26 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTEAL INDIA 



size of large poles. This is the sort of timber whicli was 

 cMefly in demand for the small native houses before the 

 introduction of our great public works ; and thus, perhaps, 

 may be explained the apathy with which the native 

 Governments witnessed the destruction of the forests of 

 large timber. A further reference to this matter will be 

 found further on. 



The Sal tree, again, as I have explained, possesses a 

 much stronger vitality as a species than the Teak ; though 

 from its liability to heartshake, dry-rot, and boring by 

 insects, as well as its want of all power (like most resinous 

 trees) of throwing out coppice wood, the individual trees 

 are much more perishable than the Teak. It is also not 

 so generally useful, particularly for minor purposes, being 

 hard to fell, of coarse grain, and making very inferior 

 charcoal. It; however, yields a gum-resin valuable in 

 commerce, and this has led to a very great destruction of 

 the Sal forests. Again, the Sal tracts were very inacces- 

 sible from the populous regions, the nearest point where 

 any great supply could be had for the railway being about 

 a hundred miles, by a bad land route. This distance has 

 up to the present time proved an insurmountable obstacle 

 to the general utilisation of the Sal timber on the railway 

 works. The supply of this timber is almost inexhaustible ; 

 and a stronger commentary on the commercial value of 

 easy communications could not be found than this, that 

 the railways have found it cheaper to import pine sleepers 

 from Norway, and ironwood from Austraha, than to carry 

 the Sal timber growing within a hundred miles of their 

 line.^ There is something wrong where this is the case; 

 and that something is the want of a good road into the 

 Sal regions from the railway at Jubbulpur, which road 

 should have been made, for many other reasons besides 

 this, long ago. 



So much for the Sal forests. As regards the Teak, 

 the supply available for railway uses had already been 

 much reduced from the causes mentioned. A good deal 



1 I would not be understood to say that no Sal timber has been 

 used ; but its cost as compared with the imported material has been 

 greater. 



