5 
Part III.] E. BensIqn and A. Eodger: Note on Thitsi. 
plants require watering and care at the start; and, even with great care, 
the percentage of failures is extremely high. 
Mr. Copeland in his “ Manual of Arboriculture ” says :—“ The seeds 
should be collected as they fall (just before the rains), and sown at once 
as they soon lose their germinating power. They may be sown at site, 
two or three seeds in each pit. When about a month old, the weaker 
seedlings should be plucked up by the roots, leaving only the most 
vigorous ones to grow up. Or the plants may be raised in baskets 
and planted out when large enough—probably when about 18 months 
old. In dry localities, they will require to be watered for the first hot 
season after being put out. The trees should be placed 30 feet apart 
along roadsides.” 
5. Method of tapping the trees. 
Mr. Blanford, Divisional Forest Officer, Katha (1911), gives the 
following interesting account of the method of tapping the tree to obtain 
the oleo-resin :— 
Time of collection .— £< The oil can only be collected from June to 
January, i.e., while the sap is flowing. ” 
Method of tapping .—‘ £ The usual method of tapping is to make two 
deep notches to form a V. The notches are 8 to 10 inches long, and 
about two inches deep. At the base of the V, small bamboo cups are 
placed, with an edge stuck into a small horizontal cut just at the base of 
the V, in such a way that the oil which exudes from the V-shaped notch 
flows into the cup (see Plate II). The oil can only be collected in fairly 
dry weather, as when it rains the oil is either washed away or is too 
diluted in the cups to be of any use. If only a little rain-water is 
mixed with the thitsi , it becomes of a reddish colour. The number of 
cups that can be put on one tree depends on the size of the tree, and 
whether the tree is to be tapped for a large temporary outturn or for 
a regular yearly outturn. It is usual to have notches, one above the 
other, as high as a man can reach. About 4 or 5 can be made in a 
slanting direction, one above the other. Once the tree has been tapped 
in any one place, it must be left at least 4, if not 5, years to allow the 
original notches to heal over completely before being tapped again. 
* 4 It thus follows that, if a line of notches is made each year and the 
tree is big enough to allow of 5 lines being made, the tree can be tapped 
every year ; for, as soon as the total available surface has been tapped, 
the old blazes will have healed up completely and notching can be con¬ 
tinued. The notching appears to have no effect on the life of a tree, and 
trees that are covered with scars appear to be as healthy as those which 
have not been tapped. Trees of all sizes can be tapped, but of course 
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