12 
Indian Forest Records . 
[Vol. VIII 
Dehra Experimental Garden, so that their upper edges projected one 
inch above the level of the surrounding soil. On June 8th, 1916, the 
pots were filled with loam brought from the local Lachiwala sal forest. 
On June 20th, 1916, 25 sal seeds were sown in each pot, these being placed 
on the surface of the soil (not buried in the soil). The pots were lightly 
watered once daily on days when no rain fell. On July 14th, when 
several healthy seedlings had become thoroughly established in each pot, 
with their roots in the soil and green leaves fully developed, a layer of 
dead sal leaves, 6 leaves thick, was placed on the surface of the soil in 
two of the pots. The arrangement is shown below : 
■ ® ® ( 7 ) (D 
No dead leaves. Dead leaves placed on surface after seedlings No dead leaves, 
established. 
On January 17th, 1917, the seedlings were carefully removed from 
the soil and their roots measured. 
14. The following is an abstract of the observations recorded :— 
Pot Number. 
No dead 
leaves. 
Layer of dead leaves on 
surface of soil. 
No dead 
leaves. 
Remarks. 
5 
6 
7 
8 
Number of healthy seedlings on 
July 14th, 1916. 
12 
15 
13 
12 
25 sal seeds were 
sown in each pot 
on June 20th, 
Number of healthy seedlings on 
August 12th, 1916. 
12 
12 
10 
12 
1916. 
A layer of dead 
sal leaves, 6 
Number of sickly seedlings on 
August 12th, 1916, with leaves 
shed or turning brown. 
0 
3 
3 
0 
leaves thick.was 
placed on sur¬ 
face of soil in 
pots 6 and 7 on 
Healthy seedlings on November 
8th, 1916. 
12 
10 
3 
12 
Julv 14th, 1916. 
Sickly seedlings with leaves shed 
on November 8th, 1916. 
0 
4 
7 
0 
Seedlings dead on November 8th, 
1916. 
0 
1 
3 
0 
Average length of root of living 
plants on January 17th, 1917, 
in inches. 
2'4 
2-1 
0-8 
3-8 
Result. 
15. The above details indicate that placing dead sal leaves on the 
soil surface has had a decidedly injurious effect on the early development 
of sal seedlings in increasing the number of deaths, and in materially 
retarding the root-growth. This injurious action is provisionally ascribed 
to a bad soil-aeration effect, but further work is required to prove this ; 
and also whether the effect is due to a deficiency of oxygen (caused by 
[ 174 ] 
