COMPOSITION OF FORESTS GROWN IN CONJUNCTION WITH FIELD CHOPS. 121 



immemorial) ; and (B) one or more field crops raised after the 

 exploitation of high forest, the new forest crop being sown or 

 planted either simultaneously with the field crop or immediately 

 after it has been reaped (the Departmental system of toungya ia 

 Burmah). 



A. 



Where a field crop is raised as soon as the forest has been cut 

 back for coppice, the component species should, in the interests of 

 that crop, satisfy the following conditions ; 



(i) The trees should not be capable of producing suckers. 



(ii) They should be able to grow up freely from the stool. 



(iii) They should be deep-rooted, so as to leave the top layer of 

 the soil available as much as possible for the field crop. 



(iv) They should not have too dense a root-apparatus. 



(v) Their leaves should decompose easily and form a good 

 humus. 



(vi) Their cover should not be too dense, if standards are re- 

 quired to afford shelter to the field crop. 



(vii) The individuals composing the forest should not be too 

 close together, otherwise the coppice .will be too thick for the pros- 

 perous growth of the field crop. Hence a pure forest will generally 

 be better than a mixed one. 



B. 



If the high forest regime is to be adopted and one or more field 

 crops are to fee raised immediately after the forest has been cleared, 

 the component species should, in the interests of the field crop, 

 satisfy the following conditions : 



(i) The trees should not be capable of producing suckers. 



(ii) Their leaves should decompose easily and form a good 

 humus. 



(iii) They should be hardy enough to do without shelter. 



(iv) The young forest crop should be able to grow up rapidly, 

 so as not to allow the soil to deteriorate under too long exposure. 



(v) The species used should be capable of being raised artifici- 

 ally with ease. 



Provided the five preceding conditions are satisfied, the forest 

 should be so constituted as to yield the largest and most valuable 

 outturn just as in the case of forests grown exclusively for the 

 market. 



