1918.] The Fifth Indian Science Congress. elvii 
flowering culms have been removed At first sight, the tufts 
of large well-developed green leaves visible in these latter 
plants might be mistaken for the so-called sterile shoots 
often seen in grasses of temperate regions. This, however, 
is not the case and these leafy tufts are the immature culms 
which, if allowed to develop normally, will attain a height 
of 12-15 ft., and will flower in the following cold season. y 
factor, therefore, which, like cutting, checks or weakens the 
development of these immature shoots will affect the yield 
of flowering culms. In addition to the method of cutting, 
the most important factors of the habitat from this point 
of view are :— 
(1) Grazing —The young shoots of ulla are extensively 
eaten by deer, nilghai and other animals, the 
damage done being equivalent to the repeated 
cutting back of the young culms. 
(2) Fires which diminish the quantity of organic matter 
and moisture in the soil, directly injure more or less 
the u/la plants and greatly increase the damage from 
grazing by clearing away unpalatable old leaves 
and culms and facilitating the access of animals to 
the young shoots. 
The grazing of wild animals could not be prevented except 
at prohibitive cost, but experiments were carried out over 24 
_ yield by 20-60°%,. In this case the object of management 
: sc emigh i.e. of tender leaves, and to prevent, as far as 
Possible, the normal development of the stout woody flower- 
“18 culms. Consequently, in such cases, burning is essential, 
1 Order to give the cattle free access to the immature young 
nad Shoots, the constant grazing of which will effectually 
Prevent their normal development. : 
- If the establishment of seedling growth is suffici- 
Reproducti ently delayed, this must eventually result 
Sal forests in the extinction of our natural forests- 
In some cases this is by no means a 
utes contingency and, in many others, although the seedling 
Aide considerably better, yet the delay in establishing 
: t : 
Jo tation of the forest, thus causing considerable financial 
