1122 REPORT—1885. 
slopes of the Himalayas up to an elevation of 8,000 or 9,000 feet above sea level. 
Although they include within their boundaries considerable areas which have been 
wholly or partially denuded of trees, the ground is generally speaking more or less 
densely covered with trees and jungle. 
In former years accurate forest maps were not required, but the present system 
of management renders good maps indispensable, and in 1872 measures were taken 
to provide them. The Imperial Survey Department could not conveniently under- 
take the work, and it was consequently thought desirable to organise a special 
branch of the Forest Department to act under the control of the Surveyor-General. 
This arrangement has worked most satisfactorily. The scale of the maps formed 
the subject of much discussion, but ultimately it was decided that the scale should 
usually be 4’ =1 mile for the most valuable forests, and 2’=1 mile for those of 
less value. An establishment of surveyors was then raised and trained. The first 
work undertaken was the survey of the forests of Dehra Dun, area about 573 square 
miles, the non-forest lands of the district being surveyed at the same time by the 
Imperial Survey Department, and a combined map of the whole country being thus 
produced. The next work was the survey of the Kumaon and Garhwal forests, area 
about 1,400 square miles; and the survey of an area of about 1,600 square miles in 
Haiderabad is now in progress. Altogether since 1872 about 3,000 square miles 
have been surveyed and mapped, mostly on the scale of 4”=1 mile. It will of 
course take a long time to work over the whole of the forest property, but detailed 
maps of the entire area are not urgently needed at the present time, since for 
forests in which simple protection can alone be attempted small-scale maps or 
sketch maps will suffice for some years to come. 
When the survey party takes the field, the officer in charge has command of a 
considerable number of men, with a large quantity of stores and equipment. He 
has to hire carts or camels, and march to the scene of the work. On arrival, each 
native surveyor is given a piece of work, four or five of them being grouped under 
one European surveyor, and a computing office is established in some central 
position. When sufficient work of this kind has been done, or when the season is 
too far advanced for it to be continued, the party moves back to head-quarters. If 
such work is not well controlled it is sure to show this in inferior quality, insuf- 
ficient quantity, or high cost. The procedure must be varied according to circum- 
stances, and it has to be considered how a map that will answer the purpose can 
be produced in the shortest time and at the smallest cost. The ground worked 
over by the Forest Survey Department presents exceptional difficulties, of which 
the following are the principal: the surface is much broken up, the crop of trees 
and jungle is dense, the supply of drinking water is precarious and often of bad 
quality, the forests are infested with wild animals, food is. difficult to obtain, and 
jungle fever is by nomeans uncommon. ‘The wild animals are not at all appreciated 
by the unarmed native surveyors, and many cases have occurred in which they have 
caused the most serious inconvenience, stopping the survey of certain tracts for a 
long time. The experience gained of the natives of India in the Forest Survey 
Department has shown that almost anything can be made of them. The principle 
adopted has been to stimulate them to exertion and to promote a spirit of emulation 
among them ; they were taught that accuracy was of more importance than rapidity, 
and encouraged to bring to notice all discrepancies in their work. At first only the 
most simple operations were entrusted to natives, but a few of them can now do 
excellent work of the most difficult kind. The combination of European and 
native labour has answered very well. Detailed surveys of wild and densely 
wooded ground have rarely been made before in India, and it is evident that they 
must be more expensive than similar surveys of open, cultivated country; but to 
provide them is a necessity and a distinct economy. 
