1 ae
2 58. The following extract from Mr. Ballantyne’s Report will convey some
3 idea of the severity of the fire :—
4 Every nullah and hill side whero the grass was thin was taken advantage of.
5 Paths svére cut as quickly as possible, but as soon as they were inade, the fire was
6 ‘sen agin far ahead. ‘There was a hurricano blowing all the time, which carried
7 up large firebrands of burning bamboos, &., which were often carried to a distance
8 of 500 yards, and dropped amony the grassy in front. ‘This was what made the
9 extinguishing such a difficult task.”
10 54. <A portion of two of the plantations was also burned, but the plants suf-
11 fered vory little damage, the grass not being of the same rauk growth as in the
12 regular forest.
13 The plantations were guarded by a large nullah, as well as by a path 60 feet
14 broad, but these were useless agaipst the flames backed up as they were by so
15 strong a wind.
16 55. As soon as the fire was got under, the breadth of the paths was increased
17 . to 300 yards, which is the breadth that will be
18 Brendth of firepath vd, ,
19 ets Ele ere adopted in future. Nothing less than this cau now
20 be relied on for the exclusion of outsidy fires.
21 56. An attempt was made this vear for the first time to keep down fires as
22 See ge se ate: much as possible within the Byraghur Reserve, and
23 RESO ikte serene the suojoined Statement exhibits the suoccss that
24 has been attained :
25 Hitherto the whole of this area has invariably been burned :—
26 Inhabited | Unimbabit-
27 villages. |ed villages.
28 Unburned es oT ee 31 21
29 Partly burned ... oe see ra 10
30 Watirely burned se cae 36 50
31 94 81
32 Thus of 175 inhabited and uninhabited villages, 52 have been entirely saved, 37
33 partly burned, and 86 wholly burned, or estimating roughly, tires have been kept
34 out of half the reserve, or nearly 2U0 square miles.
35 a7. Comparatively little difficulty was expcrienced in extinguishing fires that
36 broke out within the reserve itself. The fires that caused most trouble were those
37 which came from without, and which were often several miles broad.
38 58. To guard against these during the current year, a path will be burned
39 round the boundary line in the middle of the cold weather, when this can be accom-
40 plished at very little expense. The grags then being partly green, will, if lighted
41 in tho afternoon, go out of itself after sunset, and thus little or no expenditure
42 will be required to keep the fire within propor limits.
43 09. After the experience of the past year, I feel more hopeful as to the pos*
44 sibility of ultimately keeping down fires entirely within the Byraghur Reserve.
45 Progress in this respect must be gradual, and many years may elapse before com-
46 plete success is attained, but that this may ultimately be looked for, there can now, I
47 believe, bo little doubt. That fires can be prevented without interfering with cultiva-
48 tion m any way has been already demonstrated in the Raipoor block, which contains
49 four inhabited villages in which no fires have occurred for three years in succession.
50 60. In last year’s Report, the boncficial effects of the exclusion, of fires on
51 Beneficial effects. the trees within the Raipoor block were noted.
52 would here add that the efect on the grass itself is also
53 most marked. In many places grass has disappeared almost entirely, and its place