NOTES ON INDIAN FORESTRY IN 1905. 129 
thrown open, as was done throughout Central India during the 
awful years of the last great famine. 
There is no country in the whole world where the influence of 
forests with regard to climate and water-storage is of greater 
importance, or affects a larger number of human beings than in 
India. There cannot be the slightest doubt whatever that 
almost unchecked clearance over vast areas in the past must 
have contributed very materially towards intensifying the effects 
of shortage in rainfall during years of weak south-west monsoon 
currents, and thus aggravating the miseries of the famines 
thereby caused. Through the reservation of State Forests, the 
further aggravation of this lamentable condition of affairs is 
to some extent stayed; but, for any real improvement in such 
a climatic and economic matter, of vast and ever-increasing 
importance though it be, Imperial funds and an adequate special 
establishment would be necessary, as it is almost hopeless that 
the present Forest Department could possibly cope with such 
extra work. Indeed, the wonder is that the continuous record of 
increasing work and expansion in every direction can be so well 
maintained year by year, as it has been, with the scanty increases in 
superior and subordinate establishments that can alone be wrung 
from time to time from the Government. But even although 
the Indian Forest Department has more than enough of work 
for the sanctioned staff, the services of many of its officers have 
been asked for, and have been lent, to Colonial Governments, and 
twenty are now on “foreign service” in Ceylon, Egypt, South 
Africa, Nigeria, Malay States, Siam, Trinidad, Mauritius, and 
other colonies. This is not as it should be, and it is to be hoped 
that Britain will now soon be able to supply her colonies with 
forest officers direct from home, in place of India being thus 
called upon to weaken the staff trained for her own special 
service. 
In the fire-protected areas it has been found that in many 
cases protection favours the growth and development of inferior 
trees, and of bamboos, etc., more than it favours the one or 
more kinds of trees which it is specially desired to benefit; hence 
improvement-fellings are needed to assist the natural regenera- 
tion and the growth of the more valuable kinds of trees. This 
has unfortunately been very particularly the case with regard to 
teak in Burma, the timber-tree which produces by far the largest 
net revenue to the Government of India. ‘From some circles,” 
VOL. XIX. PART I. I 
