of thinning. A well managed grove has stout, well shaped canes with a dense dark green foliage that is attractive. The fallen leaves accumulate and decay naturally, producing a constant supply of humus that holds moisture and fertility. The grove will furnish a continuous supply of poles that may be harvested each year. Thinning would not be practical if bamboo is grown on a large scale for pulp.
Harvesting by sawing canes is better than cutting with an axe. Cutting leaves sharp points that do not decay for several years and are thus dangerous to anyone working in the grove.
Bamboo has many uses in the Orient where it is intimately associated with the lives and economy of the people. Currently, its uses are more limited in the United States.
ORNAMENTALS. Since the species vary so widely in size, they afford many uses as ornamentals varying from shades to screens to small base plantings around a dwelling. Bamboo is an evergreen plant and makes an excellent screen. Since species vary so much in height, a screen can be almost any height from 2 feet to 50 feet. Also, pruning of large species permits height control and variable shapes and heights of screens.
STAKES. Bamboo is resistant to termites and stakes will last several years. It makes excellent plant stakes for flowers, tomatoes, beans, and other plants.
POLES. Bamboo is the best plant known for fish poles or poles for knocking pecans or other nuts from trees. Thousands of poles are harvested and used in Alabama each year. The poles can be used in the manufacture of furniture and other articles and for buildings, such as tea houses in gardens.
WIND BREAKS. Bamboo is an excellent plant for wind breaks. It will withstand violent winds and, growing thick, will prevent wind damage to other plants.
FOOD. Young shoots of many bamboos are edible. They are imported into this country and used extensively in cooking, particularly in Chinese foods.
GRAZING. The leaves of bamboo are edible and animals graze on them when they have access to them. The “switch canes” (Aruundinaria tecta) have been grazed during the winter for many years in Alabama and other areas of the South.
PAPER PULP. Bamboo fibers have excellent qualities for paper making. Used extensively in the Orient for this purpose, it has possibilities for extensive use in this country.
EXPERIMENTS IN ALABAMA
Experiments with bamboo have been conducted at Auburn since 1933 when the first introductions were made from several nurseries in the United States, particularly the U.S. Plant Introduction Station at Savannah, Georgia. Numerous introductions have been made. Those that have grown successfully are listed in Table 1.
Large scale experiments at Camden were begun in 1959 when a planting of approximately 4 acres of timber bamboo was made to compare yields of bamboo and pine for pulp production. In 1960, approximately 100 acres of five species was planted to study the problems of production, harvesting, and utilization of bamboo. These experiments were initiated with the active cooperation of the New Crops Research Branch of the United States Department of Agriculture. The discontinuation of cooperation by the Department on July 1, 1965 reportedly as an economy measure, resulted in drastic curtailment of planned harvesting research and abandonment of plans for utilization research.
Experiments at Auburn
The tests have consisted of observations on appearance, growth habits, cold tolerance, and yields from cutting treatments.
COLD TOLERANCE. Most cold tolerant species were P. rubromarginata, S. fastuosa, and P. viridis. Next in tolerance were P. aureosulcata and P. nigra var. Henon. Phyllostachys bambusoides, P. meyeri, and P. aurea have been damaged severely 3 years in the 20 years they have been observed.
YIELD OF POLES. Seven species have been harvested for marketable poles. The age at harvest varied from 8 to 18 years. Yields reported in Table 2 are for canes 15 feet or longer. (Those less than 15 feet are not marketable). Production per acre has varied from 11,000 to 39,000 canes. Yields with selective cutting have varie