312 TEAK PLANTATIONS. 



caused to be put down in the course of May, June, and July 

 1844, 50,000 young plants, which had been raised in adjacent 

 nurseries ; and he said of them, " The generality of these plants 

 look healthy, but there is a marked difference in favour of those 

 raised at Tedacode and Iravelly Cow, which have a very promis- 

 ing appearance. I have every confidence that this promise will 

 be fulfilled, and that they will become fine saplings. My confi- 

 dence is founded on the excellent condition of a few hundred 

 plants which I had put down last year so soon as the difficulty 

 with regard to the seed had been mastered. Nothing can sur- 

 pass the beauty of these plants. In from 12 to 16 months they 

 have shot up to 8 feet or more, with a healthy and strong stem. 

 In fact, I consider the experiment of raising healthy saplings to 

 be at an end, and I have no hesitation in recommending to the 

 Government that the important object of replanting wastes with 

 teak be carried on with vigour in the sites which have been 

 proved to be so well suited for it." With this view Mr Conolly 

 intended confining himself, at Manasherry and Ariacode, to the 

 care of the plants raised there, and to planting on an extensive 

 scale at Yedacode and Iravelly Cow, which seemed to be the sites 

 best adapted for the purpose, and where there was abundance of 

 available space. There was, however, yet another difficulty to be 

 overcome before the plans pursued by Mr Conolly could be per- 

 fected : this was the pruning and tending the young plantations. 

 On this point Mr Conolly was endeavouring to afford all the 

 assistance he could to the sub-conservator, who was a native of 

 the district, by instructing him from books which had been sent 

 out for the purpose by the Court of Directors instead of the arbo- 

 riculturist, for whose services so many applications had been 

 made. 



The progress of Mr Conolly's operations may be gathered from 

 the following Minute of the Marquis of Tweeddale, the Governor 

 of Madras, dated 8th December 1846 : — 



MINUTE BY THE MARQUIS OF TWEEDDALE. 



8th December 1846. 

 " I have carefully examined the teak plantations which have 



