28o 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[OCIOBER I, 1882. 



other Alkaloids, we think we may advise them to let the 

 future take care of itself, and go quietly ou trying to produce 

 a really good rich bark, without misgivings as to a fair return. 

 — We are, Sec, 



(Signed) Francois Lk Mair & Rivers Hicks, 

 London, 14th July. 

 — JJadni::? Mail . 



THE FORESTS OF CEYLON. 



BY F. D'A. VINCENT. 



(From the IiiJian Quarterly Magazine of For''strti.) 



The general public probably gets its Idea of Ceylou 

 by a short stay on the western side of the island, 

 when the steamer touches at Colombo or Galle. 

 or perhaps by the account given of the climate by 

 some relation who forms one of the large and im- 

 portant connnuuity of coffee planters, with estates in 

 the centre of the island. The climate and veget- 

 ation of the greater jjart of Ceylon are so different 

 from those of the western coast and of the coffee 

 districts, that I shall first give some idea of the dis- 

 tribution of the rainfall before mentioning tlie forest 

 vegetation. 



The island is exposed to the full force of the south- 

 west and north-east monsoons ; and, as these monsoons 

 blow for eight months out of the twelve, it would be 

 natural to suppose that the rainfall is both heavy 

 and equally distributed throughout the year all over 

 the island. Tliis, however, is not tlie case. The 

 south-west monsoon, breaking generally about the 

 middle of May. passes over two-thu'ds of tlie island 

 without more than a passing shower, the principal 

 rainfall of the island being that brought by the north- 

 east monsoon. 



If the reader will examine the map of Ceylon lie 

 will find in the centre of the southern half of the 

 island some ranges of hills extending from Kandy 

 southwards to the .Moruwa Korale, within 30 miles 

 of the sea. These ranges of hills, about 60 or 70 miles 

 long, form the eastern bounilary of the area affected 

 I>y the south-west raonson. All parts lying to the 

 south-west of these hills share more or less in the 

 downpour, wliilst the rest of the island only benefits 

 by an occasional shower. The effect of these ranges 

 of hills is most remarkable, and is probably due to 

 their arresting the course of the clouds, and forcing 

 them back towanls the sea. In Colombo, wliich, it 

 will lie seen, is south-west of the northern limit of 

 the hills, the average annual rainfall is S7 inches, 

 whilst at Negombo. IS miles further north, and rather 

 ftirtlier from the liills, tlie rainfall is 6(i inclics. At 

 Chilaw, only 42 miles north of Coloml)o, and quite 

 out of the influence of any hills or other obstacles 

 to arrest the course of the soutli-west currents, the 

 rainfall sinks to 48 inches. On the southern coast 

 the same effect is noticeable. At dalle the rainfall 

 is 90 inclies, whilst at Hambantota, 70 miles to the 

 east, in the extreme south-east corner of the islaml, 

 across which the two monsoons sM"eep, the rainfull is 

 only -0 inches. 



The north-east monsoon begins in October, and, 

 lasting till Feliruary distributes its rainfall over tiie 

 whole of the island, tliose parts to the north-east of 

 the central mountain ranges naturally receiving most. 

 The hills do not, however, as in the case of the south- 

 west monsoon, protect the lee side of the island, for, 

 at Colombo .and on the western side of the island, the 

 winter rains are often the heaviest and most continuous. 

 The moist zone, or that afi'ected by both monsoons, 

 is therefore comprised within lines drawn south fi'om 

 Kandy to Matara (about 100 miles), and from Kandy 

 to Colombo (about (iO miles). Within these lines and 

 the sea the rainfall vaiics from (iO to 230 iiiclies, the 

 average being ])erliai)S about ItO inclii s. 



The rest of the island or the dry zone, is aflfected 

 only by the north-east monsoon, the rainfall varj'ing 



J from 60 inches on the eastern coast to 30 and 20 

 inches at Maiiaar and Hand>antota, the average an- 

 ! nual raintill for the greater part of the area being 

 about 4o inclies. 



It will, therefore, be seen that the climate of the 



, gi-eater part of Ceylon presents a vast diflerence from 



that of the western parts most visited by Europeans. 



, The limits of the moist and dry zones, which have 



been thus roughly defined, con-espond with the limits 



of two very distinct flora.s — that of the moist zone 



is very sunilar to the flora of the Malayan Peninsula, 



wliilst that of the drier parts of the island resembles 



; in many respects the flora of the Madras mainland. 



I As regards the forests 1 may begin by saying tha^ 



' all the forests are evergreen ; there are very few de- 



I ciduous trees, and none of them form any important 



l^art of the forest growth. 



In the moist zone there are few forests left of any 

 ( extent, comprising the only parts of the island which 

 are thickly populated, ^'ery large areas of Crown 

 land have been sold for plantations of coffee, cocoa, 

 tea and other "new products," also for paddy cult- 

 ivation. Some of the most important forests have 

 also been sold to private persons, who are to work 

 out the timber and sell it in Galle or Colombo. 



The forests, which are still the property of the 

 Crown, form only small isolated blocks. In the moist 

 zone the forests do not generally contain much valuable 

 timber. With the exception of Calamander and Neduu 

 ( Perhoymx) there are no very valuable woods, but 

 with easy water carriage to the coast, all the softer 

 tunbers find a ready sale for in-door work, and for 

 coffee cask staves. The principal woods in these for- 

 ests are : — Doona zeylanica, Artocarpu.i nohilis, Carallia 

 I in/i't/errima, DUknia rHuna, Vateria acuminata, Dipl- 

 erorar/iua zcylanicns, Careya arbona, Melia diihia, 

 Piriropsh ilooniana, several species of Enijania, D'lo- 

 s/iyi-ot: qiia:iita. The last, Calamander wood, was for- 

 merly common in the wet forests with a rainfall of 

 120 to 150 inches. For cabinet work it is one of the 

 most valuable, but the tree is now abnost extinct. 

 Pieces only fit to give planks four inches broad are 

 said to have been sold at the rate of R400 a ton, 

 and it is difficult now to get even a specimen of this 

 beautiful wood. 



Timber work at present is principally directed to 

 the ilry zone, where there are still very large areas 

 under forest. In the northern half of the island, and 

 in a great part of the eastern province, the population 

 is very scattered ; villages are very far apart, and 

 probably not more than one hundredth part of the area 

 is cultivated. The rest of the country is more or less 

 covered with e\'ergreen forests, and with tree scrub. 

 The principal forest trees are : — Satin wood ( CMoroxylon 

 Sirielvnia), Ebony ( D. Ehennm and D. Melanoxylon), 

 Trincomali Wood ( Bemja AmmonU/a), MiniKsops 

 Eliniji, M. intlira, Ahroilaphne semacarjiifo/ia, I'ifex 

 nfli.tx'nna, Ca/ophylliim tomentosum. These fonn the 

 saleable woods. They are mixed up with a very large 

 proportion of woods which are at present worthless, 

 and almost unsaleable. Most of the forests usually 

 consist of the commoner kinds of wood, witli the 

 saleable woods sparingly sprinkled amongst them. The 

 only valuable trees which anywhere form a fair share 

 of the standing stock are Trincomali wood. Satin wood 

 and Minnsops ind'iea, and with these it is only in the 

 most favoraljle situations that any one species forms 

 one-sixth of the standing timber. The following are 

 some of the commoner kinds ; some give very fan' 

 timber, but there is at present only a demand for the 

 better kinds of wood mentioned above : — 



Sehh'irhera trijiir/a. iSt)-y,-/inos Niix Vmnica. Ulmvs 

 intciirifol'ia, Aracia leucophlii'ri, DioKpyros Emhryopti-rh, 

 D. orali/o/iri, Tcrmhialia Arjnna^ Phy/fan/hiiK Emhlira 

 and very many others, such as Stejihcriynr, Ailinn 

 Dysoxylon, Pclroearpus, Caxxia. 



