TECTONA 757 



experiment in the clearing of bamboo, carried out by Mr. A. Rodger in 1916 

 in the South Nawin reserve, Prome, may be noted. The forest consisted of 

 dense kyathaung {Bambusa polymorpha) on a cold northerly aspect, with a few 

 mature teak and pyinkado {Xylia dolabriformis). The bamboos, 37 clumps 

 in all, were cut in January for a distance of about 20 yds. round a teak seed- 

 bearer ; the cut material was burned in the ordinary course, the area not being 

 fire-protected, and part of the cleared area was hoed up. There was an advance 

 growth of 22 suppressed teak plants already on the ground, and these were 

 marked. Next year all these had disappeared under the influence of the 

 sudden clearing, but in their place no fewer than 123 new teak and 565 pyinkado 

 seedlings had appeared ; there was nothing to show that these were more 

 plentiful on the hoed ground than elsewhere. These seedlings only required 

 regular weeding and freeing from overhead bamboo cover to establish a pro- 

 mising young crop. This experiment is interesting as showing that teak 

 natural reproduction can be established in a type of bamboo forest which 

 produces trees of large size and straight growth, but in which natural repro- 

 duction is often scarce or absent owing to the heavy shade of the bamboo. 

 The death of the pre-existing teak plants is also of interest. This does not 

 always occur in freeing teak seedhngs and saplings from overhead bamboo 

 cover, and the effect probably depends on the extent of the change of con- 

 ditions suddenly brought about by the clearing, on the vigour of the plants 

 freed, and on the severity of the fire. Possibly cutting back the saplings 

 immediately before or immediately after the burning might assist in their 

 survival. 



The effect of opening and burning bamboo forest is illustrated by the 

 following quotation, relating to the Tharrawaddy forest division, from the 

 Burma Forest Report for 1916-17 : 



' In one plot of kyathaung {Bambusa polymorpha) forest which had been 

 heavily worked over in 1915-16 by bamboo-cutters, who had left much trash 

 behind them, an accidental fire occurred. Owing to the dry bamboo trash the 

 fire was more than usually fierce. In the following December the Range 

 Officer drew the Divisional Officer's attention to the number of new teak seed- 

 lings which he had observed and marked. So many had come up that it was 

 hardly possible to believe that they had not been artificially sown, since the 

 seed-bearers stood at some little distance. In another " Y " felling plot in 

 the same compartment the same fire had caused some dry trees to fall and 

 burn clear lanes through the young growth of pyinkado and bamboos. Several 

 of these lanes contained a row of new teak seedlings which at first sight appeared 

 to have been lined out by hand.' 



As regards the tending of teak plants in bamboo forest, periodical cutting 

 of the bamboo is necessary until they are free from danger of suppression, and 

 this work is costly. An experiment carried out recently in Pyinmana showed 

 that good results can be obtained by cutting the bamboo clumps about 5 ft. 

 from the ground ; they then develop side branches which keep down weeds. 

 New culms which appear are cut off annually at the same height. 



The importance of the flowering of the bamboo in connexion with the 

 reproduction of teak lies in the fact that in the case of the more important 

 species gregarious flowering takes place, usually at long intervals, over 



