OUR DEPOTS. 43 



furniture is largely made from it. Here, I regret to say it 

 is mostly used for firewood, it does not burn green like A. Its uses. 

 Dealbata nor does it produce so much tar, but is yet an 

 excellent firewood. As far as I have observed the tree 

 seems to flower and seed all the year round. The flowers 

 are inconspicuous, but the seed pods seem at times to cover 

 the tree. It is a very valuable tree, and should be cul- 

 tivated more largely. It does not grow as fast as the 

 Eucalyptus nor is it so tall, but some trees that are forty 

 years old contain at least fifty cubic feet of good timber, as 

 a rule, it makes black heartwood in a similar manner to 

 our Dalbergia Latifolia. 



CHAPTER VII. 



OUR DEPOTS. 



MANY years ago I advocated great central Depots of Teak 

 and other wood. First at Madras where the consumption 

 of Teak is very great. There should be an officer in charge ; 

 he could indent upon the various forests for a supply for 

 his timber yard. It seems a great farce that Government 

 should be compelled to go into the market to purchase 

 timber of merchants at a considerably enhanced rate, when 

 it could be supplied at a fair rate from the Government 

 forests at every head-quarters there should be a Depot; 

 at Trichinopoly the officer should indent upon the Anamal- 

 lies or Beypore for his timber. By having Depots, Public 

 Work officers, instead of employing contractors, would 

 simply have to draw their timber from the Depots selecting 

 such scantlings as suited them. The Gun Carriage some- 

 times sent an Agent to the Anamallies for Teak and Black- 

 wood, this gave rise to endless complaints, logs were 

 changed en route to Madras, and the blame could never 

 be fairly laid on the right party. When Veugay was selling 

 in Madura at 1-8-0 the cubic foot, Teak was bringing but 

 one rupee at Calicut. At Palghat, merchants ask now 2-12-0 

 the cubic foot while at Calicut, timber (Teak) is sold by 

 Government for 1-8-0, and at Ootacamund for two rupees 



