THE VEGETATION OF THE DISTRICT OF 
It flows mainly in a north-easterly direction, joining the Irawaddy 
just north of Minbu town. These three rivers are bordered on each 
side by a narrow alluvial belt, of course on a very much smaller 
scale than the main one bordering the Irawaddy, but practically 
westward prolongations of that belt traversing the desert zone* 
These secondary alluvial belts are more evident along the Mon river 
than along the other two rivers, as irrigation is or until recently was 
not practised along the Mon river. The Salin and Man rivers by virtue 
of their irrigation works cut out two cantles from the desert zone* 
which, albeit they do not quite blossom like the rose, contrive to 
support a moderate burden of crops and vegetables. The Salin 
irrigated area is somewhat triangular in outline, the base of the 
triangle extending roughly from the south end of the Paunglin 
lake just south of 20° 30' N. latitude to just a little north of the 
Salin river as it passes into the alluvial belt. The southern boun- 
dary begins at Paunglin lake and skirts the low hills till it reaches 
the Salin river about Leywa. The northern boundary follows the 
Salin river, skirting the base of the low hills just north of the river. 
The western angle of the triangle is really not closed, for the irri- 
gated tract follows both banks of the Salin as a narrow strip on each 
side for a long way. The Man irrigated tract is bounded on the 
south by the Man river, on the east by the part of the Irawaddy 
alluvial belt, between the Man and Mon rivers ; on the north partly 
by the Mon river for a very short distanc e, but chiefly by the low hills 
south of the Mon ; on the west by the low hills of the desert zone 
which ultimately approach close to the north bank of the Man river. 
Both those irrigated tracts are easily recognised on the map by being 
devoid of hills and in being crowded with village names, Salin being 
the chief town in the Salin area, and Legain in the Man area. 
There are the ordinary three well marked seasons during the year, 
the cool season lasting from the beginning of November to the end of 
February, the hot season extending from March to May, and the rainy 
season normally from May to October, though it may come on a 
month earlier and cease a month earlier. During the cool season the 
temperature may drop at night as low as 50° F. and during the hot 
season may reach as high as 115 0 F. During the latter period hot 
winds blow, shrivelling up the face of the land and making their effects 
not only felt by the European resident but also too visible to him 
in the way in which the covers of his books curve backwards as if in 
a desperate attempt to dehisce their contents. Still, existence during 
the hot season is not unbearable as the heat is unaccompanied by 
moisture, while life during the rainy season is quite tolerable and in 
