November i, 1887] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
335 
Dcva Shola, or the God's Wood, tho place I was 
appointed to, is situated, as I have already said, 
about tun miles to tho south of Ootacamund with 
an elevation a little over 000 feet abovo sea level. 
The estate consists of 1000 acres, 500 of wuich is 
forest hind and the remainder grass. This land was 
obtained fom Government upon certain conditions, 
one of which was that the proprietors should supply 
to the Government so many thousand cartloads of 
firewood (always a scarce commodity on the Nilgiris) 
within a given period, cut and stacked from the forest 
then standing. The proprietors, after having obtained 
the title deeds of the land from Government, think- 
ing the above condition irksome, and that it might 
probably hamper them in the rapid planting of the forest 
area of the estate with Chincliona — for the one object 
with private planters in those early days of Chinchoaa 
planting on the Nilgiris was to be first in the market 
with bark at whatever cost — bethought themselves of 
a plan which was ultimately adopted, bat which 
proved, as the sequel will show, vastly more disastrous 
to the proprietors than to the Government. The 
plan carried out consisted of first felling the whole of 
tho forest area of 500 acres, which was one con- 
tinuous block, cutting and stacking the stipul- 
ated numbers of cartloads of firewood while it 
was green, and then politely requesting the 
Government officials to have it removed at their ear- 
liest convenience. The Government were at that time 
engaged on the erection of the large pile of build- 
ings called the Lawrence Asylum at a great cost 
within a few miles of the estate, and requiring a largo 
amount of firewood for brick-burning purposes, &c, 
made the above arrangement, thinking the supply 
would be spread over a number of years, and that 
they could cart it away according to their requirements. 
They were therefore greatly inconvenienced oy this 
act on the part of the proprietors, which proved, 
after all, to be but a very short-sighted stroke of policy, 
The forest had been all cut for some time before 
I took charge, and the aftergrowth had already begun 
to make its appearance above the felled timber to a 
considerable extent, which I viewed with no little 
a'arm, well knowing the difficulties that were in store 
for mo. The primary objects iu all planting opera- 
tions in India or where the growth of vegetation is 
so rapid, is first to prepare a nursery of young plants; 
secondly, immediately the felled jungle has become 
dry enough to burn at ouce, theu pit and plant the 
whole area thus cleared during the first season 
if possible; and all planters of any experience will 
invariably put forth their most strenuous efforts to 
gain this end, for tho reasons that the ground can 
afterwards bo kept clear of weed- at a minimum of 
expenditure, whereas should any land be left implant- 
ed the undergrowth is sure to attain formidable 
dimensions before another planting season comes round, 
weeds also springing up and seeding, rendering sub- 
sequent cultivation a very serious matter as regards 
expenditure both of time and money. This will, in 
some measure, explain the situation in which I was 
placed in t iking over charge of the property. Instead 
of the ordinary routine of planting operations having 
been hitherto adopted, tho order of things had been 
exactly reversed, and I found myself face to face 
with 600 acre; of felled forest w'lvch had been cut 
sonic eighteen months before, with masses of green 
aftergrowth appearing all over the surface, including 
thousands of plants of the formidable Solatium femx, 
and many other species of tall growing and thorny 
plant- of the same order. With only oue small nur- 
MTi Id course of formation, and with a glass honso 
wi'h a limited number of p. is of i Iling Ohinchonas, 
ami no dwelling house save a rough building intended 
for a stable, I cannot, sav that I relished ;|„. appear 
■am "l things at all. However, 1 was now iu a 
good Ollni'te, a charming ami interesting loeility, with 
abundance of Rood labour and plenty of money nt 
OOmmandi so I went with a will to the work of 
aimiiltnnupiiarj constructing a bouse, rearing sonio 
WX1.0III (.codling Chinchona plants under glass, and 
forming largo outdoor nurseries. 
At the i one of which I »nt, tb, r,- were no private 
C'hmchoua plantations ou the Nilgiris, or if auy did 
exist they were yet in a state of embryo. The 
Government, under the superinteudentship of tho late 
Mr. W. G. Mclvor, were pressing forward the cul- 
livation and extension of their plantations on differ- 
ent parts of tho hills, and, as Mr. Mclvor was 
considered at that time to In; tie; only authority on 
Chinchona cultivation, his directions were very gener- 
ally followed by private individuals. Vory few of the 
trees ou the Government plantations had seeded till 
within a year of tho time I took charge of Deva 
Shola ; but at that time seeds of the Succirubra 
species could be had in abundance, and the plan 
adopted for raising thein was as follows: — The seeds 
wero sown in shallow pans containing sand and 
brick dust only, and were left uncovered and kept 
continually moist. After germinating, and when the 
plants were large enough to handle, they were 
pricked off into other pans filled with the same 
material. When the plants had attained a height of 
about 2 inches they were removed to the nurseries. 
As time went on it was found that richer soil in the 
pans had the effect of bringing the seedlings ou quicker, 
till eventually tho system of raising seedlings under 
glass was abandoned altogether, Dame Nature having 
pointed out in the most unmistakeable manner the 
easiest mode of propagation — viz., sowing in the nur- 
series thickly in beds without any covering of soil, but 
simply shading from the hot sun. The hint was 
taken iu the first place by some one finding on one 
of the Government plantation innumerable seedings 
springing up under the shade of the large seeding 
trees after the heavy rains had ceased. After this tens 
of thousands of young plants were annually collected 
from under the trees and transferred to nurseries, 
and large quantities of plants wero raised from seed 
in the nurseries in the manner described. — Planter. 
— Journal of Horticulture. 
♦ — 
VEGETABLE PllODUCTS IN KEUNION. 
Cinchona. — An interesting account of the vegetable 
products of Reunion has recently been published in a 
Foreign Office Iteport, from which we gather the 
following noics. .Referring to Cinchona, we are re- 
minded that for some years past the plantations have 
absorbed considerable attention, and although they 
have hitherto assumed no very extensive development, 
the results obtained are satisfactory. The plantations 
are made in forests at a height of about -1000 feet. 
At this height there exist no high trees, but merely 
brushwood. Parallel alleys from 5 to 6 feet wide 
are made, and as far as practicable in spots sheltered 
from the winds. These alleys arc separated by a 
range of brushwood 11) feet thick ou each side, which 
serves to protect the young Cinchoua plants agaiust 
the violent winds so common in Reunion. The holes 
are made at a distance of 15 feet from each other, 
aud are 1 foot 8 inches in diameter, ami of tho 
same depth. The earth removed is mixed with somo 
prepared mould, in which the young Cinchona plant 
is placed. In soil thus prepared the young plant 
experiences no difficulty in its growth, but when it 
has attained a height of IS inches care must be 
taken to cut tho roots of the adjaceut brushwood 
which may have found their way into the spaco 
reserved for the Cinchonas. 
At tho end of seven or eight years the plants have 
attained a diameter of 3.J iuches, and are ready for 
harvesting ; this takes place iu October, when the 
bark is moro easily detached. The plants are cut 
about 2 inches from the ground, and the bark when 
removed is placed in the sun to dry. A lurgo 
number of young shoots soon spring from the old 
stump, which, when they have iu their turn attained 
a certain si/.e, it is necessary to lop off, leaving only 
sufficient for the stump to feel conveniently; they 
grow rapidly aud produce n erop of bark iu a period 
of six or eight years. In this way the cultivation of 
this produce when once planted can be continued 
almost indefinitely and at little expeJlSO. 
It is evident that the mems ompolved in Rciini' u 
for the cultivation of the Cinchona arc very practical 
and far more economical than iu Jftffl rulhorglj 
those plantations huvu been attempted but 0B in 
