212 FOREST LIFE AND SPORT IN INDIA 
knowledge is deemed to be requisite, are presided over 
by officials who have the requisite training, either in 
England or through Indian experience. The heads 
of these branches, who as a rule are not members 
of the Indian Civil Service, communicate their 
advice to the Secretary of the department, who 
takes final orders from the Minister concerned, or, 
in case of disagreement between departments, from 
the Governor-General in Council. State Forestry 
in India is controlled by the Department of Revenue 
and Agriculture, and the Inspector- General of 
Forests is the expert in charge of its Forest Branch. 
But he has also other duties outside the scope of 
that department. On him rests the initiative and 
control in the matter of forest education, and he is 
responsible for the correctness of the silvicultural 
proposals that are prepared under the orders of the 
Conservators for transmission to the Local Govern- 
ments. Thus, not only is his advice demanded on 
all forest questions that are. brought before the 
Government of India, but his orders are required in 
all matters affecting the professional treatment of 
the forests. In either case he is open to a salutary 
criticism which absence of local knowledge on his 
part would render peculiarly effective, and it is 
therefore of the utmost importance that he should 
acquire as intimate an acquaintance as possible with 
the varying conditions that obtain throughout the 
Peninsula. In respect of the two Provinces of 
Bombay and Madras, ruled by Governors appointed 
in England, and subject to only a general control of 
policy by the Government of India, such acquaint- 
ance was difficult to obtain; for the Inspector- 
