REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS 59 



reserved State forests was vigorously proceeded with, their pro- 

 tection became a living thing, the areas were surveyed and 

 mapped, the methods of exploitation improved, shifting cultiva- 

 tion in the reserves regularised, and in 1866 the system of taungya 

 teak plantations started. Preliminary working-plans were drawn 

 up by Dr Brandis for all forests which he visited. Shortly after 

 his retirement, the Working-Plan Branch was organised, and 

 henceforth controlled the preparation and execution of the plans, 

 all drawn up with a view to a sustained yield in the future. 

 During their preparation the silvicultural requirements of the 

 various species were studied and statistics collected, both serv- 

 ing to improve the future treatment of the forests. The success 

 of the measures taken during the twenty years was so great that 

 by the year 1900 the area of the established reserved State 

 forests had reached 100,000 square miles, half of which were 

 managed under the provisions of working-plans. All this pro- 

 gress was made possible by the scientific training of the superior 

 staff and the instruction of rangers at Dehra Dun. Alongside of 

 this spade work, research was diligently prosecuted (although 

 the Dehra Dun Research Institution was not established until 

 I 906), as evidenced by such publications as Brandis' Forest Flora 

 of North- West a?id Central Ifuiia, 1874 (once defined by Sir 

 J. Hooker as the best science book ever written by an Indian 

 officer); Gamble's Manual of Indian Timbers, 1881, and his 

 work on Indian Bamboos; Kurz' Forest Flora of Burma; Baden 

 Powell's Forest Law ; Brandis' monumental work entitled Indian 

 Trees (though not published until 1906). An immense quantity 

 of information is embodied in working-plan and other reports, 

 or recorded in the Indian Forester (started by Schlich in 1875), 

 dealing with silvicultural and other questions. Nor should the 

 financialaspectof forest conservancy during the period 1 864-1 900 

 be overlooked ; the annual averages were as follows : — 



Period ; Receipts Expenditure 



1 864- 1 869 

 1 894- 1 899 



Rupees Rupees 



3,740,000 2,380,000 



17,200,000 9,800,000 



Net Revenue 



Rupees 

 1,360,000 



7,400,000 



The systematic management of the Indian forests was firmly 

 established in 1900, and the means provided for further progress 



