840 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [June r, 1888. 
HOW TO TREAT SHOLAS (PATCHES OF 
FOREST IN PATANAS). 
In an inspection note on the Nilgiris, Blr. Gamble> 
Conservator of Forests, Northern Circle, throws out 
some suggestions in regard to the treatment of sholas 
in that district. Referring to the Dodabetba reserve 
he says that it contains 1,015 acres, of which about 
two-thirds is sholas and one Ihird grass laud, at an 
elevation of from 7,500 feet to 3,600 feet above the 
level of the sea. During the last year or two the 
Woodcock sholas have been cut for the Public Works 
Department fuel supply, and the results show that 
the growth from coppice is a great deal slower than 
it is at lower elevation*, and that the reproduction 
from seed is not so good. [The Nilgiri sholas are 
in 11° North against 6^° around Nuwara Eliya and 
Horton Plains, the wind on the region around Oota- 
camund being often fearful and the frost some- 
times intense. Our mountain climate in this island 
is altogether milder. — Ed.] He therefore recommends 
the following system of working which would tend to 
improve the forests; (1) that the whole be gone over 
by degrees and cleared of creepers, low bushes and 
straggling shrubs and dead wood ; (2) that one or 
two years after the above a cutting be made on what 
is technically known as the Jardiuage system by selec- 
tion of the largest and oldest trees ; and (3) that 
blanks be filled up by degrees by planting partly in- 
digenous trees partly conifers. In regard to (1) the 
work will be done, as the similar works in Ooonoor 
range, and the wood will be removed under permit 
by the cutters of head-load fuel. If 100 acres yearly 
can be gone over so much the better, and it will be 
completed in about ten years, the cutting (2) may 
be arranged by felling 1£ tree per acre yearly over 
the whole, when the plan may be modified if it does 
not answer expectations. This will give, say, 1,000 
trees annually. Instead, however, of cutting indis- 
criminately, Mr. Gamble advises that the forest be 
divided into ten compartments of about 100 acres 
each, and the compartments be gone over in ten 
years, cutting 1,000 trees in each compartment in 
rotation, that compartment being then closed against 
grazing for five years, so that there will be always 
one-half of the area open to cattle. By the term 
"Jardinage," which we have mentioned above,' is 
understood the removal " here and there of the 
oldest trees, such, as are in a state of decay, spoilt 
or dried, and other trees in a good state of growth 
but which are demanded for purposes of trade or 
for local consumption. On this method of work- 
ing a forest, which has generally been applied to 
resinous trees, the principle is never to remove 
more than very few trees at the same point, and 
to extend the Jardinage as much as possible over, 
the whole forest. It results from thi-> method of work- 
ing that the forest presents at all points trees of all ages 
mixed together in confusion, from the young seedling 
to the old veteran, and that the trees which are biggest 
and highest interfere with those which are beneath their 
crowns and retard their growth. Moreover, since the 
trees are not close together they branch greatly." 
Mr. Gamble's note having been, in the first place, sitib- 
mitted to the Board of Revenue, they are of opinion that 
t'ae advice of the Conservator on this point is professional, 
and as it would, if carried out, amount to the felling of 
all the largest and oldest shola trees over an area of more 
than 1000 acres in the vicinity of Ootacamund, and 
their gradual replacement by planting indigenous trees 
and conifers, they do not approve the recommendation, 
while tho removal of all creepers, low bushes, and strag- 
gling Rhrubs, they think, may have an important effect 
on the power of the shola to retain moisture in the soil, 
and should, they think, be closely watched. Mr. J. H. 
Garstin, a member of the Board, dissenting from the 
views of his colleagues, points out that there is a 
slight misconception of the effect of Mr. Gamble's 
proposals. He says, that if any work at all is to be 
done in the sholas the method of Jardiuage should 
be adopted to prevent any sensible alteration in the 
appearance of the shola. The result of felling a tree 
Acre and there is not to cause a blank in the sholas 
for there are always some undergrowth which spread 
out their branches aod ultimately refill the cover, 
but it refers to spots notcovered by tr>-c s at present. 
Mr. Gamble, therefore, proposed to plant up the 
blanks and not to plant up where old trees had 
bien cutdown. As regards the cutting up of creepers, 
low bushes, and straggling shrubs, the effect of this 
operation will be only to make the sholas more dense, 
as young seedl ngs of the larger trees will hare a 
better chance of growth. Iu conclusion, Mr. Garstin 
adds : If my presumptiou is correct, th*t the 
object aimed at by the recommendation of the Board 
is to preserve this characteristic appearance of certain 
sholas for scenic effect, I would submit that this object 
woul I be attained by an order that sholas within a 
certain radius should be treated only on the Jardinage 
principle, and that, too, very sparingly ; and that the 
trees to be felled should always be marked by the 
District Forest-Officer and not by subordinates. Out- 
side the radius the treatment of sholas may be left, 
if possible, unfettered by restrictions. 
The matter having been referred to the local Govern- 
ment the following Resolution has been issued : — The 
Government fully share the misgivings evidently enter- 
tained by the Board of Revenue in regard to the 
effects of the action proposed in Mr. Gamble's note. 
The Cairn Hill and Aramby sholas have been inspected 
by the members of Government, and the fellings 
there appear, from the ornamental point of view, 
to have been anything but a success. The further 
destruction of these and other fine pieces of woodland 
scenery is to be strongly deprecated, and his Excellency 
the Governor in Council is therefore pleased to direct 
that no natural shola in the settlements of Ootaca- 
mund, Coonoor, Wellington, or Kotagiri shall be treated 
on the "coppiced under standards" or "Jardinage" 
systems without the previous and special sanction of 
Government. The clearing away within the limit speci- 
fied of creepers, under-growth and bushes, and the 
removal of dead-wood are unobjectionable and such work 
may be, carried out without reference ; but His Excel- 
lency in Council looks to the District Forest Officer 
and Collector to see that this is done in such a way as 
not to mar picturesque effect in prominent localities. 
The blanks in sholas should be filled up with indigenous 
trees or conifers, and never with acacias or blue gums. 
Outside the limits of the settlements there may be 
special sholas which should be dealt with in the same 
manner as those within. The Collector should be con- 
sulted with regard to these and a list of them drawn 
up. The Government are further of opinion that the 
treatment of sholas outside the settlements on the 
"coppice under standards" plan should be regarded as 
an experiment, and should uutil experience has shown 
it to be a success, be limited. The " Jardinage" system 
is one in regard to the working of which his Excellency 
in Council has no desire to fetter the discretion of the 
Conservator provided that operations are carried on 
outside the boundaries of the settlements,— Indian 
Agriculturist, March 31st. 
Cinchona at Darjeeling. — At the Government 
Cinchona Plantation at Darjeeling the work of 
substituting yellow and hybrid trees for red bark trees 
is being steadily carried out. The reason for the 
change is that the bark of the first-named two trees 
yields quinine, which is the most valuable of the 
cinchona alkaloids used for fever. Financially, the 
plantation was not as profitable as it has been in 
other years, although the balance to credit on the 
year's operations was R18,500. The cause of the 
difference was the unusual exports of bark from 
Ceylon, which were due to a special cause, aud may 
not occur again to interfere with the Indian industry. 
On the other hand, the year's crop, amounting to 
225,631 lb., was collected at less than half of the 
cost of the bark produced in the Nilgiri plantaton 
of the Madras Government. The year 1886-87 was 
memorable for the number of landslips in Darjeeling, 
by which no fewer than 300,000 cinchona trees 
were !hopelessly destroyed. That catastrophe followed 
on the loss of 20,000 promising trees through a 
hailstorm of unusual violepoe, — Bombay Gazette. 
