ifruNE, 1909.3 



519 



Dyes'.and Tans. 



of forest-clad hills and dales commonly 

 known as the ''foot-hills " of the range. 

 This tract is intersected by winding 

 streams whose waters are clear in the 

 dry months of the year. In the rains, 

 the waters of these streams carry a good 

 deal of silt which fertilises the cultivated 

 lands of the valleys of this region. 



The light-free sandy loams overlying 

 the reddish and yellowish sub-soils of 

 the Toungoo District in Burma are 

 preferred by the Shans for the cultiva- 

 tion of turmeric and most other crops. 

 The humid atmosphere of these parts 

 favours the growth of the ordinary 

 crops. 



Turmeric and other crops of the same 

 order grow luxuriantly in shady spots. 



Wild turmeric and ginger are indi- 

 genous in ever-green forests of Burma. 

 The economic uses of these plants are 

 few and local. The leaf shoots, stems 

 and root stocks of the pungeut and 

 fragrant varieties enter into the varied 

 diet of the Shans. Some varieties are 

 only used medicinally. 



The cultivated kinds of these two 

 crops are grown by the Shans with care 

 separately. A mixture of other crops is 

 usually grown. 



The following is a brief description of 

 the method of growing turmeric by 

 the Shans :— Rhizomes of the plant 

 are selected at harvest in December- 

 January for planting in the following 

 season. They are stored under soil and 

 are kept there until the planting season, 

 April — May. The plant is practically 

 dormant in the season intervening 

 between harvest and planting-time, 

 therefore the buried rhizomes, though 

 sometimes watered, do not send up 

 shoots or suckers. They lie dormant 

 through the rainless months ; at plant- 

 ing time they are unearthed and broken 

 up into sets of suitable size. 



The crop is sometimes grown on newly 

 cleared laud, in which the trees are 

 felled and burnt. The larger logs and 

 stumps that survive the flames are 

 allowed to lie upon the land. When the 



South-West monsoon rains set in, holes 

 from three to six inches in breadth and 

 depth are dug uniformly with a narrow 

 hoe, a foot or fifteen inches apart. Into 

 each of these pits one or more sets are 

 planted, covered with earth and pressed 

 down by the foot of the planter. The 

 crop is weeded once or twice, but no 

 other cultivation is given. At harvest, 

 the rhizomes are dug up and stored for 

 seed or prepared for market- Those 

 intended for sale are carried in baskets 

 to the nearest stream and thoroughly 

 washed. They are then boiled in spring 

 water, until they yield to pressure 

 between finger and thumb. After this 

 they are thinly spread out upon mats to 

 dry thoroughly in the sun. They are 

 then sorted into different classes and 

 stored in bamboo baskets for use or sale. 



On the foot-hills of Toungoo, three 

 kinds of turmeiic frequently occur side 

 by side over one aud the same clearing 

 or field. They are :— 



(1) San-win-gale, the 'lesser turmeric,' 



(2) San-wiu-gyi, ' the greater tur- 

 meiic,' and 



(3) San-win-pyi, the 1 white turmeric' 

 All three kinds have broad light green 



leaves that stand from three to five feet 

 above the ground. The rhizomes of the 

 first command the best price ; those of 

 the second are comparatively coarse ; 

 while those of the third, unlike the root- 

 stocks of the first and second, contain 

 no yellow colouring matter and have, 

 therefore, been named ' white turmeric ' 

 by the Shans. The plant is not regarded 

 as turmeric in the sense in which (1) and 

 (2) arc, though it too is a species of 

 curcuma. Its rhizomes, when cut, slnw 

 a buff-coloured surface and, when 

 crushed, emit a remarkable odour some- 

 what resembling that of mangoes. The 

 plauts of this kind are pulled by the 

 planter as they are believed to injuri- 

 uusly affect the rhizomes of the better 

 kinds. This variety may, however, have 

 special merits which at present are not 

 understood, but which require investi- 

 gation. 



FIBRES. 



NEW FIBRES FOR PAPER.- II. 

 By William Raitt. 



Bamboo. 



Amongst the fibrous products of our 

 tropical and sub-tropical forests, none is 

 more likely to take a more leading place 

 as a papermaking material than bamboo. 

 Its accessibility, being generally found 



within reach of waterways down which 

 it may be rafted ; the size of the stems, 

 giving a larger return per head per day 

 for the cutting and collecting force 

 employed than in the case of the smaller 

 annual grasses ; the ease with which it 

 yields to the same methods of treatment 

 which have been so successful with 

 wood, together with its great abund- 

 ance, mark it out as the fittest and most 



