8. The clima'e of the Nerbada Range is colder than that of the other two 

 ranges. The rains usually commence about the middle 

 of June and close towards the middle of September. 



The cold weather lasts from November to February, and the hot weather from 

 March to June. In the Nerbada Range the mornings and evenings are chilly 

 throughout the year. 



9. The average rainfall taken from official statistical reports varies from 

 50 to 53 inches. Nearly the whole of this falls between 

 the ist of July and I5th September. The average for the 

 past 32 years is 51*05 inches. 



10. The population is chiefly agricultural. The crops are principally wheat, 

 juari, gram, cotton, rice and pulses. The wants of the 

 ri f CU h tural ? ustoms and people in respect of forest produce are grazing, grass, 

 dry fuel, bones, thorns, ediWe products and brushwood. 

 A few poles of girth under two feet are occasionally required by the people to 

 build their houses. Traders from Jubbulpore sometimes carry teak timber i to 4 

 feet in girth and bamboos from felling series numbers i to 4 of the Nerbada 

 Working Circle. 



THE COMPOSITION AND CONDITION OF THE FORESTS. 



1 1. The working scheme deals with A class reserves and unclassed forests, 



viz.. 230,283 acres, the B-I class areas having been 



Distribution and area. .' , , ' , , . 



excised for purposes of cultivation. 



1 2. The distribution of these forests can best be understood by a reference 

 to the maps appended. The forests do not form any compact block, but consist 

 of isolated pieces of various sizes. 



13. The area of the forests -vide form No. 46 for 1899-1900 is detailed 

 below in miles : 



14. These areas are not correct and will be corrected on receipt of maps 

 from the Forest Survey of India. The approximate area however is 361 square 

 miles of A class reserves and unclassed forests and 33 square miles of B-I class 

 forests. 



15. The Settlement of the Chappara Range unclassed forests is in progress 

 and will soon be completed. That of the unclassed forests of the Dhooma and 

 Nerbada Ranges will soon be taken up. 



1 6. Twenty-one thousand one hundred and fifty -eight acres, or 33 square 

 miles, of forests in the three ranges have been selected to be made available for 

 cultivation and sanctioned by the Chief Commissioner as shown in para 18, 



