756 XLVI. VERBENACEAE 



a felling C3^cle of thirty years, areas likely to be placed in periodic block II 

 being excluded from girdling during the first twenty years. 



Teak forests of the Indian Peninsula. In the moister and better types of 

 teak forest in the Indian Peninsula, which have hitherto been worked under 

 fellings of the selection type, there is scope for the introduction of concentrated 

 systems of regeneration such as those which are being introduced in Burma, 

 though the details must vary with local conditions. In the drier types of forest 

 a commencement has already been made in Bombay by the system of tending 

 and mulching natural seedlings in newly felled coupes, combined mth artificial 

 reproduction. Experiments on similar lines in Berar have indicated the 

 necessity for removing overhead cover to prevent drip from overhanging trees, 

 and this is a step towards the creation of even-aged crops over definite areas. 



The Nilambur teak plantations. These plantations have recently begun 

 to reach maturity, and it has been decided to fix the rotation at 70 years, 

 which under conditions prevailing hitherto produces average girths of 6 ft., 

 4 ft. 9 in., and 3 ft. 7 in. on soils of first, second, and third quality respectively ; 

 under the new scheme of thinnings introduced recently these girths should be 

 exceeded in the second rotation. The manner in which the various soil qualities 

 are intermingled on the ground precludes the adoption of different rotations 

 for the different qualities. The system of management is that of clear -felling 

 with artificial reproduction by replanting. It has been found that on areas 

 where clear -felling followed by burning of refuse has been carried out, plentiful 

 crops of natural seedlings, sometimes of great density, make their appearance. 

 These crops, however, are patchy, owdng to the fact that the seeds are washed 

 together on certain parts of the area and may be scarce or absent on other 

 parts. The natural crops would no doubt flourish if left and tended, but it 

 has been found better to ignore them and to replant with regular spacing, as 

 weeding and early thinning are much facilitated thereby. Hence only those 

 natural seedlings are retained which are required to replace failures among the 

 artificially raised plants, and which happen to be situated somewhere near the 

 blanks to be filled ; all other natural seedlings are treated as weeds and removed. 



4. Teak in relation to bamboos. In Burma, as well as in parts of India, 

 the treatment of teak is intimately connected Mdth a study of the habits of 

 the bamboos associated with it. Some remarks on the habits of bamboos in 

 general wdll be found under Bambuseae. In Burma these bamboos are of 

 many different species and vary much in character and habit, and the question 

 of obtaining adequate teak reproduction, whether naturally or artificially, 

 involves many problems which are not always easy of solution. It will be 

 convenient to deal with the question separately from the point of view of 

 bamboos which are not in flower and those which are flowering or have flowered. 



As regards bamboos which are not in flower, it has been demonstrated 

 on many occasions in Burma that natural reproduction of teak can usually 

 be obtained by felling the bamboos, opening the canopy and clearing under- 

 growth for some distance round seed-bearers, thoroughly burning all the cut 

 material, cutting back saplings which are injured by fire, weeding for two or 

 three years the teak seedlings which appear on the ground, and subsequently 

 kee])ing them clear of overhead bamboos and other growth. Where thorough 

 burning is not carried out, failure is almost invariable. An interesting 



