278 



THE FORESTER. 



November, 



timber tree of Java, Tectona grandis, commonly 

 called Teak, forms large stands in company with 

 bread fruit and numerous species of the genus 

 Ficus. The higher one goes the more similar 

 to European types tha vegetation becomes until 

 even Oaks, Chestnuts and Maples are reached. 

 The Casuarina and Podocarpus cupressia re- 

 mind one of northern conifers. The highest 

 regions above the clouds show stunted trees, 

 Vaccinium, Myrica, Ranunculus, Geranium, 

 etc. There are 75 families of forest trees, over 

 200 genera, and over 800 species. For several 

 years a botanical specialist has been engaged in 

 studying the sylva of Java. 



The Dutch government very early realized 

 the great importance of forests to Java. Here 

 there is little doubt that they exercise a great 

 influence on the climate, and in preventing 

 floods. In 1890 the forests in the high moun- 

 tains were proclaimed protection forests. As 

 early as iSSo reforestation on a large scale began 

 on the sides of certain volcanoes, the forests of 

 which had been devastated by the natives. 



Of all the varied forest products of Java, 

 Teak wood is the most important. It is used in 

 ship construction, cabinet work, wagon con- 

 struction, railroad ties, bridges and pavements. 

 The Chinese while still living make their own 

 coffins out of it. It is one of the hottest of fuel 

 woods and produces good charcoal. 



The natives who were driven out of trade by 

 more intelligent emigrants of Buddhist and 

 Brahman descent.and later Mahomedan, adopted 

 agriculture as a profession and cherished their 

 rights to the forests. Although the soil is of 

 fabulous fertility and although it has produced 

 millions of dollars worth of chocolate, coffee and 

 tobacco, the time comes when it must return to 

 forest in order to gain the humus which is essen- 

 tial to the successful production of these crops. 



In spite of government regulations there were 

 of course, in consequence, robbery and illegal 

 laud clearing. The native is a valuable laborer 

 and even a good leader. His senses are sharp 

 and he knows the forest. The interests of the 

 Japanese forests are centered in Teak because of 

 its great usefulness and abundance. This tree 

 belongs to the Vervain family. Its nearest 

 relative in this country is the Verbena. With 

 the beginning of the rainy season it begins to 

 blossom. The flowers open gradually from 

 October to May. The seeds ripen in July 

 and germinate the following rainy season. The 

 tree has enormous leaves and the crown varies 

 in shape according to the situation in which it 

 grows. It loses most of its leaves during the 

 dry season. This depends upon the quality of 

 the soil and the exposure. The tap root dies 

 vhen the tree is in the pole stage. The root 

 system adapts itself to the position the tree 

 It finds a sure footing even in very 

 thin soil. The stem up to the age of four years 



square but becomes round later. The wood is 

 anguished from most other tropical woods 

 by the sharply defined rings. 



At eighty years the tree yields very useful 



timber. It is a light demander but in youth en- 

 dures some shade. A closed Teak forest does 

 not fulfill one's ideal of a tropical forest. Its 

 dense shade in the rainy season and sudden 

 almost complete loss of foliage in the dry season 

 do not favor the growth of underbrush. The 

 seeds and superficial roots are frequently burnt 

 over in dry seasons so that the forest floor is 

 swept clean. 



There were fears of Teak exhaustion as early 

 as the second half of the eighteenth century. 

 When Java became a Dutch possession the ex- 

 ploitation of Teak became a State monopoly. 

 Although well meant these restrictions failed 

 and the woods were plundered to supply the 

 sugar, indigo and tobacco plantations with wood. 

 The government itself used immense quantities of 

 choice timber in an extravagant and wasteful 

 manner of culling. Things went from bad to 

 worse. Forced labor was abolished and new 

 methods were finally adopted. 



Then surveying, mapping and road-making 

 began. Parcels are consecutively cut as roads 

 and bridges are built. The whole is done ac- 

 cording to a comprehensive plan to ensure the 

 continuity of the Teak supply. The woods are 

 exploited with the aid of private industry under 

 the supervision of the government. 



In this work the ax is used exclusively. This 

 must be a clumsy implement in that the head of 

 iron is fastened to the handle with leather 

 thongs. The logs are sawn into planks by hand. 

 In Java every man is his own builder and labor 

 is cheap. Sawmills however will come in time. 



The process of cultivation is what the Ger- 

 mans call " waldfeldbau." a combination of for- 

 estry and agriculture. The Teak seeds are 

 planted in rows three meters apart at the begin- 

 ning of the west monsoon when the soil is wet 

 and soft. Then the soil between the rows is 

 worked and sown to field crops. The superflu- 

 ous plants are weeded out and the earth is heaped 

 up around the plants, and several field crops are 

 grown between the rows for a period of 18 or 20 

 months until the Teak reaches a height of five 

 meters, when it is left to its fate. 



The natives who do the work are allowed all 

 the field produce, which is usually corn or rice, 

 and a premium of about 35 florins per hectare on 

 condition that they furnish all seed for the crops. 

 This is payable however in proportion to the 

 growth and prosperity of the Teak. 



Fires are not uncommon. Heavy rainfall is 

 injurious, and often lightning causes whole 

 groups of trees to sicken and die. 



The wonderful development of Java which is 

 still undeveloped and under populated, in spite 

 of her 20,000,000 of people and of the hundreds 

 of fortunes which she has already produced, 

 gives one an idea of the almost limitless possi- 

 bilities of a fertile country in the torrid zone, 

 where nature is most lavish with her gifts. It 

 reassures us of the wisdom of acquiring lands in 

 such regions where the main difficulty is ma- 

 larial fever which we hope the doctors may at 

 any moment devise a means of completely con- 



