1906 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



313 



DAMAGE. 



At the present time, the greatest 

 damage wrought to our Philippine for- 

 rests is the making of clearings, and 

 especially those of a transitory nature. 

 The natives are well aware of the fer- 

 tility of cleared and burned forest 

 areas, and do not hesitate to sacrifice 

 a good stand for the mere purpose of 

 growing one or two crops of cereals, 

 In some instances a portion of the tim- 

 ber is utilized, but the general rule is 

 to cut and burn. 



Tranistory clearings are those usu- 

 ally planted with cereals or other an- 

 nuals, and are held at the most but 

 two or three seasons, when they are 

 abandoned to nature and new ar*eas se- 

 lected. In this manner, the open lands 

 increase year by year to join the "co- 

 gonales." 



On the other hand, where soil and 

 climate are favorable, we find clearings 

 made with a view of permanency, 

 where the lands are cultivated and 

 planted to permanent crops, such as 

 cocoanuts, abaca, rubber, etc., thereby 

 adding to the wealth of the commun- 

 ity. Such clearings are justifiable. 



Inasmuch as we find the temporary 

 clearings more wasteful than those 

 held permanently, so are we able to 

 distinguish two classes of people mak- 

 ing them. The former comprise a less 

 law-abiding class, whose habits are 

 semi-nomadic, while the latter are 

 more frugal and industrious. 



SEASON OF MAKING. 



As may be inferred, the making of 

 clearings is not especially difficult, 

 when advantage is taken of the dry 

 season, usually during February, 

 March, April, and May, at which pe- 

 riod the newly felled timber rapidly 

 becomes dry and burns with ease. 



Planting is done early in June, at 

 which season the growth of crops is 

 favored by copious rains, which con- 

 tinue until September. The planter 

 usually erects a small house on his 

 claim, where he bides the time and 

 watches the crop until harvest, after 

 which he retires to an adjoining bar- 

 rio. 



On the advent of the following sea- 

 son, only a small portion of former 

 claims are replanted, as the fresher 

 soil of a new clearing is preferred. 

 Lands once set with cogon, especially 

 those of the hill regions, are of little 

 value when reclaimed. The soil, hav- 

 ing lain long exposed to erosion, be- 

 comes thin and unproductive. The 

 heavy root stalks, by which cogon re- 

 produces vegetatively, render it diffi- 

 cult to eradicate. This, together with 

 the fact that forest soils are fresher 

 and more easily worked, explains why 

 the latter are preferable to the former. 

 On private lands which are level and 

 retain their fertility, cogon areas have 

 been reclaimed for agricultural pur- 

 poses. The Bureau of Agriculture 

 employ methods by which cogon is de- 

 stroyed in one season. The land is 

 plowed and sown with legumes, at a 

 cost averaging $3.00 per acre. 



ABANDONED. 



Clearings which are abandoned after 

 one season still retain a certain num- 

 ber of stumps which will coppice ; the 

 soil is loose and more receptive to 

 seeding than on those areas which 

 have been planted for a longer period. 

 Reforesting by means of coppice alone, 

 however, cannot be relied upon, as but 

 few species sprout at all, and, if they 

 do, rarely attain tree size. The chief 

 value of coppice here lies in the pro- 

 tection which they afford the soil in 

 preventing a rapid evaporation of soil 

 moisture, erosion, and, finally, the en- 

 trance of cogon. The value of a leaf 

 cover in dissipating the heavy rain fall 

 is well shown by the accompanying il- 

 lustration. 



Clearings which have been planted 

 for two or three seasons and aban- 

 doned are found to have lost all volun- 

 teer growth ; the soil becomes dry and 

 is seldom receptive to natural seeding. 



Burns-Mordoch, Conservator of 

 Forest of the Federated Malay States, 

 writing of "Lalang" ( Imperata cylin- 

 drical), a closely related species of 

 "cogon," says : 



"Cleared land in this country if not 

 constantly kept clean becomes covered 



