12 
Indian Forest Records . 
[Vol. VI 
This instrument appears to be especially well adapted for the purpose, 
for not only is the blaze made quickly and cleanly, but the set of the 
blade makes it difficult to cut too deeply into the bark. 
There appears to be some trouble in storing the crude gum-oleo-resin 
m tins, as it is difficult to get out the sticky mass when once it has 
settled. It will probably be found best to collect it in collapsible 
wooden buckets oDconical shape and four-sided. 
The first blaze consists of a 4-inch band, put on towards the end of 
the rainy season, this being a preparatory operation which results in no 
flow of the gum-oleo-resin. About a month later, the blaze is freshed 
by cutting on a thin shaving of bark all round the stem, over half the 
depth of the old blaze and taking in 2 inches of new bark on the upper 
edge of the original wound. This results in the exudation of a small 
amount of gum-oleo-resin which is collected, and a similar freshing 
is made and so on at intervals of about a week until the end of March 
when collection stops. It was not possible to carry out experiments 
or to obtain very definite information as to yield per tree. Collection 
was, however, made from 20 average trees, the wounds on which had 
been once freshed, which amounted to 10 oz.; again, collection from 
20 average trees which had been twice freshed amounted to 28 oz or 
nearly three times as much, while two abnormal trees, twice freshed 
yielded 22 oz. The Saharayas ” stated that a very good idea of the 
probable yield of individual trees can be obtained by observing the 
amount of moisture in the bark at the time of freshing, and that trees 
m years of heavy rainfall yield more than in dry years. 
3. (i) Effect of tapping on the tree. 
It is of the greatest importance that by tapping the Boswellia trees 
their vitality should not be permanently impaired or that it should 
result in killing the trees, hot only in connection with the yield but 
for sylvicultural reasons, as this species is generally the forerunner 
and nurse of more valuable species in the poorer class forests of the 
Dry Zone. While carrying out the tapping experiments and during 
subsequent inspections, careful observations were made in order to» 
ascertain to what extent tapping affected the trees. 
The Conservator of Forests, Berar Circle, and the Divisional Forest- 
Officer, Nimar, inspected the experimental areas in the Kirgaon Deserve 
of the Nimar Division, some two years after tapping had taken place. 
In one area, where the original tapping experiments had been carried out 
by preparing a band 4 feet broad, the Conservator pronounced the 
operation as very severe and that it had resulted in the bark developing 
[ 314 ] 
