994 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[May i, 1882. 
the ground tilled and kept open, the really injurious 
consequence of forest denudation on mountain sides 
—the rapid escape of the rain in the shape of floods 
— is reduced to a minimum. Of course, if estates are 
abmdoned and no tree9 have been planted on them, 
this objection would apply. Thore is fanaticism in 
Forestiy, as in everything else, and, if Mr. (? Dr.) 
Brandis, in the lecture, report of which we quote 
from a Madras paper, was deprecating the destruction 
of forest in a river valley for purposes of coffee or 
tea or cinchona culture, our sympathies do not go with 
him. We Ihink the Government of a country quite 
justified in preserving the forest on the tops and ridges 
of mountain systems. Such a course is beneficial even 
to cultivated lands at lower elevations on the sides of 
the mountains. We also believe in a rule, not for 
preserving the original forest on the sides of 
rivere — experience has proved that device to be 
of little use, as the isolated belts rapidly 
perish, besides being nests of weeds and vermin. 
But planters should be bound to plant up one or 
two chains on each side of considerable streams with 
fast growing trees, such as Australian gums or acacias. 
Such trees Government ought to supply for the pur- 
pose at moderate rates. With such precautions, the 
great, planting enterprise, so beneficial to the country, 
ought to be allowed to run its course. 
Hestriction of whatinlndiais called "joom" cultivation 
and in Ceylon chena (or, as the learned pundits will have 
it, herd) is far more called for, because, in this case, 
forest is absolutely destroyed for the sake of one or 
perhaps two poor crops. The limit of restriction 
should be where danger of famine might occur. But 
with the spread of railways, roads and canals, in 
India aud Ce3lon, there cannot be much danger in 
this direction. The question has, we know, been hotly 
debated, and the native side in the chena controversy 
warmly supported by good well-meaning Europeans. 
But here, as well as in regard to the wasteful and 
dangerous custom of setting fire to forest, grassee, 
Mr. Bi-andis's arguments of present convenience beiug 
postponed to future good comes into full force. We 
are, of course, talking of firing forest and grass in 
lands, which are still the property of the Govern, 
meut ; that is of the general community. If a man 
has purchased a piece of land outright, we suppose 
he may do what he likes with his own and indulge 
his taste for conflagration, so long as he does not 
so act as to endanger the property of bis neighbours 
or that of the public. Those who have not travelled 
in India, in the dry season and at night, can have 
but a faint idea of the brilliant lines of fires which 
light up the darkness and define the features of the 
hill and mountain ranges. On some mountain ranges, 
as in the Eastern Himalayas, below Darjeeling, the 
explosions of the air-filled large bamboos add the idea 
of battle to that of uncontrollable conflagration. Absol- 
utely to restrict or properly regulate such practices, so 
that forest reserves may be enabled to yield regular sup- 
plies of good timber, a Forestry Department is of great 
value; as alsoforthe purpose of growing and distrib- 
uting plants and encouraging their growth, wherever 
they dim be made to grow, as in the dry regious of Coim- 
batore and in the north and east of Ceylon. 
In Coimhatore, which lies extended below the Nil- 
giris, even the coconut palms are grown by irrig- 
ation, and up to a certain point, irrigation streams and 
tanks should be scenes of tree-growing there aud 
here. Although we do not believe that trees, grown 
with great difficulty in arid regious, can create rain, 
any more than tree denudation can lessen rain in 
hill regions— and while we hold that, over large re- 
gions, trees do not exist because there is no rain, in- 
stead of the popular notion that the absence of trees 
is the cause of the absence of rain — yet we most 
thoroughly believe in the beneficial influence of belts 
aud groves of trees in modifying and improving 
climate locally. Our heartiest good wishes, there- 
fore, go with the efforts of Foresters, free from 
the fanaticism to which we have alluded. Trees 
are so valuable as well as beautiful, that much 
enthusiasm is commendable in those whose object it is 
to preserve, improve or create forests and groves 
and avenues of trees. And by no means can the 
great object be better attained, where forests exist, 
than by the judicious removal of old trees, eo ad- 
mitting light and air and encouraging the growth of 
young and healthy saplings. But men of one idea 
oan do harm as well as good, and, if Mr. Brandis 
meant that he would not allow a tree to be cut in 
a mountain valley through which runs a large river, 
we certainly dissent from his views, and for the 
reasons already given. As far as the Ceylon plant- 
ing enterprize is concerned, it is probable, now, that 
one of the great benefits it will confer on the island 
will be the introduction and culture of exotic trees, 
faster growing, and yet quite as valuable as many of 
our indigenous forest trees. There are many hundreds 
of thousands of beautiful and valuable trees scattered 
over estates already, and we believe that an increase 
of the number would be good for estate owners 
and for the whole country. 
MR. BRANDIS ON THE FOREST QUESTION. 
(From the Madras papers.) 
Mr. Brandis, c I. e., Inspector-General of Forests 
with the Government of India, at present on depu- 
tation in this Presidency, delivered a short lecture 
on some aspects of the torest question at Coimbatore 
on Saturday last. Amongst tbe audience were Mr. 
Stuart, tbe Acting Collector, Major Campbell Walker 
Conservator of forests, Mr. Peel, Deputy Conser- 
vator, Mr, Wedderburn, Assistant Collector, Mahomed 
Ally Sahib, Sub- Assistant Conservator, a number of 
tbe judicial and revenue officials, aud most of the 
leading members of the native community. The Act- 
ing Collector, in introducing Mr. Brandis, drew atten- 
tion to the Governor's remarks ou his recent visit 
regarding famine, ;md tbe influence of forests on 
the climate, and supplies of fuel and fodder. Mr. 
Brandis had had gieat experience throughout India, 
and had kindly agreed to give them the benefit of 
his opinions, before leaving the district. Mr. Bran- 
dis said : — 
"I regret that my visit to Coimbatore has been 
very short, and, as I am leaving by the train this 
morning, my remarks mutt necessarily be brief. 
Coimbatore is a beautiful place, but it might be a 
desert. The climate is dry and hot ; bhe hills dry, 
rocky, and devoid of treeB. 1'he great beauty 
of Coimbatore is due to the fine stretcb of 
paddy cultivation, and the palm forests. I have 
