1 ( 12 )
2 The necessary thinnings from it would produce a good revenue, and a new crop of
3 seedlings should be sown below it. In this manner a succession of crops would be
4 sccured.
5 ‘¢ I wish strongly to urge my conviction that, if this systom were adopted, fine
6 forests of fine trees might be produced. I would not attempt to grow sil in any places
7 other than those in which nature appears to have located it.
8 ‘‘'The forests, if treated in the above manner, would, without doubt, pay woll;
9 and aftor the time that the first crop is ready for tho saw, a largo yearly revenue may
10 ge confidently looked for.
11 “Of course, until the forests have arrived at maturity, a smaller revenue must be
12 expectod ; but I am quite sure that the division can be easily made to do more than
13 pay its expenses by the sale of minor produce, of inferior woods, and of such thinnings
14 from the sal forests as may be necessary for their successful treatment; and if it is
15 remembered that during this period valuable sal forests are boing raised which, on reach-
16 ing maturity and being felled in successive years, will produce a handsome yearly
17 revenue, [ think this is as much as should be looked for.
18 ‘¢ To carry out these proposals it will be absolutely necessary to give the following.
19 orders at once, —viz., to stop the cutting of greon sal for any purpose whatever, and to
20 stop the grazing of cattle in all sal forests in the Doon.
21 ‘¢ The Canal Department has been indenting on me rather largely lately. I am
22 very glad to supply them with the inforior wood that they roquire for their temporary
23 dams, and with as many dry sil tors as I have, but I desire to obtain authority to
24 decline to cut green sal for thom. 1am now supplying them with 50 scores of sil 11
25 feet long and 30 inches in circumference. To do this Iam obliged to fell 1,000 of my
26 most promising young trees, to the ruin of the forests. I have cut the trees, as I did
27 not like to declino an indent from any Government department, but [ trust that I may
28 be authorised to refuse such orders in future.”’
29 In principle I agree entirely with Captain Bailey, for if we go on cutting at the
30 same rate as last year, there will soon be no sil left. I have desired Captain Bailey
31 to refuse all orders for green sal, but to supply as much timber as possible from dead
32 sil trees, and from all other kinds of timber-producing trees; also to stop all grazing
33 in sail forests, and to close them as much as possible. There may be perhaps a slight
34 decrease of revenue from grazing duos, but the actual sil forests which will bo closed
35 are only a small portion of the grazing lands, and by no means the best; so I do not
36 think there will be much decrease. Exclusive of timber expenses and revenue from
37 green timber, the Doon revenue this year is Rs. 47,000, against an expenditure (in-
38 cluding establishments and salaries) of Rs. 34,000 ; and as long as the revenue can
39 be kept up and expenses kept down to this mark, it is quite as much as should be
40 expected from these exhausted forests.
41 I trust that His Honor will approve of tho closing of these silforests. It is, Iam
42 confident, a step in the right direction, and ono that has not beon taken a bit
43 too soon.
44 JouNsAR DIvIston.
45 49. Yor tho Chukrata barracks, &., 19,694 pieces of deodar scantling have
46 been sown during the yoar, and 36,801 pieces of rai: 13,650 of the former and 29,742
47 of the latter have been carried to Chukrata, besides 1,014 rai bullees. The carriage
48 of the rai scantlings and deodar planks was then stopped, owing to the depét becom-
49 ing ovor-stocked.
50 50. Two thousand cheer (Pinus longifolia) troes were felled in the Onoli forest
51 last October. This forest is on the Tonse, about 70 miles above its junction with the
52 Jumuna, and about 6,000 feet above the level of the sea. The trees wore cut into 12, 16,