24 BULLETIN 1057, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGKICULTURE. 



tion, having germinated on the way. On their receipt the seedlings 

 were immediately transplanted into pots. 



The Berjan forest reserve, situated near Rangagora, is devoid of 

 Taraktogenos kurzii, but does contain Gynocardia odorata. The lat- 

 ter tree is associated with Terminalia myriocarpa, Artocarpus 

 chaplasha, Gmelina arborea, Cinnamonum cecidodapkne, Morus 

 laevigata, Mesua ferrea, Bombax malabaricum, Ganarium bengalense y 

 Premna bengalensis, Myristica assamica, Ficus elastica, Kydia caly- 

 cina, Macaranga indica, Heteropanax fragrans, Stereospermum 

 chelonoides, Sterculia villosa, and Eugenia praecox. Other trees 

 growing here include Terminalia bellerica, T. chebula, and T. 

 foetidissima. 



The main tree in the forest of the Berjan reserve is a species of 

 Vatica, which has as undergrowth young seedlings of the same spe- 

 cies. The outskirts of and the approach to the Berjan forest reserve 

 are mainly occupied by a tall timber bamboo, Dendrocalamus hamil- 

 tonii, with huge culms spreading from a common base in all direc- 

 tions, making walking very difficult. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



The facts brought to light in this recent survey show that the 

 dealers in chaulmoogra oil (that derived from Taraktogenos kurzii) 

 have never seen the tree in its wild state. Even the native Bengal 

 dealers in Chittagong had not been in the forests of the Chittagong 

 Hill tracts. All depend on jungle people for collecting the seeds, 

 which are known by different native names in the various regions 

 in which they grow. Smith, Stanistreet & Co., cf Calcutta, claimed 

 to have a tree growing in their compound, but on examination it was 

 found not even to belong to the family Flacourtiacese, to which Ta- 

 raktogenos belongs. The collecting of the seeds is, then, in the hands 

 of jungle people, who are more or less indolent. Moreover, the con- 

 ditions under which these seeds are collected are such, as has already 

 been explained, that at least 50 per cent of the crop is lost every 

 year. The Burmese name kalaw is applied to more than one species 

 and these species resemble each other so closely that the jungle people 

 make no distinction between them (PI. XV). Seeds of these trees 

 are sent to markets and bazaars under the collective name of kalaw, 

 where they are bought up by dealers who manufacture chaulmoogra 

 oil from them. 



Another point of interest and one of which very little is known 

 is that Taraktogenos kurzii and kindred species do not bear a reg- 

 ular yearly crop but fruit sporadically and sometimes are without 

 fruit for two years or more. The natives stated that fruit is col- 

 lected by them every three years. The causes of the irregular fruit- 



