KDMAKI CULTIVATION. 135 



for his opinion as to the sufficiency, as regards the Conservancy 

 Department, of the means proposed hy the Board (in pars. 43 to 

 47) for checking the practice of Kumari cultivation. 



2. The chief mischief of this practice is found in its destruc- 

 tion of timber ; hut the Governor in Council wishes to have Dr 

 Cleghorn's opinion whether, in the existing .state of the forests 

 of Canara, it is important to stop it on that account, in localities 

 where valuable timber such as teak and blackwood is not met 

 with. In Bekal taluk it is stated (par. 44) that there is no 

 valuable timber ; but in Supah and Yellapur, which contain a 

 large quantity, it might be expedient to make the prohibition 

 even more absolute than the Board advise (par. 47). 



3. Par. 43. With regard to considerations apart from the Con- 

 servancy, the Governor in Council is not prepared fully to adopt 

 the reasons advanced against the prohibition of the practice. It 

 is urged that this sort of tillage affords a livelihood to wild races 

 who can only gradually be brought to regular habits of agri- 

 cultural industry. The Government have strong doubts whether 

 the way to teach industrious habits to such classes is thus to 

 tolerate and even encourage the continuance of contrary habits. 

 It appears, too, that there must be something very profitable or 

 otherwise very attractive in Kumari cultivation, as a very large 

 number of ordinary ryots appear to be engaged in it — nearly 

 26,000 in the single taluk of Bekal (par. 5). 



4. Again it is stated* that the grain thus obtained is neces- 

 sary to the subsistence of the population. It may be granted that 

 the grain is necessary, but it does not follow that this mode 

 of raising it should be so ; and the Governor in Council wishes 

 for Dr Cleghorn's opinion whether it would not be better that 

 land required for cultivation should be permanently cleared and 

 cultivated. 



Lastly, the Government will be glad of Dr Cleghorn's opinion 

 whether Kumari cultivation has diminished the prevalence of 

 fever, as stated in the 42d par. In appears to Government 

 that it embraces opposing influences in that regard — some adverse 

 to the production of malaria, others favourable to it ; while per- 

 manent clearings appear of more unmixed advantage. 



* Also in par. 17 of Conservator's Report, Dec. 7th, 1858, No. 492. 



