88 MINOR PRODUCTS OF PHILIPPINE FORESTS 



season, and the grass should be burnt at the last possible moment 

 before the rains begin. As the tree begins to shed seeds at 

 the end of the first year, any vacant places will be filled; and 

 by the end of the third year, ipil-ipil should fairly dominate 

 the area and be well started toward the production of the first 

 crop of firewood. Much quicker and better results would be 

 obtained if the area were plowed once, just after the grass is 

 burned. This would prevent the quick return of the grass and 

 do away with the competition between the small trees and the 

 fast-growing kogon, which often sets the crop back a year or 

 more. Plowing would also give a much better seed bed and 

 would result in a greater number of young plants at the start. 



If the seeds cannot be had in suiRcient quantities for broad- 

 casting, they can be sown in seed spots, drills, or with a corn 

 planter. If any of these methods are adopted, 5 to 10 liters of 

 seeds will plant a hectare. 



If ipil-ipil is planted in a grass area it should be protected 

 from fires, as the burning of the surrounding grass would 

 destroy the crop at any time up to the end of the third year, 

 at which time the stands should be dense enough to prevent 

 the entrance of fires. 



The management of a closed stand of ipil-ipil is very simple. 

 It would probably be most profitable to cut the stand every 

 three years, when the trees should average 10 centimeters in 

 diameter and 5 to 6 meters in height. The yield should aver- 

 age from 120 to 130 stacked cubic meters per hectare, which 

 is equivalent to 13 or 14 cords per acre. The only rule neces- 

 sary for the successful management of a stand would be to cut 

 the stems at the lowest practicable height, preferably 10 cen- 

 timeters or less, and to make the cuts as clean and smooth as 

 possible so as not to damage the bark. It would appear that the 

 cutting may extend over as large an area as is desired, as sprouts 

 are developed at once and grow rapidly enough to preclude the 

 entrance of undesirable species. Fires can be avoided by har- 

 vesting the stand during the rainy season. 



In 1914, Matthews estimated that after allowing for compound 

 interest at 5 per cent, a three years' rotation should give 39 per 

 cent interest on the investment. With the present price of fire- 

 wood, the rate should be greater. 



Leucaena, glauca has not only been grown successfully as a 

 firewood crop, but has been of great advantage to the Bureau of 

 Forestry in its reforestation projects as a nurse crop for 

 forest trees. 



