Dec. I, 1885,] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



437 



AVitU regard to timber the case is differeat. 

 Capitalists cauuot art'ord to wait while trees are 

 maturiug their wood. Goverumeut uot ouly can 

 att'ord to do this but cau grow its forests for more 

 important cosmic purposes, for the amelioration of 

 unfavorable climatic iuUucuces or the preservation of 

 favorable ones, for the regulation and distribution 

 of the rainfall, if such cau be considered to be the 

 result of forest growth, and the maintenance of 

 springs and streams. As a timber tree the several 

 varieties of Australian gums are unsurpassed. The 

 Jarrah, for instance, when mature, yields a timber 

 that is che.iper than teakj is ornamoutal in a high 

 degree being close, fine grained and mottled ; is 

 capable of takmg a high polish ; and is of great j 

 strength, hardness and durability. It is proof against j 

 insects, and especially the destructive white ant. It 

 defies time and decay. The white and red gum 

 are not much inferior to the Jarr.ih in the above 

 (lualities, they are close grained aud hard, will stand 

 great heat, aud are proof against insect destroyers. 

 tiovernment planting operations are too restricted 

 iu the choice of forest trees on the >i'ilgiris. The 

 oak and the chesuut grow well, and so do the family 

 of Ficuscs and the Walnut. The lluualayau Ceiar 

 grows up to 9,000 feet elevation, and thrives with a 

 temperature ranging iu the cold weather from 35° to 

 50\ aud in summer from (m^ to 70^. Hainfall anil soil 

 are equally suitable for its growth on the Nilgiris. 

 With a wide range of valuable timber trees to select 

 from the Forest Department has coufiued itself al- 

 most exclusively to the acacias and gums, excellent 

 trees in their way -but failing in one important 

 respect to compass the ends of Forest Conservancy. 

 Both tlie acacias and gums act most prejudicially 

 upon the soil and water-supply. They impoverish the 

 former, and absorb aud dissipate the latter. Neither 

 shrub nor weed will thrive under their shade, nor 

 have we any record that they favorably influence their 

 immediate vicinity iu the interests of the agricul- 

 turalists. — JLitdras Jlail. 



[The tone of the above article in the Madras 

 Mail differs from tliat of the official reports, but 

 we fear there is a good deal of truth in what is 

 said of the Australian trees. The gums grow rapidly, 

 but, except as firewood for the preparation of tea, we 

 do uot know that the timber will be of much value. 

 Have sleepers of Ceylon-grown blue gum yet been 

 tried, and, if so, with what results Oaks auo chest- 

 nuts are certainly not suitable for the hiUcountry of 

 Ceylon, although the oak will grow slowly. By the 

 Himalayan cedar we .suppose the deodar is meant, 

 ami we doubt its suitability for Ceylon. AVe are 

 much more favourably impressed with the so-called 

 red cedar {Cedrcia Toona). Of the Australian trees 

 grown on Ceylon estates (r/'t'rtV/ea YobtaUt seems the 

 most promising, — Ed.] 



FOREST DEP.VRTMF.XT (STR.YITS 

 SETTLEMENTS). 



In July 1833 Mr. Cantley, Superintendent of the 

 Uotauical Gardens, Singapore, published a Jleport on 

 the Forests of the Straits Settlements, aud the 

 result we are glad to notice has been the formation 

 of a small Forest Department, with Mr. Cantley as 

 S\iperiutendfnt, assisted by four Europeans, under 

 whom are some subordinate officers, together with a 

 number of forest watchmen. 



The report is largely filled with accounts of the 

 topography, geology and mCiteorology of the country, 

 ami the description of the forests shows how greatly 

 they need protection. In the introduction he says 

 that— 



" It is apparent that no sofficient attempts have 

 been made to conserve the Government forest lands, 

 and that nothing has been done towards ntilisting 

 the extensive grass wastes that are to be seen 

 throughout the Settlements. The present state of 

 affairs is the result of a reckless, migratory cultiv- 

 ation carried on by the Chinese, and this extensive 

 deforestation has brought with it its attendent evils. 



Our timber supply has fallen tar short of the demand, 

 and the cliniAte of the colony is becoming sensibly 

 affected." 



The Straits Settlements are formed of four separate 

 districts — 



1. The Island of Singapore, containing Sill square miles 



2. Malacca, „ HhQ „ 



3. The Island of Penang, „ 107 „ 

 •1. I'roviuco AYellesley, „ 265 „ 



Total area ... 1,257 „ 



The Government forests occupy about 131 square 

 miles, or nearly ijjth of the whole area, the largest 

 forests beiu;? founti on the mainland in Malacca and 

 I'rovince AVellesley. In addition to this there are 

 about 33 square miles of private forests, whilst the 

 waste lands are extensive in Singapore, occupying 

 about 10.000 acres in Mabvcca, but are scarcely of 

 any importance in Penang or AVollesley. 



The forests belong to that class kuown as evergreen 

 tropical forests, which chiefly lie within the tropics 

 and in countries subject to heavy annual rainfall, 

 aud a high state of atmospheric moisture. Many of 

 the trees are nevertheless tieciduous for a very 

 limited period, which in most cases extends over a 

 few days only. The me.an annual temperature is 

 above 80^ ; the hi ghest scarcely above 90'^ ; the lowest 

 not mucli less than GO". The humidity of the 

 atmosphere is generally very great, and in Singapore, 

 counting saturation at 100, the annual average is 

 794, aud is never below 78. The annual rainfall is 

 about 100 inches, and roughly speaking there is rain 

 every other day throughout the year. Mr. Oautlej' 

 however, says that, although — ■ 



"The total raiufall of the j'ear has not decreased, 

 owing to the removal of the tree covering — that great 

 equaliser of raiufall — .showers have become less 

 frequent and more local thau formerly ; and droughts 

 of unprecedented length have occurred, thereby in- 

 creasing the possibility of epidemics. These fertilising 

 showers, which once watered the whfile surface of 

 the Settlements, are now confined more frotjueutly 

 to the hill tops and higher elevations, the soil and 

 the prospects of .agriculture being thus impaired, and 

 the temperature of tlui plains being raised. The hill 

 streams run with greater irregularity, and many of 

 the smaller streams have become entirely dried up." 

 In Singapore we find that — 



"Such Crown forests .as remain uncut are widely 

 distributed in isolateil patches oviir the island. These 

 forest patches or clumps are of various sizes, from 

 half an acre or so to about 25 acres, their distance 

 from each other averaging about half a mile. The 

 interspace is generally waste grass land, which supports 

 as a rule only strong growing gras.s, which chokes 

 any seedlings of forest trees which might otherwise 

 spring up." 



As an iustauce of tho state of the forests in 

 Malacca, wo quoti! tho description of the stale of 

 the .Ins reserve of 25,000 acres, and of the ICesang 

 reserve of 2,000 acres. 



" The amount of well-wooded land does not exceed, 

 I believe, one-third of the total area. AVithin the 

 reserve boundary there are a large number of squatters, 

 whose houses are thickly dotted over the comparatively 

 denuded portions. They are allowed to cultivate 

 paddy iu the swampy land of the reserve, nnd to 

 p'ant fruit trees on more elevated portions, privileges 

 ofl which they seem to have extensively availed them- 

 selves. Tho greater portion of the Kesang reserve 

 has been under tapioca cultivation, with the exception 

 of a narrow belt along tho outside, which sct.-ius to 

 have been left as a screen. There is therefore but 

 little timber of value left in this reserve, and as the 

 denuded portion contains only stray plants of tapioca, 

 it will have to be re-stocked artifically by planting." 

 In Pcmang the forests generally occur iu isolated 

 patches as in Singapore, whilst in Wellesley good 

 forest remains in the southern districts. Tho most 

 valuable forest products appear to be the Serayah 

 wood, or Singapore cedar, a species of Shorea, Gaharu 

 resin yielded by two distinct species of trees, viz., 



