APPENDIX. 



xlix 



which extend over a period of 24 years with one thinning only 

 show a rapid increment for the first five years after the thinning, 

 after which the effect of the thinning began to wear away and the 

 increment became very slow towards the end. Averaging the 

 measurements of hundreds of trees in five different localities and 

 calculating the rotation on the periodical increment on the 5, 10 

 and 24 years subsequent to the first thinning, rotation for a 5 foot 

 girth sal works out as follows : 



On the 5 years period 89 years. 

 10 years period 117 years. 

 24 years period 154 years. 



A comparison of the condition and appearance of the thinned 

 sample plots with the unthinned forest around them is sufficient 

 to convince any forester of the necessity of thinning this species. 

 Thinnings are universally admitted to Jbe necessary in European 

 forestry, they are essential to the Himalayan conifers and abso- 

 lutely necessary in the case of teak and sinsu. It is therefore 

 unreasonable to suppose that sal is alone in not requiring thinnings 

 and the figures given above clearly prove that this tree follows the 

 same fundamental rules as other species. 



The opinion has been expressed that a growth of epicormic 

 branches on sal indicated an excess of light but this is entirely 

 a wrong assumption. The formation of epicormic branches both 

 in the sal and the European oak is an indication of ill-health and 

 is jjgenerally due to the crown of the tree being unable to obtain 

 sufficient light to support normal growth, resulting in all the 

 dormant buds on the stem being called upon to put forth leaves 

 to assist the crown in supplying sufficient nourishment to the 

 stem and roots. Epicormic branches are also produced after a fire 

 by injured trees for similar reasons, namely to increase assimi- 

 lation with a view to repairing the damage done by fire. Healthy 

 sal trees with normal crowns do not produce epicormic branches 

 even when growing as standard in a coppice and the properly 

 thinned sample plots are singularly free from this defect. 



