68 
Indian Forest Records. 
[Vol. IV. 
(3) The area of forests covered by bamboos. 
The areas dealt with are not organised; in other words, no Working- 
Plans have been prepared, so that the exact size of the catchment area 
of this river is not known. From the available maps it would appear to 
be about 150 square miles, of which 90 square miles may be taken into 
account, from which it is possible to exploit bamboos, namely, one mile 
on each side of the river, from a point above the waterfall and similarly 
one mile up each side of its tributary, the Rhee Chaung. This figure has 
been arrived at after inspecting the greater portion of the whole area. 
(4) Species of bamboo and mode of growth. 
The species found in these forests is Melocanna bambusoides, with 
a comparatively small thin-walled stem, which does not grow in clumps, 
like most other bamboos, but sends out shoots from a ramification of 
rhizomes in the same way as suckers are put out by tree roots. The 
result of this mode of growth is that the ground is covered with stems 
standing at more or less equal distances, one from another, and not in 
clumps, as is generally the case with such species as Cephalostachyum 
pergracile or Bambusa polymorpha. A number of stems were measured 
on a recently cut “ taungya ” area, which was covered with seven-year- 
old growth, and were found to average 20T* feet in length and 30" 
mid-girth. Another lot numbering 10,575 was cut by Mr. Walker, 
Divisional Forest Officer, Arakan, and gave an average of 22 feet in 
length and 3-8" mid-girth (see Appendix III). 
As has been mentioned above, the bamboo forests contain blanks 
under cultivation, and elsewhere growth of one, two, three, and up to 
seven-year-old bamboos, each age-class being separate. The one-year- 
old growth is about 12 feet high, the second about 15 feet, until at 
seven years of age it is from 30 to 35 feet high. 
(5) Possible factory site. 
The reason for dividing this scheme into two parts is that there occurs 
a fine waterfall on the Seik Chaung, above the village of Ponnyaleik, 
the fall being some 60 miles up the river from Akyab, while the other 
two catchment areas in this part of the country drain down direct to 
that town and could therefore not be conveniently worked out to a mill 
*Note.—T he thin end having been cut off before the culms were measured. 
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