Dec. 12, 1889J 



NATURE 



12 



districts Scotch pine woods are regenerated by self-sown 

 seedlings. The oak woods of the Forest of Dean, and the 

 beech woods on the chalk downs of Buckinghamshire, 

 are instances of high forests with different character and 

 different method of treatment. Most instructive, again, 

 are the natural oak forests in Sussex — coppice, with a 

 large proportion of standards. So are the coppice woods 

 of ash and sweet chestnut for the production of hop-poles 

 in Kent, and the osier beds on the banks of the Thames. 

 The difficulty is, that the treatment of these woods is 

 entirely empirical, and that, without authentic statistical 

 data regarding yield in timber, regarding income and 

 outlay, no forest can properly be used for purposes of 

 instruction. If the student wishes fully to understand 

 this and other portions of the excellent manual before us, 

 he must study the forests of Germany, public and private. 

 This may be a disadvantage, but under the circumstances 

 of the case it cannot be helped. 



Appended to the first part of the book are two treatises 

 which will be read with interest by those who may not 

 care to study the more technical portion of the manual. 

 They deal with forestry in Great Britain and Ireland and 

 in British East India. The physical configuration of 

 India, its climate and rainfall, the distribution of the 

 forests, and the forest policy pursued by the Government 

 of India during the last thirty years, are clearly set forth. 

 The protection and systematic management of its forests 

 are matters of the utmost importance for the welfare of 

 the millions inhabiting the British Indian Empire, of in- 

 finitely greater importance than good forest management 

 is for Germany or other countries of Europe. Enthusiastic 

 foresters in India have long maintained that, by improving 

 the condition of existing forests, so as to make them more 

 dense and compact, by extending their area, and by 

 ■creating forests where none exist at present, the rainfall 

 in seasons of drought might be increased, and famines 

 might thus be averted. Dr. Schlich fully discusses this 

 subject, and states several cases in which the presence of 

 dense forest growth seems to accom pany an increased 

 rainfall ; but at the same time he fully explains the 

 reasons why a final conclusion does not seem justified. 

 The result is that, though the local influence of forests 

 in lowering the temperature and preserving moisture is 

 undeniable, we are not justified in hoping for an improve- 

 ment of the Indian climate. The favourable influence of 

 forests in India upon the irrigation fro m wells and tanks 

 is, however, beyond doubt, and this is a vital question. 



To illustrate the effect of forest growth in protecting 

 loose soil on hill-sides, the author mentions the Siwalik 

 hills at the foot of the North-West Himalaya. We quote 

 his words : — 



"Anyone who has ever stood on the hills behind 

 Hushiarpur in the Punjab, and looked down upon the 

 plain stretched out towards the south-west, has carried 

 away an impression which he is not likely to forget. In 

 that part the Siwalik range consists of an exceedingly 

 friable rock, looking almost like sand baked together. 

 Formerly, the range was covered with a growth of forest 

 vegetation, but a number of years ago cattle owners 

 settled in it, and under the combined attacks of man, 

 cows, sheep, and goats, the natural growth disappeared, 

 while the tread of the beasts tended to loosen the soil. 

 The annual monsoon rains, though not heavy, soon com- 

 menced a process of erosion and of carrying away the 



surface soil. Gradually, small and then large ravines and 

 torrents were formed, which have torn the hill range into 

 the most fantastic shapes, while the debris has been 

 carried into the plains, forming, commencing at the places 

 where the torrents emerge into the plain, fan-shaped 

 accumulations of sand which reach for miles into the 

 plain, and which have already covered and rendered 

 sterile extensive areas of formerly fertile fields. Indeed, 

 one of these currents or drifts of sand has actually carried 

 away a portion of the town of Hushiarpur. The evil has 

 by no means reached its maximum extent, and if curative 

 measures are not adopted at an early date, the progress 

 of transporting the hill range into the plain will goon, 

 until the greater part of the fertile plain stretching away 

 from its foot has bean rendered sterile." 



The author might have added the denuded hills, and 

 the rivers, formerly navigable, but now silted up, in the 

 Ratnagiri district of Western India, and other similar 

 instances. 



That a country so populous as India requires immense 

 quantities of timber, bamboos, and firewood, goes with- 

 out saying. Among other articles of forest produce, 

 cattle fodder is an important item. In the drier portions 

 of the country the supply of grass, particularly during 

 seasons of drought, is more plentiful under the shelter of 

 trees than out in the open. In times of scarcity, grain 

 can easily be carried long distances to provide food for 

 the people, while cattle fodder cannot be so easily carried. 

 As a matter of fact, where forests have been formed and 

 protected in the drier parts of India, they have proved a 

 great help in enabling the people to maintain their cattle 

 in times of drought and scarcity. 



In India the duty of taking action necessarily devolved 

 upon the State. The result has been the formation of 

 extensive forest estates, called reserved forests, which 

 at present, the author states, aggregate 33,000,000 

 acres, or three times the area of State forests in the 

 German Empire. If forest matters in India continue to 

 be properly managed, these estates will not only secure 

 the well-being of the people, but will be an important 

 source of strength to the Government, financially and 

 otherwise. As yet, the revenue which they yield is in- 

 significant in relation to their extent. But it is growing 

 steadily. Dr. Schlich shows that during the three years 

 1864-67 the average annual net revenue from the Govern- 

 ment forests amounted to ^106,615, and during the five 

 years 1882-87 to ^384,752 ; and he states it as his 

 opinion that, twenty-five years hence, the net surplus will 

 be four times the present amount. More important, 

 however, than the annual revenue is the steadily increas- 

 ing capital value of these Government forest estates. 



In Great Britain the aspect of affairs is different. The 

 small area of the Crown forests, burdened as they are 

 with prescriptive rights, cannot reasonably be expected 

 materially to help the development of systematic forest 

 management. But there are over 2,500,000 acres of 

 woods and forests in the hands of private proprietors, and 

 there are 26,000,000 acres of barren mountain land and 

 waste, a portion of which might be planted up. Pro- 

 prietors, as a rule, desire to augment their income and to 

 increase the capital value of their estates. In many cases 

 this might be effected by a more systematic management 

 of their woodlands, and by the planting up of waste lands. 

 The chief obstacle to progress in this direction is the low 



