20 Indian Forest Records. [Voi,. VIII 
be less thorny. It appears to have developed on parallel lines with 
Ber but has more xerophytic adaptations. It seems to prefer a well- 
drained rocky soil and has been seen growing with some vigour out 
of sheet rock. 
It coppices and pollards well and is a very suitable host for lac 
wherever it exists naturally ; but it appears to feel the effects of lac 
cultivation somewhat severely, and therefore care must be taken, 
until knowledge is more definite, not to over-infect it. It is probable 
that a two years’ rotation will be found suitable for lac cultivation. 
Pipal .—Pipal is a large glabrous tree, indigenous to the sub- 
Himalayan- tract and to the Pegu Yoma. It is sacred to both 
Hindus and Buddhists and is therefore cultivated throughout India ; 
it is commonly found growing in the interstices of masonry work on 
which it has a destructive effect. It can be raised from seed or cut¬ 
tings and is of rapid growth. It is leafless for a short period in 
early summer, and usually bears fruit in the hot weather with occa¬ 
sionally (in the C. P.) a second crop in October-November. 
The lac produced is of good colour but very poor quality and 
there is considerable religious prejudice among Hindus against the 
cultivation of lac on it, so that its use as a lac host on a commercial 
scale can hardly be recommended. 
Babul .—The Babul is a moderate-sized tree cultivated through¬ 
out India, indigenous to Sind and the northern Deccan, gregarious 
in habit, evergreen, fast-growing. Its foliage first appears in the hot 
weather, and both foliage and pods are excellent fodder. A gum 
exudes from incisions made in the bark. Information as to the 
growth of this tree in the Deccan is summarized by Rao Bahadur S. 
Srinivasalu Nayadu in a paper read at the Nagpur Forest Conference 
in 1908. It flowers from July onwards and the fruit ripens in 
February. The seed has a ard testa or outer covering and germin¬ 
ates with difficulty unless specially prepared. The test results are 
obtained from the seed rejected by goats fed on the pods ; it is then 
easy to propagate and in Berar grows to 12 or 15 feet in 10 years. 
It coppices badly. 
Babul can boast a very large number of v ari^ties. In Berar 
three are recognized and the fact that Babul broo'' lac cannot be 
propagated in other parts of India than Sind is probably due to the 
existence there of local varieties of Babul as well as possibly to local 
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