VATICA ROBUSTA. IV. and A.
Ds Resin.
Ral, Bala, Dhoona, HIND. I Guggala, . . . . TEL.
This valuable timber tree is alluded to in ancient IIindu writings. In the Hindu Theatre (ii. p. 100), Madhava, speaking of the coming rainy season, says- . . . . ' The days approach Wlken the long line of clouds shall shed on earth Their amaranthine drops, trembling in the breeze That from the east comes powerful, and embued With the rich odours of the Sal and Arjuna.' Forests of it extend over a narrow belt from Kamaon to Assam, and tho dammer of Bengal is the resin exuded from it. It grows in the l'alghat mountains and to a limited extent on the west coast. West of Burhampore and Russelcondah, the sal forests are the most valuable tract of wood on the eastern coast of Peninsular India. In the mink of Gumsur and in the zamindari of Bodogoda, the sal forests are important and accessible, for these districts are traversed by rivers, and during the short freslies timber can be rafted to the coast, Captain Beddome found it abundant on the In dmwati. Captain Sankey says that the sal of Nagpur, resenibling bejasar sotnewhat in colour, differs peculiarly from it in tho construction of its grain, and in its freeness from the faults to Width the other is so subject. In strength, size, and all the qualities of good timber, it appeared to him to stand first of all those procumble in the Nagpur territories for a tie beam or rafter wood. The sal forests of Northern India, aceordiug to Dr. Falconer, extend in a nearly unbroken belt along the Terai from tho Ganges at Barth ar to the Burhatnpooter ; and it occurs also in the Morung Hills, and in Assam ; but in many parts at the foot of the Himalayas, the forests are said to have become much exhausted.
Its seed has the uttnost susceptibility of ger mination, with a vitality so limited in duration that it will not survive niftily days unplanted. It ripens at the commencement of the rains, MI after the first shower falls actually sprouting from the tree. In consequence, young plants come up
in the utmost profusion, fortning patches of forest, which are literally impenetrable till thinned by the woodman. The tree Vatiea robusta, furnishea the best and most extensively used timber in the north of India. In l'egu, the tree is found chiefly on the Shan side of the Tounghoo district, and in the forests north of Toutighoo, and it is abundant inland in tho Amherst and Tavoy provinces. Sal titnber suffers much from exposure, splitting and warping greatly. The wood is hard, of a light brown colour, and is in great repute; it is most valuable for house and ship building, us vats for liquids, door-frames, and for the rails and battens of doors. It is not suited for planks ; it twists, shrinks, and warps whenever the surface is re moved, even after many years' seasoning. This wood is in general use for building purposes in the Ganjam and Vizagapatam districts. Compared mith teak, its strength is about 1121 to 860. In the Madras gun-carriage manufactory, i t is used for beams of gun and howitzer carriages, light field axle-eases of all kinds, all parts of carts, transport carriage checks, handspikes of all sorts, perches of waggon.s, poles, short perches, bmees, franiing and splinter-bars of limbers, gun and waggon, and framing of all carts. The bark is employed by tanners, and yields an abundance of resin or damtner, which is used as a substitute for pitch, and burnt by the natives as incense, and an aromatic oil is procured from the resin by dry distillation. It is called Sal and Sslwa in Gumsur, and Googul in the Godavery forests. Colonel Beddome is not sure that the Burmese tree called Eing-gyin is the same species.