OF NORTH-EASTERN CACHAR, 3 



oppressive. The maximum degree of temperature that I have 

 vet noted has been 99° in the shade and the minimum 48°. 

 From 1st of November to the 1st of March the climate is de- 

 lightful. 



"Vegetation is most luxuriant. The high ranges of hills 

 are clad with a great variety of fine timber trees, the most 

 valuable of which are Nagussar, Coorta, J'ulna, Jarrol, Sal, 

 Corral, and Chama, but lower down and all along the rivers, 

 very little valuable timber remains, except on estates in private 

 hands, which were taken up some 12 or 15 years ago. 



" Large tracts of fine timber and bamboos have been de- 

 stroyed by the wandering tribes of Nagas and Kookis in Jhoom- 

 ing {their method of cultivation), for as they only take one 

 crop off the same place, they ravage a large area in a few years. 



" The first year, very few weeds spring up on land cleared 

 from forest or bamboo jungle, and if the jungle tribes were 

 to cultivate the land a second year running, they would have 

 much more trouble in keeping their crops free from weeds, 

 so rather than do a little extra weeding, they prefer to clear 

 new land. Perhaps too the freshly broken land yields heavier 

 crops. 



" The first year or so after Jhooming very little jungle, 

 except tall grasses and creepers, grow up ; the second and third 

 years, trees and bamboos make their appearance, but by the 

 fifth or sixth years, just wheu the trees and bamboos have 

 made a little headway and succeeded in partially killing the 

 rank grasses, the Nagas consider the land fit for another crop, 

 and so everything is again levelled to the ground. 



lt It is almost impossible to push ones way through any 

 of the virgin jungles without cutting a path. 



"With the exception of a few grand trees, none of the tim- 

 ber seems to be very old. It may be that the thousands of 

 creepers, climbers, orchids and other parasitic plants, with 

 which almost every tree is covered, succeed in smothering and 

 so killing them. Very few trees seem to be over 60 or 70 

 years old. 



" The principal native product is rice, but a little sugar-cane 

 is also grown. 



il The hill tribes grow a little cotton on their Jhooms and 

 the Cacharees breed the tusser silk-worm. 



u Tea is as yet the only product of European enterprise in 

 the district. 



" The mammals of this district include the Entellus,* Hoo- 

 lock, Slow-lemur, common brown and some 3 or 4 other varieties 



* Probably this is not P. entelltas, but P. schistaceus. — Ed., S. F. 



