WORKING-PLANS. 117 



this special class or classes of timber, framed on 

 the basis of promoting the spread of these timbers 

 over larger areas, and especially in those forests 

 nearest the market, or with greatest facilities of 

 transport, limiting the costs of improvement to a 

 fair proportion of current net revenue ; but having 

 done this, it would be well to form an estimate of 

 the amount of annual increment of the less-valued 

 timbers, and to bend our efforts to utilise it in 

 some form, rather than let it go to decay ; for if 

 even experience shall have confirmed the view 

 that the Department cannot take it to market at a 

 profit upon costs, an effort might be made to sell 

 it standing. 



Assuming the whole Bengal forest area to be 

 bond fide forest, the annual increment will pro- 

 bably not fall below twenty cubic feet per acre, and 

 if it could be all disposed of at a profit of one 

 rupee per twenty cubic feet, the present 'net 

 revenue of the province would be multiplied two 

 thousand times, that is to say, it would yield a 

 net profit of 640 rupees per square mile, instead of 

 about five annas, as at present. 



It is too frequently the case that a forest 

 officer, on assuming charge of a Division, bases his 

 budget figures on those of his predecessors, in- 

 stead of on the ascertained capabilities of the 

 forests. The relation between costs and market 



