286 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [October t, 1888. 
FORESTRY ON THE ANDAMANS. 
Mr. Carter's report on Forestry on the Andamans 
is said in the Government of India orders to be the 
first clearly written one received, enabling Govern- 
ment to follow the operations in the department. 
As the Forest Act has not yet been extended to 
these islands, strictly speaking there are no forest re- 
serves, but practically the whole area not actually 
cleared is reserved, and the forests are naturally 
protected from fires and gazing, while the habits of 
the aborigines, and the control exercised over the 
convicts, prevent forest offences. 
The chief attention of the forest officer is therefore 
directed to profitable exploitation chiefly of padouk 
(Pterocarpus indica), and to the reproduction of this 
species in the forests. 
Mr. Carter's remarks on this point deserve reproduc- 
tion, and are as follows : — 
" AH efforts to encourage natural reproduction would 
naturally be directed towards padouk, the most valuable 
species in the forest ; little experience has as yet been 
gained, and what is known offers little encouragement. 
Tbe padouk trees in the forest are of large size and 
great age, so that not less than one-half are hollow and 
useless. There is no gradation of age classe?, so far as 
padouk is concerned. The existing trees are probably 
300 years old and for the past three centuries no na- 
tural reproduction of padouk has taken place. Other 
species have taken possession of the blanks which have 
been caused by fallen trees. These species must have 
been for the greater part shade enduring trees previous- 
ly existing in the undergrowth and to a less extent 
seedlings of species with very rapid growth, which 
were able to get their crowns through the advance 
growth before it formed a canopy. Only in this way 
can the prevalence of such shade-avoiding trees as 
Bombax and Payanelia be accounted for, the shade-endur- 
ing advance growth has in many cases been Doispi/ros 
and Murroya exotica. The system of selection felling, 
without - special operations to encourage a desired 
species must result in a forest consisting of trees cap- 
able of enduring dense shade, interspersed with trees 
(not necessarily shade-enduring) of very rapid growth. 
To neither of these casses does padouk belong. It can- 
not endure dense shade, or it would be found among 
the undergrowth in the forest. The shade given by 
it is not dense, for in the young plantation ofprdouk, 
although its canopy is complete, the ground is covered 
with a growth of low grass. It is true that this grass 
is of a shade-enduring kind, but it is entirely absent 
from the adjacent plantation, in which teak is the 
principal species. Nor is padouk of rapid growth 
when very young. When five years old it is 
scarcely more than half the height of a teak 
tree of the same age, although it is very pro- 
bable that at the age of ten years and afterwards its 
growth would rival that of teak. The natural repro- 
duction of padouk, therefore, must entail a consider- 
able expenditure in clearing the ground to enable the 
seedlings to establish themselves, and in weeding out 
other species until the young padouk is out of danger, 
probably until the age of ten years." 
We read further on the report that the teak planted 
in 1883 at Goplakabang are as vigorous as any plant- 
ation in Hurmah, and the mixture with padouk will be 
favourable. Mr. Carter considers this plantation as the 
beau -ideal of what a teak plantation should be, and that 
there is probably nothing finer of its kind in India. 
Older teak plantations at Port Blair have not proved 
successful, but the plants were too far apart, sometimes 
at distances of 30 feet, and cattle were tethered under 
the tri •• s, which growing without any undergrowth, 
have naturally not developed straight boles. 
There can be doubt, as is remarked in the G jvernment 
review, that teak forests in the Andamans would pro- 
bably be the most valuable in the world, on account 
of the facility of transport, and we are glad to hear 
that extensions of these plantations are to be pushed 
on vigorously and also that valuable species of bamboos, 
Dendrocalamui Brandisi are being introduced. 
Inn ing the year, girdling was stopped, as there was 
a largo balutir ■ of girdled trees in the forest. 4,158 
trees yielding 7,173 logs, were felled, about one-third of 
which were padouk. 5,076 logs were delivered at forest 
depots, 3,375 to sale depots, at which the following 
were the principal transactions: — 
,! Two-thousand-three-hundred-and-eighty telegraph 
posts sold for R13.265-11-5, after deducting shipping 
charges and commission, being R5-9-0 per post, and 
R75-14-6. On those delivered by contractors at R3 per 
post, the net profit was K2-9-0 per post, or R38-6-6 per 
ton. Tweoty-five were lost in shipping and 100 rejections 
are lying in Calcutta, which will further reduce the 
net profit. 
" Sixty one padouk Squares sold in London, Hamburg, 
and Havre, the Loudon price being £13 per ton ; 
and after deducting chirgts, the net rate was H56 
12-4 per ton. 
" Six hundred and one padouk planks sold in Louden 
for £10 per ton, yielding after deduction of charges 
R72-10-6 per ton. Tbcse were delivered by contractors 
at R25 per ton, and the net profit was therefore 
R47-10-6 per ton. 
" Three-thonsand-four-hundred aud forty -one tea-boxes 
sold for R2.264-3-3, cr E43-14-0 per ton. These 
were of Toungbeing, Tuitmin, aud Simal." 
Mr. Carter has calculated that the cost of timber 
delivered at Por* Blair is R14-2 per ton, and at 
Shoal Bay R22-4 per ton. 
From the latter depot, timber has to be shipped 
to Europe, and we read as follows regarding the 
proposed shipments to London of padouk 
timber : — 
" Although it had been urged that a ship carrying 
600 to 700 tons of coal should be sent from England 
under contract to take a cargo of timber back, a ship 
carrying 1,700 tons of cial was sent without any 
arrangement as to the timber. Only 670 tons of 
timber were ready to be loaded and the master of 
the ship refused to take th-se on reasonable terms. 
No ship suitable to carry the timber could be obtained 
in Calcutta, and the agents are now arranging for a 
ship at home at a freight of £2 per ton. Another 
year will therefore elapse before it can be ascer- 
tained whether any considerable trade can be done 
iu padouk timber from tire Andamans." 
Mr. Carter's remarks regarding elephants will be 
useful where these auimals are used for dragging — 
"The number of elephants at . the commencement 
of the year was 27 in addition to one calf, and at its 
close 20 and one calf. Seven elephants (lied during 
the year. In December the custom of giving grain 
rations to the elephant; was resumed. For elephants 
working every day unless they are sick, grain rations 
are a necessity and not a luxury. Tbe outturn of 
timber is entirely dependent on the number of 
elephants available for dragging. The number now 
on hand are only just sufficient to drag the logs 
needed for local consumption and even to do this 
they are over-worked. If, therefore, it is found that 
an export trade in padouk can be done on a larger 
scale, more capital must be invested iu elephants or 
in a portable tramway. The latter is probably more 
advisable, for casuaiites among the elephants have 
been numerous during the past two years, and they are 
here peculiarly liable to a disease of the feet. Two 
of the present elephants have been thus incapacitated 
for work for six mouths, and it seems even dcubtful 
if they will recover." 
The surplus of the year's transactions was R5,580, 
besides a valuable cargo of timber being stored at 
Shoal Bay, and a surplus of R7,300 for timber works 
by district officers. 
Surely it might be found practicable to have one 
account for all the timber works iu the Andamans. — 
Indian Forester. 
"Coconut Refuse. — Coconut refuse is coming under 
uoticn for economic purposes as top dressing. Forestry 
experience iu India, shows that coc unit fibre answfi 
admirably in tha*; line. It stands heat and Ba *we 
almost as well as loam and has the advantage of free- 
dom from offensive odour. It decomposes very slowly, 
and at length becomes reduced to a fine mould H 
which the roots of trees take kindly, — Indian Aj rl - 
cidturist. 
