ESSAY ON FUEL PLANTATIONS. 81 



bringing- with ifc all the various ingredients derived from 

 the strata through which it has percolated. It may be 

 argued that in this Essay I have paid more attention to 

 timber than to fuel plantations, but I answer in the words of 

 Lindley, " Fast grown timber is the strongest'' whether it 

 be for fuel or building purposes, and I would add that in all 

 cases, where practicable, always select the best soils for a 

 plantation rather than indifferent ones. I must here mention 

 that on no account should the same kind of tree be planted 

 to fill up vacancies in the fuel reserve ; for instance, acacia 

 sundra is common in scrub jungle growing rather far apart. 

 To fill in the vacancies put in seeds of tamarind, E. jamboo- 

 lana, neem, and jack; for one kind of tree invariably con- 

 sumes all the food in its vicinity required for its special con- 

 ditions. This is well exemplified in the Teak plantations at 

 Nellumbore, where occasionally a natural Teak tree is observed 

 to have been enclosed in the artificial Teak plantation ; for a 

 radius of thirty feet all the young Teak languishes and 

 refuses to grow, but should a blackwood tree have been 

 enclosed, the young Teak near it flourishes and does not 

 exhibit any appearance of poverty. 



The old Scotch adage declares that tc Hawks do not pike 

 out Hawks e'en," but assuredly old trees of the same species 

 devour their young ; for instance, the wild cinnamon has a 

 large seed which rapidly germinates, thousands of young 

 plants may be seen around the parent tree, growing well 

 so long as the food in the seed supports the young plant, 

 which may be for six months ; by the end of a year there is 

 hardly a young plant alive. The same results take place 

 with the wild mango. 



After the whole block haAbeen felled over at the end of 

 the tenth year, a dense crop of suckers will come up. This 

 is due to the light being let in. 



half way up are deep wells in the rock ; also in the seashore from Madras 

 to Pulicat fresh water is found in the sandy strip of land close to the sea 

 near the surface, and inland but a short distance, where beds of clay 

 prevail, brackish water is found. 



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