56 



lirst plaee. -ra/.iiiL; must In- stopped, at any rate that of goats and sheep, so as to 

 allow a natural growth of plants, shrubs, and trees to come up; artificial sowing 

 and planting must be done, preceded in bad cases by the construction of darns 

 and dvkes to steady the soil, until vegetation has once more laid hold of it. Mis- 

 diief of this kind can be stopped and cured at a comparatively small sacrifice, 

 provided it is taken in hand at an early stage ; but if it has been allowed to grow 

 tor a series of years, the expenses of checking the evil may be beyond the means 

 of i In- state. 



Although forests are of considerable importance in India in respect of their 

 ,n-i ion as regards the regulation of moisture, they are absolutely indispensable on 

 account "f t lie produce which they yield, since by far the greater part of India 

 must rely on the timber and fuel produced in the country, apart from other pro- 

 duce. All the teeming millions of India use wood for their domestic tiring, or, if 

 sueli is not available, <' 'cow-dung, the latter being much to be deprecated from 

 an agricultural point (Shall k. At the same time, enormous quantities of timber 

 are required for constr,;;iston, boat-building, tools, agricultural implements, rail- 

 ways and other public works. If we add thereto a demand for many important 

 items of minor produce, more especially cattle fodder in the drier parts of the 

 country, it will easily be understood that at least 20 per cent, of the total area 

 requires to lie kept under forest. Even such an area would give only about half 

 an acre per head of population, an allowance below that of most European con- 

 tinental countries. 



The history of forestry in India is very instructive. According to the avail- 

 able evidence .the country was in former times covered with dense forests. Then 

 settlers opened out the country along the fertile valleys, but the destruction of 

 the forest on a larger scale was carried out by nomadic tribes, who fired alike hills 

 and plains as they moved from one pasture to another. This process is believed 

 to have gone on for more than 700 years Subsequently came British rule, and 

 with it a more fierce destruction of the forests than before. Extension of culti- 

 vation became the order of the day, and before its march many of the remaining 

 woods fell under the axe, no inquiry being made as to the ultimate result. Simul- 

 taneously with the extension of cultivation and the increase of population, the 

 annual requirements of timber and fuel increased, while quickly multiplying 

 herds of cattle roam far and wide over the remaining forests. Finally, railways 

 came, and with their extension the forest disappeared with greater rapidity than 

 ever, partly on account of the increased demand for timber used in construction 

 and firewood, and partly on account of the fresh impetus given to cultivation on 

 both sides of the line. 1 have watched this last process, and 1 can testify from 

 personal experience how fatal railway extension is to forests which aro not subject 

 to proper control and protection. 



For some time matters went smoothly enough in India, but then the shoe 

 commenced to pinch. Difficulty was experienced in meeting the demands of 

 timber for public works, sleepers had to be imported from foreign countries, and 

 it was then recognized that a great mistake had been made in allowing the forests 

 to be recklessly destroyed. Experience had definitely proved that th.> preserva- 

 tion and suitable management of a sufficient area as forests could not be left to 

 private enterprise, and that the interference of the State had become a necessity 

 in the general interest of the country. 



The forest question commenced to attract attention in the early part of this 

 century, in consequence of which aj timber agency was established on the west 

 oast of the Peninsula. 



