The Silviculture of Indian Trees Volume 1 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1921 Excerpt: ...still.the capsules may be knocked off the tree when they are just about to open and placed in the sun, when they soon burst. A convenient method of separating the seed from the cotton is to place both in a large open basket. A round stick about 2 ft. long and i to in. in diameter is prepared, and about 2 in. from one end of it two pointed cross sticks about 5 in. long are tied firmly to the long stick and at right angles to it and to each other. This end of the long stick is then pushed into the cotton and the stick is revolved rapidly in alternate directions by rubbing it between the palms of the hands: this causes the seeds to separate from the cotton and sink to the bottom of the basket. Records for nine consecutive years in the Bengal Duars show that in that tract a good seeding may be expected annually. This is not the case in the United Provinces, where records for seven years indicate that an abundant crop of seed may be expected about once in two years. Germination (Fig. 60, bf). Epigeous. The testa splits and the radicle emerges from the narrow end of the seed and descends. The hypocotyl elongates, arching at first, and in straightening carries above ground the 1 G. B. F. Muir in Journ. Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc., xxiv (1916), p. 589. r cotyledons, which are much crumpled in the seed but soon expand. The testa is either left in the ground or carried up over the cotyledons, falling with their expansion. The Seedling ("Fig. 60)., Roots: primary root long, at first thin, afterwards thickening greatly and becoming fleshy, terete, tapering upwards and downwards from the fleshy part, at first white, afterwards yellow or light brown: lateral roots few or moderately numerous, chiefly on upper part of main root. Hypocotyl distinct from root, 1-2-2-4 in. lon...