in the burnt half the result 

 was fair, while in the protected half complete failure resulted. This indicates 

 that fire maj^ prove to be a useful aid to the dibbling of teak in the moist 

 types of forest met with in Burma. 



In the drier types of forest in Bombay dibblings followed by the subse- 

 quent loosening and mulching of the soil round the resulting seedlings for two 

 or three years has proved fairly successful in places, though better results 

 have been attained with transplants. 



Tending of teak 'plantations. The three main classes of tending operations 

 in a teak plantation are weeding, cleaning, and thinning. The distinction 

 between weeding and cleaning is not always clear, and the application of the 

 terms varies locally. As a rule the term ' weeding ' is applied to the removal of 

 weeds, often of a herbaceous or shrubby nature, during the earlier life of the 

 plantation, and particularly during the first three or four years, while the term 

 ' cleaning ' denotes the removal of inferior tree species and bamboos which 

 threaten to suppress the teak at a later stage. The term ' thinning ' is used here 

 in a purely silvicultural sense, irrespective of whether the operation is remunera- 

 tive or not. Except in dry localities, where they may sometimes be dispensed 

 with, weedings are essential to the establishment of the young crop. Their 

 number, frequency, and intensity depend on the nature and luxuriance of the 

 weed-growth, and this in turn depends largely on the rainfall, though other 

 factors also operate, for instance the fertility of the soil ; thus weeding is 

 usually of a heavier nature on the fertile soil which previously supported 

 tropical evergreen forest than on less fertile ground. The procedure for many 

 years in the plantations of the Tharrawaddy district of Burma, where the 

 normal rainfall varies from about 60 to 80 in., has been to weed annually for 

 four years, including the year of sowing, and thereafter to weed or clean every 

 alternate year until the first thinnings, about the tenth year. Thereafter 

 cleanings are carried out at intervals of five years. In some cases two weedings 

 are necessary during the first year. 



Weeding is always carried out in the rainy season, when weed-gro\A'1)h is 

 most luxuriant. In Burma clean weeding is considered unnecessary, the aim 

 throughout the course of weeding and cleaning being to keep the heads of the 

 teak plants well free, but not to lay them bare. In the weeding of the year 

 after sowing or planting duplicate stems are removed and badly shaped and 

 damaged stems are cut back flush with the ground. In the cleanings inferior 

 species and bamboos which threaten the teak are cut out, or it is often found 

 sufficient and even desirable to cut them at some distance from the ground. 

 During the weedings and cleanings all climbers are cut, and the boundaries 

 of the plantations should be kept clear of encroachment by the surrounding 

 jungle, if necessary by maintaining a completely clear line round the boundar3\ 

 In the Nilambur plantations the fines are clean weeded during the first season, 

 the soil })eing loosened and the Aveeds pulled out ; this is found to stimulate 

 growth and keep down weeds to such an extent that subsequent weeding is 

 of a light nature. As a rule there are three weedings in the first j'ear, one or 

 more in the se'cond year, and none in the third year except in areas of the 



