226 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
power works were based, so that great expense and inconvenience 
were incurred by the unexpected diminution of the power de- 
livered under contract to the Kolar Gold-fields and elsewhere. 
Although one-fourth of British India is under forest of one sort 
or another, the distribution of the forests throughout the country is 
not such as to efficiently regulate the water-supply. The catch- 
ment-areas of many rivers are in Native States, and thus outside 
the control of the Forest Department. This is specially the case 
as regards the important Upper Indian rivers, upon which the 
chief irrigation works depend. And many of the chief rivers of 
other provinces also have their catchment-areas in Native States. 
The main issue of the present situation is that effective steps of 
some sort must be taken by the Government of India to safeguard 
and improve the catchment-areas of all important rivers situated 
in Native States, and this matter is undoubtedly one of great 
urgency in many parts of the country. In fact, the matter seems 
ripe for early consideration at the hands of a small Commission 
appointed to tour round the country and submit a report. The 
value of the work of such a Commission would be incalculable. 
Among recent protective measures required to prevent the 
destruction of agricultural land through sand-torrents (chés) let 
loose owing to reckless clearance of the natural woodlands that 
formerly kept the soil fixed zz sz¢u, the chief has been the Punjab 
Land Preservation (Chés) Act, which aims at protecting the 
forest-clad slopes of the lower Himalayas from denudation by 
graziers. Although only a short time in force, this Act has 
already been productive of improvement. In the Hoshiarpur 
district, where these chés are most destructive, excellent work is 
being done, although the people think it a great hardship and do 
not realise the good results that will follow. All the bare slopes 
which gave rise to these sand-chés have been or are being made 
Reserves, and the rights of the people therein are being com- 
pounded, so there is every probability that all the remaining 
valuable cultivation will escape the calamity. Attention is not 
yet being paid to the Jhelum district, where there is a long series 
of small hills running almost north-east to south-west and 
parallel to the river. Between the hill series and the Jhelum 
river there are large tracts of valuable and fertile fields, which 
year after year are being encroached upon by the sand brought 
down by the ravines (locally called as). These fas are in- 
creasing in dimensions year by year. Between Jhelum town and 
