NORTHERN CIRCAES. 119 



the commencement of the rains, and after the first shower falls 

 actually sprouting from the tree. I have frequently seen in the 

 forests near Hardwar, the radicle of the germ protruded (that is 

 growing) while the fruit was still attached to the parent tree. 

 In consequence, young plants come up in the utmost profusion, 

 and very often so thick as to choke each other; they form 

 patches of forest, which are literally impenetrable till the woods- 

 man removes them as " Bullees" or " Eurrees." Id this manner 

 the forests are maintained wherever a tree remains standing to 

 perpetuate the stock." (Falconer's " Eeport," p. 30.) The most 

 important and accessible of the sal forests are in the taluk of 

 G-umsur and in the Zamindari of Bodogoda, both of which are 

 traversed by rivers which admit of rafting timber to the coast 

 during the freshes, which, however, are of short duration. The 

 names of the principal jungles in G-umsur are Kukuloba, Galleri, 

 Jagatnath-prasad, &c. It would not be of use to particularise 

 all the mutas or estates. The sketch map,* prepared by Capt. 

 Phillips, 5th N. I., indicates the route I followed, the area 

 occupied by sal forests, with the roads and water communication 

 between the forests and the coast. The sal is the most useful 

 as well as the most abundant tree in these forests, which are 

 therefore distinctively called sal forests. It was coming into 

 foliage at the time of my visit, and I had opportunities of ob- 

 serving its mode of growth which never occurred to me before. 



The tree grows remarkably tall and straight. In open places, 

 it yields a thick trunk, throws out branches, and becomes um- 

 brageous ; young and old are cut down without distinction, from 

 the five years old sapling to the full grown tree ; and this has 

 been proceeding for a lengthened period without any conservancy 

 rules. Thousands of young trees are removed to form posts for 

 native houses and telegraph poles ; others of a larger size are 

 useful for public works and officers' houses, and if sawn longi- 

 tudinally, they give excellent half round sleepers. With this 

 heavy drain upon the forests, young plants spring up in the 

 greatest profusion, aDd often so thick as to choke each other. 

 The woodsmen remove the promising poles ; and provided that a 



* Spare copies are procurable at the office of the Forest Department. 



