GIANT BAMBOOS. 
253 
therefore in the highest degree improbable that daily 
measurements could show anything analogous even in the 
rapidly growing giant bamboo. However, my own measure¬ 
ments, whether daily or hourly, have indicated nothing 
which can be ascribed with certainty to this phenomenon. 
I was not able to observe any such sudden reduction in 
the rate of growth as Kraus records towards the end of his 
series of observations. 
The results of the daily observations at Peradeniya are 
supported by the earlier figures of Shibata.* The measure¬ 
ments made by this observer clearly show that the growth 
of Phyllostachys in the climate of Japan is also in a high 
degree sensitive to changes in the external conditions. The 
mean daily temperature varied greatly during Shibata’s 
observations, and the carves of growth show a very close agree¬ 
ment with the curve representing this variation. Changes 
in atmospheric moisture had obviously a very much smaller 
effect ; yet some agreement can, I think, be traced when the 
curves are plotted and compared closely. The agreement 
between the curves representing the growth of separate halms 
is even closer than in the case of my own observations of 
Dendrocalamus. 
In the light of these results it seems clear that the possi¬ 
bility of demonstrating a marked effect upon growth from 
changes in the conditions of moisture depends, at least in 
part, upon the existence at Peradeniya during the period of 
observation of a very constant mean temperature, and one at 
the same time highly favourable to rapid growth. It is 
possible that at Buitenzorg, as Kraus suggests, the conditions 
of moisture also are so constant, that in the absence of 
controlling factors individual variations in the rate of growth 
become very marked. 
3 .—Factors influencing the Grand Period of Growth. 
Although my observations were not sufficiently exact or 
complete to enable me to set forth in an orderly manner, all 
8(10)04 
* Log . cit. 
( 16 ) 
