FUEL PLANTATIONS IN INDIA. 135 



give the newly-planted seedling a fair allowance of water, 

 say, a gallon. Each plant should then be shaded for a few 

 days with a basket made of cocoanut leaves or any suitable 

 substitute. 



The young plants will now require regular watering till 

 they are firmly established and growing vigorously. 



According to the Forest Keport of 1872-73, page 68, 

 Casuarina trees only seven years old averaged 60' in height 

 and 30" in circumference at the ground. This has been 

 very much my own experience ; so I shall base my calcula- 

 tions accordingly, only allowing that they reach this size at 

 eight years and not seven. 



I have estimated the price of Casuarina seedlings at 

 Rs. 6 per 1,000 at the outside. An acre of land will contain 

 1,200 pits 6 x 6; we will therefore allow 1,500 plants to the 

 acre; 300 to replace failures. 



Pitting should not cost more than Rs. 6 an acre as, the 

 soil being sandy, 200 18' cube pits can be cut for a rupee. 

 Staking the pits ought to be done for Rs. 2 an acre ; if this 

 is not neatly done, the work will not look shipshape. 



Planting, watering, and shading for the first week I put 

 down at Rs. 9 an acre. 



The subsequent watering till the plants are established 

 will cost Rs. 26 an acre at least. 



Fencing ought not to cost more than Rs. 3 an acre. 

 Replanting failures and sundries, one rupee. Quit-rent at 

 one rupee an acre will be Rs. 8 up to the period when the 

 crop is fit to fell. 



Taking eight-year old trees to contain on an average 10 

 cubic feet all round, and, supposing that only 1,000 such 

 trees survive out of the 1,200 planted, we have 10,000 cubic 

 feet of wood, and as Casuarina weighs about 601b. green to 

 the cubic foot, 600,0001b. of fuel (-J- 2,240), or 267f tons. 



The average selling price of such fuel is Rs. 8 per ton ; 

 therefore the sum realised will be Rs, 2 ; 142-13-8. 



