358 LX. VEEBENACE^. [Tectom. 



experience of Teak planting in Burma, whioli, however, does not go farther back 

 than 1856. Thus the average girth of trees in plantations 4 years old (580-660 

 trees per acre), in the Rangoon, Tonngoo, and Tharawaddee district, has been 

 found to vary from 5 to 9 in., the maximum being 14 in., while their average 

 height was between 15 and 27 ft. Plantations 10 years old show an average 

 girSi of 15 in., and a height of 40-45 ft. ; and trees 15 years old at Prome have 

 attained a girth of 23 in., the largest measuring 32 in. In order to obtain a 

 basis for regulating the working of the Teak forests in Burma in 1856, I col- 

 lected all data which were available at that time, and based upon them the fol- 

 lowing estimate, which is placed side by side with a modified estimate, framed 

 in 1868, to serve as the basis of a revised working plan of those forests. 

 Girth at 6 ft. from ground. ' Age, estimated in 1856. In 1868. 



18 in. 10 years. 19 years. 



36 „ 22 „ 46 „ 



54 „ 37 „ 88 „ 



72 „ 62 „ 160 „ 



The first of these estimates was mainly based upon the growth of trees 

 planted in gardens of Calcutta and Moulmein, and upon information obtained 

 from Bombay and Java (Report on the Teak Forests of Pegu for 1856, p. 75, 76); 

 and the revised estimate was based upon additional data obtained by periodical 

 measurements of trees in the Thoungzay and Thoukyeghat forests of Pegu, and 

 by the examination of the annual rings. The plantations of Burma and Mala- 

 bar, on good soil and under otherwise favourable circumstances, may possibly 

 attain the rate of growth of the first estimate ; but in the natural forests, where 

 the soU, instead of being enriched by the decomposition of leaves and branch- 

 lets, is impoverished by the annual fires, the rate of growth will probably be 

 found to approach more nearly to the later estimate. These remarks relate to 

 the Teak in Burma and South India; regarding the rate of growth in the dry 

 and hot hills of Central India, within the range of this Flora very little is known. 

 The experience hitherto gained in the plantations made since 1867 in the Sat- 

 pura hills of the Central Provinces seems, however, to show that with care and 

 water the plants make fair progress during the first 5 years, the difiiculty being 

 that frost and drought kill a large proportion. In the Teak forests of Java 

 the growth is stated to be very rapid ; the trees are generally feUed at the age 

 of 40-50, and at 100 years they are said to attain a diameter of 4 ft. 



Teak has a powerful terminal shoot, and this is an important point in its 

 favour, as the young Teak is thus able to pierce through the thicket of other 

 trees and Bamboos, and to seek the light which it absolutely requires for its 

 development. In this respect there is considerable analogy between the Teak 

 and the Ash (see p. 304). Teak, Hfee many other trees, attains nearly its full 

 height during the early part of its life. It is probable that, as a rule, the tree 

 attains half its length with a girth of 2-3 ft., and that it does not considerably 

 increase in height after it has attained a girth beyond 5 or 6 ft. 120-150 ft. is 

 probably the greatest height which a Teak tree in its natural home, the dry 

 deciduous forest, ever attains, and stems more than 100 ft. long to the first branch 

 are not often found. The largest number of tall stems which I have ever seen 

 were in the Qwaythay forests, east of the Sitang river above Toungoo, on granite 

 rock. The following is an abstract of the measurements taken by me there in 

 March 1861 ■— 



Girth at 6 ft. from ground, 8 ft. ; length of stem to first branch, 72 ft. 



" » ' " » )) 106 „ ( 



» )) 8 n )> „ 106 „ 



" >> 16 „ „ „ 114 j^ 



" " " » )i „ 78 „ 



