TEAK PLANTATIONS. 313 



been planted under the direction of Mr Conolly, collector of 

 Malabar, and under tbe immediate superintendence of a native 

 of that district, trained by himself. The Government had not 

 provided that officer with the assistance of a European educated 

 as a forester, or with any agent who understood practically the 

 rearing of young plants, the management of young trees, the 

 selection of soils adapted to the growth of particular plants, the 

 transplanting of seedlings from the seed-bed, the appropriate dis- 

 tance at which the plants should be placed from one another, 

 the thinning and pruning of young trees, and the causes 

 which require it, and who possessed such other practical infor- 

 mation as is necessary for the successful management of planta- 

 tions, and for bringing them to maturity. Mr Conolly, however, 

 felt it to be his duty to make the attempt, with the assistance of 

 books and a small l Forester's Guide ' sent to him by the Court 

 of Directors. 



" These plantations are now one, two, three and four years old, 

 and Mr Conolly has himself told me that the more he reads, and 

 the older his plantations become, the greater difficulties he has to 

 contend with, from not possessing practical knowledge himself, 

 either as a nurseryman or forester ; nor does he feel assured that 

 his endeavours to forward the Court's views will be fully success- 

 ful, unless he can procure the assistance of a forester who has 

 had experience in planting and pruning trees, and felling tim- 

 ber, and who can impart his knowledge to the natives. There 

 is on their part no want of inclination to learn — on the contrary, 

 there is every desire and great aptitude ; but they must be 

 convinced that the person who superintends is master of his busi- 

 ness. A district of many square miles in extent was purchased on 

 account of Government, affording a wide field of operations. The 

 oldest plantation on it which I examined was rising four years. 

 The plan pursued by Mr Conolly appears to have been very judi- 

 ciously conceived and executed. The spot selected for the first 

 essay was situated on the banks of the Nelambur or Beypur river, 

 stretching over an extent of five miles. The first operation 

 was to clear the banks, extending to a certain distance into 

 the interior, of all jungle trees, in the most economical man- 

 ner. The difficulty of getting the seeds to germinate in their 



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