218 
LOCK: THE GROWTH OF 
year, 1888, a flood in June, during which the river rose 
30 feet, submerged for two or three days the vonng culms 
then just beginning to shoot up, and this proved fatal to 
most of them; those which survived grew up into weak, 
spindly, and often crooked stems. 
With these qualifications I may proceed to describe the 
growth of the large original clump during 1903, as far as 
simple observations, without actual measurements, afforded 
information. Further on a number of measurements will 
be found recorded. 
The buds appeared above ground at the beginning of 
June, and at first elongated slowly, but as soon as a height 
of a metre or less had been reached they began to shoot up 
at a rapidly increasing rate. Later on this rate appeared to 
become approximately constant, and then gradually to 
fall off as the tops of the young culms appeared above the 
bent trunks of previous years. This stage of growth was 
arrived at late in September, rather less than four months 
after the appearance of the buds had been noted. The height 
reached in this interval was approximately 25 metres, as 
was ascertained by felling the culms. Soon after this the 
young halms took on a sharp curve close behind the apex, 
so that the growing point was henceforth directed almost 
vertically downwards.- By this time the thickness of the 
mternodes had become very small, their diameter being 
little more than a centimetre at the bend. During the next 
two months, there was a further growth of 3-4 metres, the 
rate of growth appearing to become very gradually smaller 
and smaller. 
By the 10th of October branches began to shoot out. 
These appeared first at the point of sharpest curvature about 
3 metres behind the apex. At this stage the end of the 
halm hung down like the lash of a whip and was very thin 
and pliable. 
In some other clumps branching did not begin untilt he 
second week of November, by which time the north-east 
monsoon had thoroughly set in. 
