286 THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 



The trees in the forests are girdled ; that is, they are ringed completely 

 round to the heart-wood three years before they are intended to be cut 

 down. The trees then soon die, when they become light enough to be 

 floated down the rivers. If felled without this precaution the timber 

 wiU sink. Thirty years ago the suppUes reached England about a year 

 from the time of feUing, but now more often a period of 3 to 7 years 

 elapses. At that time many of the forests worked were comparatively 

 close to the seaport, but now the trees often have to float down the rivers 

 a distance of from 1000 to 1500 miles. 



Mr. Andrews says that throughout the whole of Burma at that time 

 it was possible to cut 75 per cent of prime clean timber, free from fault, 

 from the trees, while now they have difficulty in getting more than 10 per 

 cent. The hauhng is done by elephants, and the increased cost and 

 difficulties of the log-extraction can be understood when we know that 

 formerly the cost of an elephant was about £100, while in 1914 it was from 

 £300 to £450 ; and while an elephant was then able to haul 120 trees in 

 a year, now, on account of the greater obstacles, it can only deal with 

 from 30 to 40. The immensity of the necessary organisation can be 

 illustrated by the fact that in 1913-1914 the Bombay Burma Trading 

 Company employed 2500 elephants and 6000 buffaloes, to carry on the 

 work of transport. The round trunks, arriving at the port of shipment, 

 are sawn into square logs, planks, boards, and scantlings, and also into 

 blocks for railway-carriage wheels and keys for railway-chairs. 



Mature teak trees are often found to be hollow in the middle, and 

 it has been thought possible that fire may be a partial cause of this. 

 Drastic measures were adopted by the Government about forty years ago, 

 to check the ravages of these fires, and fire-zones were cut, which in certain 

 districts had the desired effect. Troup, however, remarks " that in 

 these districts the regeneration of the forest has been entirely stopped, 

 while where the fires have continued there is a sufficient growth of healthy 

 young trees." He thinks that this remarkable result is due to the un- 

 checked vigorous growth of other vegetation choking the young shoots 

 of teak, whereas, when the fire burns down the undergrowth, these 

 survive. The first year the shoot springs up and is burnt down when 

 the fire comes ; the next year another shoot comes up and is again burnt ; 

 but after three or four years the root is found to be more vigorous and 

 strong, and finally puts up a fresh tree which establishes itself. Those 

 that are hollow are converted into large-sized flitches, which are very 

 valuable on account of their size and freedom from heart or fault. 



The teak tree is remarkable for its large leaves, which are from 10 to 20 

 inches in length and from 8 to 15 inches in breadth, of an oblong shape, 

 and so rough that the natives use them for sand-papering. The trees 

 frequently attain the height of 80 to lop feet and more, with a circum- 



