Bombay Government has now an agent, whose head-quarters are at Calicut. If this officer could not undertake the duty, a separate agent, on say Rs. 400 per mensem, with an establishment of 100 more (in round numbers), would be required. This officer would receive from our depôts, or buy from private owners, and ship the timber procured.

Looking at the increasing scarcity, and the greatly augmenting demands for timber, I think Government should begin at once to plant freely. The Conolly plantations are now beginning to pay and promise well. I would urge the doubling of the grant for this. We now plant nearly 70,000 trees annually for about Rs. 3000, which include the care of those already planted; with Rs. 6000, or only £50 per mensem, we could almost double the rate of progress, and I am confident it would prove a good investment. I have explained my views to Lieut. Beddome, who will arrange satisfactorily for this extension of operations, if Government sanction it.

Order of Government.

12th October 1860.

1. A copy of this letter will be forwarded to the Secretary of State, in reply to par. 5 of his Despatch of the 21st August, No. 60.

2. Dr Cleghorn states, that about 70,000 trees are annually planted in the Conolly plantations at a cost of about Rs. 3000, and he is confident that nearly twice as much could be done were the allowance raised to Rs. 6000. The Governor in Council considers this proposal to be one which ought certainly to be adopted. The proposed outlay is trifling, while the advantage, independently of the ultimate money profit, will be incalculable a few years hence.

3. Before applying for sanction, however, to the Government of India, Lieut. Beddome, to whom, it is observed, Dr C. has explained his views, will be requested to submit a detailed statement of the establishment proposed to be entertained. The annual cost of the existing establishment is found to be Rs. 3774.

4. He will also be desired to lay before Government a concise statement of the present condition of the plantations, and of the money returned received from them in the official year 1859-60.

5. This information should be submitted with as little delay as possible.

J. D. BOURDILLON,

Sec. to Govt.

From Capt. H. R. MORGAN, Officiating Conservator of Forests, to SECRETARY to GOVERNMENT.

27th December 1860.

1. Sir,-With reference to G. O. dated 12th Oct. 1860, I have the honour to submit a detailed statement of the increased establishment proposed for the Nelambur teak plantations.

2. The collector is of opinion that the supervision is in too great a proportion to the labour, and I agree with him, but this can be adjusted hereafter.

3. The money return for 1859-60 was as follows:-Receipts, Rs. 4715-0-0; Disbursements, Rs. 3011-0-1; Balance in favour of Government, Rs. 1703-15-11.

4. The former grant was Rs. 3000, the proposed grant amounts

to Rs. 6000, and I would strongly recommend that it be sanctioned.

5. The collector of Malabar is of opinion that the returns will equal the proposed grant; further, that 120,000 trees can be planted for the above sum.

6. Of late years, the planting of new ground has not been carried on to the extent it formerly was, consequent upon the establishment being occupied in thinning the already existing plantations (even these have not been sufficiently thinned), and the demand for an increased establishment is most urgent.

Order of Government.

15th January 1861.

The acting-conservator should at once revise the proposed establishment, so as to make the supervising duly proportionate to the working agency. The Government meanwhile sanctions that now proposed.

J. D. BOURDILLON,
Sec. to Govt.

Before leaving this subject, it ought to be stated that in 1854 Dr Falconer, in a Report to the Bengal Government, investigated the causes of the failure of teak plantations in that Presidency. These may be briefly summed up under the following:

"I am of opinion, that the over-crowding of the trees, by close planting, was at the root of all the failures that have followed the attempts at growing teak in plantations in Bengal." "The tenacious compact nature of the alluvial soil is unfavourable to the descent of tap-roots; and the consequence is, that the trees early acquire a tendency to throw out horizontal roots close to the surface. These very frequently form buttresses which rise up on the trunk, giving rise to what are called 'fluted boles,' which lead to great waste in converting the timber into squared logs.".. "Another fact of great import, as regards the diminished vigour of the teak grown in Bengal, was

* Records of Bengal Government, No. xxv.

noticed by me in a previous Report,* namely, the inferior size of the fruit or nut, which I found to be about 50 per cent. inferior in size and weight to that of the natural forests of the Tenasserim provinces. Latitude, and mere temperature, within a few degrees, would seem to be of less importance, for it is well known that excellent teak timber is grown in the valley of Nerbudda."+ "But there was a grave error in the early planting arrangements, which was fatal to success. The trees were planted at intervals of 10 feet apart, and as they grew up, it never appears to have been thought necessary to thin them. The consequence was, that the trees choked and starved each other, and the plantations were irreparably injured. In these plantations, the trees, after many years' growth, were allowed to stand at 10 feet apart, whereas it has been stated in a previous communication to Government, that 'first-class teak cannot be grown at a less distance apart than 40 feet, or 27-2 trees to the acre, or for useful timber of smaller scantling, 30 feet interval, giving 45–4, or in round numbers 50 trees to the acre.'

"Planting operations on a large scale have been commenced on the Madras side since 1843, with the same laudable design that led the Government of Bengal to attempt the same thing here in 1800 and 1812. The young trees have been planted to the number of 450,000, at 8 feet apart. It is to be hoped, that the failure on this side will be before them, as a beacon to warn them from committing the errors which were fallen into here, and which proved so ruinous in the end.

"H. FALCONER, M.D."

FOREST RULES IN PEGU.

1. The forests of the province of Pegu being the property of Government, the following rules are published for their conservation, and in order to ensure success for the measures taken for their future extension.

* Report on the Tenasserim Teak Forests, par. 70. †The northern limit of teak is in Bandalkhand. Thomson's Flora Indica, p. 147.

Report on the Tenasserim Forests, par. 88.

Vide Hooker and

2. The officers appointed for the administration of the forests

are

(1.) The Superintendent.

(2.) The Assistants in Districts.

(3.) Goungs and Goung-gwais in Forest Tracts.

3. No person is permitted to girdle or to fell any teak tree, large or small, except by the express orders of the superintendent or his assistants.

4. No person is permitted to cut or break off the branches of teak trees, or otherwise injure them.

5. Other trees besides teak, which may have been girdled by order of the superintendent, are likewise neither to be felled nor removed, except by orders from the same officer.

6. The felling, or dragging of trees, which any person may be permitted to remove from the forest, must always be done in such a manner as not to break or injure any teak trees.

7. No person shall remove, or cut in pieces, or otherwise deface any teak log lying within the boundaries of any forest, except by order of the superintendent.

8. No person is permitted to set fire to any teak timber, standing or felled.

9. Should, therefore, natthat or seasoned timber, or logs, be found in a place selected for a toungya or hill-plantation, the men who intend working the toungya, before doing so must fell and remove the same to such distance that the fire of the toungya cannot reach them.

10. In the case above mentioned (No. 9.), no special permission is required for the felling or removing of teak timber to form toungyas; but information must be given of this having been done to the nearest goung-gwai, who is ordered to visit every village in his district soon after the rains.

11. No toungya is to be formed on any spot of ground on which stand any number of teak trees exceeding fifty (large or small), seedlings included. In special cases, the superintendent or his assistants may grant permission for toungyas to be formed in such spots where it appears to them that the teak cannot be made available for the use of the forest department.