204 HEDGES. 



becoming fence for gardens of private residences, but would be 

 too expensive for a ryot's holding, or a channel bank, and, I 

 believe, on this account, has been considered unsuitable for hedg- 

 ing the Madras Bailway. 



First, as regards trees, the object is to obtain shade, and to 

 preserve moisture, whilst we seek to secure some return for the 

 expense of planting, &c. I would therefore give the preference 

 to fruit, over timber trees in most situations ; for the former, as the 

 mango, tamarind, and soapnut, may be early rented to advan- 

 tage, while the latter yield little or no return until they have 

 attained maturity ; and then they must be felled, and the process 

 of planting again gone through. I would name the trees noted 

 below* for selection according to locality: by no means, how- 

 ever, intending that no other fruit trees should be planted, or 

 that timber trees should be wholly forbidden. 



The planting of the following exotics might be tried in par- 

 ticular localities likely to suit them. They are all much esteemed 

 in the countries whence they are derived. American Sumach 

 (Ccesalpinia coriaria, L.), introduced from St Domingo. The 

 pods of this valuable tree contain about SO per cent of tannin 

 (Drury), and small plantations exist at Bangalore, G-untur, Hun- 

 stir, Masulipatam, &c. The tree grows well in most of these situ- 

 ations. 



[Scematoxylon Campechianum, L.) Logwood. This is said to be 

 an excellent plant for fences, and is much used in Jamaica. It 

 prefers a dry soil near the sea, and therefore would probably 

 succeed along the Coromandel coast. Amongst timber trees, if 

 these should be wanted, I conceive the following to be the best — 

 (jak, sal sissu, tun, tamarind, and teak), all furnishing wood 

 of great value for economic purposes ; and here, I may observe, 

 that a circular order was issued to the Public Works Department, 

 No. 744, 1855, which contains some appropriate remarks on 

 this subject. 



* "Wherever they will grow, those marked t having the preference — viz., 

 t Tamarind, f Mango, Jak, Bassia, Eugenia (Jamuri), t Soapnut, Nim, 

 f Coconut, t Calophyllum, Pongamia, In sandy tracts where more valu- 

 able trees will not grow, the following, (Casuarina, Date, Palmyra, Cashew, 

 and Babul) may be used. 



