16 
Indian Forest Records . 
[Vol. Ill 
TABLE IV— contd. 
Analyses of absolutely dry seasoned bamboo on samples representing whole 
culm —contd. 
No. 
— 
Water 
extract. 
Fat and 
wax. 
Pec tose 
Lignin. 
Cellu¬ 
lose. 
Ash. 
12 
Melocanna 2 years 
13-57 
1-70 
12-77 
21-73 
51-23 
2-25 
13 
Bhabur grass, cut 
before flowering. 
9-08(o) 
2-64 
35-57 
3-40 
49-31 
6-20 
14 
Wheat straw, after 
ripening. 
7-79(6) 
1-24 
29-06 
10-23 
51-68 
2-70 
15 
Spruce wood . 
6-73(c) 
3-02 (d) 
0-00 
35-76 
54-49 
0-05 
(a) Colouring matter, soluble salts and trace of starch. 
(b) Colouring matter, soluble salts and no starch. 
( c ) Gum and mucilage, no starch. 
(i d ) Resin, no fa,t or wax. 
18. A study of the above table shows that lignification is practically 
complete at the age of one year, little change occurring afterwards either 
in this or the cellulose percentage. The chief alteration effected by 
age is the reduction of the water solubles and the increase in pectous 
matter. The former is a result of the diminished sap activity as is also 
the smaller amount of ash :—the silica remains about the same but the 
soluble salts decrease. The increase in pectous matter appears to be 
the only cause of the greater difficulty of digestion of older culms hitherto 
experienced, and, as in no case is the additional quantity more than will 
account for an extra 1 per cent, of soda, this greater difficulty can only be 
due to the additional colloidal protection and cementation of the whole 
mass thus given. Since crushing destroys this, there would appear now 
to be no sufficient reason why culms of all ages of the same species 
should not be mixed and digested together. Neither is there any reason 
apparent to prevent the mixing of B. polymorpha and C. pergracile. 
These grow together and it may therefore be convenient in factory practice 
to deal with them mixed and as a whole. With none of the other species 
is the question of mixture likely to occur as they each are dominant 
in their own districts. In degree of lignification, bamboo comes between 
thp pecto-celluloses, such as Bhabur and Esparto grasses, and the ligno- 
celluloses, and may be described as a pecto-ligno-cellulose. Melocanna 
bambusoides exhibits such marked differences from the other four species 
[ 196 ] 
