TEA. 



Ill 



ment have been marked, and the timber trees rung, the remaining 

 forest in jungle may be cut down immediately. The best time for 

 doing this is just at the close of the north-east monsoon, as there are 

 then four or five months in succession of fine weather to dry the wood 

 previous to its- being burnt. Many chips from trees are decidedly inju- 

 rious to the tea plant, and in most cases shading the seedling, are 

 unnecessary, if the transplanting has been effected at the proper 

 season and with due care. The best method of felling is to begin from 

 the bottom, cutting down clear all the scrub, and cutting the large 

 trees three-quarters of the way through. This plan is continued to 

 the very top of the piece to be felled. Here some ancient patriarch 

 of the forest is selected and cut through, and as he totters and falls 

 downward, he carries the rest of the forest with him at one sweep. To 

 fell each tree separately would entail much greater expense. In 

 clearing land, always, when practicable, leave a belt of forest from 25 

 to 50 yards wide, on all sides, so as to shelter the interior from severe 

 winds. Never denude your hill-tops ; by so doing you diminish your 

 rainfall. Leave a belt of forest all along the course of springs and 

 streams ; otherwise they may dry up partially, if not wholly, during 

 the dry season ; also leave a fair proportion of trees of vigorous 

 growth (especially when procurable, Cincliona succirubra), round your 

 building sites, not only for the sake of shade, but also for the reason 

 that though they absorb noxious gases, they exhale pure oxygen. 



We now come to the question of burning the jungle so felled. As 

 I have said before, on strong clayey retentive soils, burning is of 

 unquestionable advantage ; but as to burning under other circum- 

 stances opinions differ. On light rich soils, abounding in humus, a 

 heavy burn does, in my opinion, more harm than good, both by drying 

 up the surface and thus rendering it less retentive of moisture, and by 

 setting free all the volatile gases contained in the organic portions of 

 the soil. It is better, therefore, in these cases, to cut off, pile, and 

 leave only the tops of the felled trees, together with all the small 

 undergrowth. The ashes of these will supply no small amount of 

 potash and other inorganic manures. , The long trunks may be cut 

 into convenient lengths, and rolled down into the nullahs, or, what 

 is better still, where stone is scarce, ranged in lines horizontally 

 along the hill-sides, to form terraces, and thus intercept excessive 

 wash. This system is undoubtedly a more expensive one, but past 

 exj)erience convinces me that it will amply repay the cost in the 

 end. The timber trees that have been left standing will have suffered 

 little internal damage from this slight burning. The only advantage 

 derived from a heavy burn is, that all forms of insect life in the soil 

 will be destroyed, as also many germs of weeds. 



For burning jungle, a fine day with a light favourable breeze should 

 be selected, and the jungle should be set fire to from the very bottom 

 of the block, a series of fires being kindled along the whole length. 

 The remnants of the first burn may be collected, piled, and burned a 

 second time. As soon as all the. head branches have been burnt, the 

 surface roots should be dug out and similarly treated. The larger 

 stumps must be left to rot; their removal would entail too great 

 expense. For some districts it may be thought advisable to destroy, 



