TREES THAT COUNT THE NEW MANIHOTS III 



Philippines, and South India, tried and found want- 

 ing, to spare a harsher phrase. The particular 

 species that has earned this -indifferent character is 

 the M. dichotoma, the others being too slow in 

 growth to prove their worth under a period of at 

 least five years from the time of " stumping ". 



The Dichotoma should it not rather be termed 

 Trichotoma? is indigenous to the Bahia region of 

 Brazil, where it forms huge forests amid a bush 

 scrub that clearly denotes the poor quality of the 

 surrounding soil and the small and uncertain rainfall 

 in these parts. As a matter of fact, the rainfall in 

 the Dichotoma lands rarely reaches 30 inches a year. 

 The soil is a deep, porous clay, of a character that 

 retains the moisture for a long period, thus ensuring 

 continuity of growth to the thousands of young 

 plants that from the nature of the seedfall are 

 annually called upon to face the severe droughts that 

 obtain for the greater part of the year. 



Like all the Mani9obas, Manihot dichotoma is 

 very brittle and of tender structure ; so much so, that 

 unless planted very closely certainly not less than 

 1000 to the acre there is sure to be grievous de- 

 struction whenever a high and strong wind gets play 

 among the branches. The few plantations of 

 Dichotoma that at present exist in Ceylon suffer 

 heavily in this respect, as the photos taken on the 

 spot abundantly prove, especially so during the south- 

 west monsoon, and perhaps it is chiefly for this 

 reason that planters are not very enthusiastic re- 

 garding it. Personally, from what I have seen ot 

 the plant I am inclined to think that Dichotoma will 



