A NOTE ON THE PRESERVATION OF BAMBOOS. 223 



light bamboo poles, while coolies and carts follow them with coils of slender 

 copper wire. The poles, which have pointed ends, are quickly planted, the 

 wire spreads out as fast as men can uncoil it, and a field telephone is at work." 

 As having a bearing upon the experiments and results attained in India, 

 Mr. Y. Hara, Chief of the Japanese Forest Bureau, was addressed with the object 

 of ascertaining whether the bamboo field posts used by his countrymen were 

 subjected to any treatment. His reply would seem to show that in this mat- 

 ter Japan is in the position occupied by India before the discovery of the oil 

 treatment. He wrote : " In answer to your enquiries with regard to a protec- 

 tion of our bamboos, I would state that although the method in preserving 

 bamboos in the field is not well known, there are three processes of treatment 

 generally adopted by our people — 



(1) The season of cutting — September and October. 



(2) The fumigation in sulphur. 



(3) Application of both of these processes." 



