SARTAGK 87 



' The natural condition of the country could not have 

 called forth or exercised upon the people an effect more to 

 be deplored. 



' The peasantry here look upon wood as being in common 

 with earth and air, fire and water, one of the elements, and 

 as equally free to all persons ; and they consequently con- 

 sider that they are free to use it without stint or limit, as 

 one of the free gifts of nature. This state of things, origi- 

 nating, as I have intimated, from the physical condition of 

 the country, can only be changed or destroyed by the great 

 change-producer, time ; and the reports of the consequent 

 destruction of the forests embrace numerous details of the 

 extension in the country of the practice of Sartage and 

 Roeden, or Svedja. This system of felling is very frequently 

 met with ; but if we enter into the circumstances of the 

 case, considering, on the one hand, the condition of 

 the agricultural economy of the people, together with 

 the paucity of labourers and the lack of manures, and 

 the circumstances that the temporary culture of the fields 

 which is thus effected supplies the only means of support 

 to man, and, on the other hand, the great extent of the 

 forests and the difficulty of maintaining an efficient watch 

 over them by wardens or forest watchmen with a great 

 extent of forest entrusted to their care, we cannot con- 

 demn the Forest Administration for not adopting effect- 

 ual measures to prevent altogether this unauthorised 

 felling of trees in the forest. 



' This unauthorised felling is the primary form taken by 

 agriculture the first step taken towards the development 

 of rural economy. We hope in process of time to get 

 beyond this ; but to put it down by force would not be 

 a rational course of procedure. The Northern peasant 

 not having productive ground near his residence, nor 

 means to improve it if he had, goes into the depths of the 

 forest, burns down trees, and cultures his temporary field 

 for two or three years, or so long as its powers of fertile 

 production is not exhausted the fertility being produced 

 by the ashes and cinders of the burnt trees. The persua- 



