Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 82, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 April 1920 — Bamboo Forests of the Punjab [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Bamboo Forests of the Punjab

ONE of the greatest drawbacks of a forester’s profession is that he rarely lives long enough to see the results of his labors. This is particularly the case in India, where a forest officer hardly ever remains more than five years In one division. And what is five years in the life of a tree? But with bamboos it is different, for the shoots attain their full dimensions in the course of a few months and are ripe for felling after three years, says Country Life. It is this that makes the bamboo one of the most interesting species the Indian forest officer has to deal with, for he can literally watch its growth and observe with certainty the results of his care and attention. In many places, where distance from the market makes it valueless for export, the bamboo is still looked upon as a weed cumbering the ground beneath more valuable forest trees. But elsewhere it is one of the most valuable forest products. Indeed, few forests in India can show a net revenue of nearly a pound an acre per annum, which is what is now being derived from the Hoshiarpur bamboo forests in the Punjab. These two forests —Karnpur and Bindraban —situated at the eastern end of the Siwaliks, overlooking the Beas river as it passes from the hills into the plains, cover altogether an area of 6,000 *>cres,; of which nearly 4,000 acres comprise almost pure bamboo. ■ a— iimiiiimiii m iii'ii miiii rrrni i

For many years these forests were worked on what Is known as the “royalty” system. That is to say, each year the right of felling was put up to tender, the would-be purchasers offering to fell a minimum number of stems during the season and paying for the earnest a fixed rate per hundred for each class of bamboo, the classification being made according to size. The large bamboo traders of the Punjab are, however, all more or less closely connected with one another. Many of them are intimately related, and they made it their business to insure that there was little or no competition for the contract. Year after year they offered the same rates, and the number of stems they agreed to fell was never more than that for which they already had an *■ assured market They were woefully lacking in enterprise, and took no steps to create a larger market for their produce. In consequence nothing approaching the full possible turn-out was ever obtained from these forests under the royalty system, and while the more accessible portions were continually overfelled, the outlying tracts were hardly ever touched. Taken Over by Government. j It was decided, therefore, .that AS, soon as the necessary labor and transport arrangements could be made, the department should take over the entire exploitation of these forests. A beginning was made in departmental working during the winter of 1917-18, and the success which has followed has ter more than justified the change of policy, for during the last three

years the revenue obtained from these two forests has Increased fourfold, while the actual net amount now received for every hundred bamboos is more than double what was previa ously paid by way of royalty. In the Punjab the felling season for bamboos is a comparatively short one. Operations do not commence much before October and have to be completed by the qnd of January, although another month’s work can be got in between May 15 and June 15. There are thus only five months in the year In which fellings can be made, the reason being that stems felled at any other time of the year are very liable to be attacked by the bamboo borer, a small insect which eats away the inside of the stem and renders It useless for anything. To fell more than a million stems during flvd months requires, however, a large amount of labor. Fortunately, there Is a fairly large local population in the neighborhood of these forests who, being for the most part agriculturists, have little to do In their fields during the winter months. When the work is in full swing as many as 300 or 400 men are employed on felling alotfe. How the Bamboo Is Handled. For felling a primitive form of billhook Is used, which Is exeremely useful for getting among the crowded stems at the base of the clump, though in unskillful" hands a great deal of damage may bq done to other shoots In the clump. The bamboos, having been felled, are next roughly dressed of their side shoots and tops, and are then tied into bundles of five, ten or twenty, according to size. For the time being these bundles are thrown out on the compartment lines, but at the close of the day’s work are collected together and carried on the coolies’ heads to the forest depots. Here those which are to be manufactured, that is, fired and straightened, are put on one side, while the others which are to be marketed green are loaded into carts and sent off to the sale depot at the railhead.

Making up the green bamboos into, maybe, tent poles or lance staves is by far the most Interesting part of the work in these bamboo forests. The first stage in making up is carefully to clean off all the knots. This Is usually done by a gang of small boys armed with sharp adzes. They soon become clever at this work and rarely spoil a bamboo by making a bad shot and damaging the skin. The poles are then cut to length, according to the purpose for which they are required, and handed over to the skilled workmen,. known as kamaggars, tor straightening. Each pole is now put through a hot wood fire. This not only makes it supple, but also gives it a rich brown color, and by melting the dirty waxy covering gives it a clean and highly polished appearance. After this alt curves are removed by bending the stem with some force in an opposite direction. The instruments used for this are either an upright pole planted in the ground, with slanting holes bored through it to take the bamboos, or & small implement held in the hand, which Is used only for small stems and delicate work, such as lance staves.

Carting Bamboos to the Railhead.

Bamboo Cutting.