INDIAN FOREST RECORDS. 
Vol IV.] 
1912 
[Part V. 
Note on the Utilization of Bamboo for the Manufacture 
of Paper-pulp. 
By R. S. PEARSON, I.F.S., F.L.S., 
Economist at the Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun, India. 
INTRODUCTION. 
T HE idea of manufacturing paper-pulp, from the raw material avail¬ 
able from the forests of India, dates back nearly fifty years, though 
the only one of the many fibre-yielding plants available and now in 
common use for this purpose is Sabai grass (Ischcemum angustifolium). 
The possibility of manufacturing pulp from other Indian species is fully 
recognised, but, so far, the commercial world has considered the data avail¬ 
able on this subject insufficient to justify starting work with those fibres. 
When the enquiry of which this report is the outcome was commenced 
in 1908, the idea was to investigate the possibility of manufacturing pulp 
from both timber and bamboos. As the work of getting together the 
necessary information proceeded, it was found that the collection of 
reliable data on both subjects at one and the same time was not 
practicable, as by so doing the enquiry would become too lengthy 
and complicated. It was, therefore, decided to take up bamboos as a 
commencement and to leave the woods until fair progress had been 
made with the enquiry concerning the former species. This report, 
therefore, deals with bamboos only. 
A further restriction was also placed on the bamboo enquiry. It was 
thought advisable to restrict the area over which examination of the 
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