292 THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



Northern Division (Central Provinces) for 1899 the area 

 of forest under protection is put at close upon 6,000,000 

 acres — over 9,000 square miles — all of which is classified 

 and demarcated and under the care of a most efficient 

 staff, directed by forest officers who have been trained 

 in the best schools of Europe. The whole area has been 

 laid out into districts, each with its ' working plan,' b}" 

 which rotations of thinning, cutting, and reproduction are 

 laid down for all future time. The receipts amount to 

 4^ lacs of rupees, and expenditure to about Rs. 396,000, 

 leaving a net profit of about Rs. 50,000 for the year. 

 The duties of officers comprise the carrying out of the 

 ' working plan ' of thinning and cutting, the regulating 

 of grazing and sale of timber and firewood, the collection 

 of revenues from minor products — including bamboos, 

 lac, resin {ral), harra (for tanning), mowha, tasar silk 

 cocoons, gums and dye stuffs — and the furnishing a report 

 and numerous returns up to No. 60 once a year, from 

 which the returns for the whole of India are framed.* 

 But as yet no mature crop has come into market. 



Great areas of forest still remain in the possession of 

 the communes and villages and private owners, so that 

 the rights of the people are not encroached upon ; but, 

 under the protection of the Department, natural growth 

 is steadily restoring the State forests to a condition of 

 productiveness which by previous neglect they had 

 ceased to maintain. 



* In the Report for 1899, par. 91, is the following : ' General Health 

 of Staff. — The year was a comparatively healthy one : i Deputy Con 

 servator, i extra Assistant Conservator, i Deputy Ranger, 26 Forest 

 Guards, and 2 licensed vendors died, being a percentage of 2'i7 of the 

 strength of the entire staff.' Also : ' Shooting permits have been sold 

 to 276 persons. Good heads are becoming scarce . . . and bison are 

 diminishing in numbers, owing both to disease and their indiscriminate 

 slaughter by impalement by the jungle population.' The above are 

 significant entries up to date. 



