590 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March 1, 1904. 
BAMBOOS. 
The large hollow bamboo grows very well along 
almost all the streams in the hills ; it ordinarily attains 
a diameter of 3 to 4 inches, but la the Maifar 
valley it reaches 5> 6, and even 7 inches diameter, 
and these are often used for milk pails. The large 
bamboo is not at present very much in demand, 
firstly, because tbe cost of extraction and transport 
precludes the sale from being laree in the existing 
state of communications; and secondly, owing to 
the length of time required for transport it is diffi- 
colt to get them into the best markets in a gveen 
state, the condition in which they are most readily 
sold. On the hills, away from streams, the bamboos 
are mostly of the hollow kind, but seldom more 
than U to 2 inches in diameter ; the solid bamboo 
is however also found iu fairly large quantities. 
There is a considerable demand for both the smaller 
hollow and the solid- bamboo ; but here again the 
difficulties of extraction prohibit a very large sale, 
and a great deal of the district supply is met from 
the Salem district. Bamboos are extremely abundant 
in almost all parts of the forests ; they appear to 
form an intermediate condition of the forests under 
the influence of forest fires. Where there are no 
fires, the high forests oust the bamboo, a condition 
seldom met with ; where the fires have made con- 
siderable openings iu the forest growth, aud the 
soil, after having been coked, is rendered shallow, 
the bamboos abound ; finally when the fires have 
orearted havoc among the bamboos, they die out, 
and their place is first of all taken by rank grasa 
and then by dwarf dates, with a certain amount 
of Zizyphus, Phyllanthu?", Glochidion, and a tew 
other stunted trees. Bamboos do not grow on the 
steepest slopes from tbe Talamalai and Gatialatnr 
plateau to the plains, but wherever the gradient 
becomes gentler and a certain sufficiency of soil exist 
they abound. 
MINOR FOREST PRODUCE. 
The chief items of minor forest produce in the 
division are myrobalans, beeswax, vembadam bark 
(Venlilago)|avaram bark f Cassia auriculata), deer horns 
tamarind, gum, honey, soapnuts, leekoy (Acacia 
concinna). Until three or four years ago these were all 
leased out to contractors, but it gave room for frauds, 
especially in connection with sandalwood, which was 
illicitly taken, so that the produce had to be collected 
departmentally, with the exception of avaram baik — 
an essentially ultra-reserve produce. It has been 
found that the collection of all except tamarind, 
gam, honey and soapnuts by departmental agency is 
financially more profitable; those excepted are liable 
to go bad, or at all events, the cost of collection, 
clearing, storing, &c, is not paid iov by the value 
realised. Tamarind ia again leased out, and the 
other items are not collected. Myrabolans form a 
very important item, the value realised from these 
alone amounting to from Bs. 15,000 to Bs. 20.000 an- 
nually, and owing to the large number of young 
trees now coming into bearing, tbe realizations are 
likel? to increase. Hitherto it has been difScult 
to oneck removals from the forests, as the coUeciing 
agents were in the habit of bringing down the produce 
to the RauRe headguartera depot unpacked, and it 
was there only that the removals were accounted 
or ; bat it is more than probable that a great deal 
Of the removals did not find their way to the depots 
(tt all. Now the forests have been divided, aa far as 
It is possible to define them without cut lines 
into blocks ; and a certain place within each block 
has been selected for the forest depot. To this 
place the collecting agents, — mostly Sholagars, Irnlas 
AnA sneh hill nlen,-^briug the produce, nnd there 
it is sorted and paid for by special Supervisors 
recently appointed foi* the Work. The supervisors 
then pack it in gunnies or tins, each package con- 
taining an integral number of maunds, seal the 
uaokagca with a special seal provided to themt enter 
the details in the register with the depot number, 
mark?, weight, &c. on the package and forward it in 
this condition to the Range depots. The supervisor 
pays a heavy security, and is personally responsible 
for the classification of the produce, which is nerely 
stored in tbe headquarter depots until tbe time of 
sale, when the seals are broken by the Ringe officer 
in the presence of the supervisor. Any produce brought 
out from the forest in a Loose condition U therefore 
removed illicitly, and action can at once be taken. 
— Indian Forester, 
UGINDA NATIVE PRODUCE. 
CULTIVATION, PREPARATION ETC. 
By Mr. M. T. Dawb, Botanic Gardens, Entebbe 
In Uganda many natural vegetable products occur 
which, until quite recently have been practically un- 
touched by the native community ; and now that 
opportunities occur of working these products on a 
commercial scale, information as to the methods of 
procedure regarding their cultivation, preparation, 
etc., seems badly needed. Many things are now brought 
into the local markets which lack two things especially, 
viz., cleanliness and carefulness ia preparation. This 
is, in a great measure, due to inexperience and ign or 
ance, with result that the price the product fetches 
loc<lly is often below what it should be. This is not 
only detrimental and discouraging to the natives, but 
also largely affects the name and price of the produce 
in Eoglish and Continental markets, where it even- 
tually finds its way. To elucidate, take for example 
the native co^ee. It needs only a trial shipment of 
say a couple of tons of the coSee, as brought in by the 
natives in its ill-prepared state, to reach the London 
or Liverpool markets, to acquire a bad name, which 
it would probably take years to reprieve at a great 
cost. Now a little careful treatment in clearing ivhen 
picked would avert this, to the advantage of the 
natives, traders, and all concerned. It is therefore 
the object ander the above bead to deal more especi- 
ally with commercial products which are indigenous, 
and other products which may be grown and pre- 
pared by the natives, without the aid of expensive 
machinery. 
Fibres. — Uganda is naturally very rich in fibre-yield- 
ing plants, and a local textile industry should prove 
remunerative. Fibres of tbe Sinsevieraa (Bugogwa) 
and the Raphia palm Ekiso or 'Ekibo) have been 
valued ia the London market at from aboat £25 to 
£H per ton, and of both of these there is abundance. 
The Sansevieras are plants with long sword-shaped 
succulent leaves, and are found ia the forests in great 
profusion. There are several species, which have no 
distinctive names among the Baganda, apart from 
Bugogwa, but the large bioadleaved kinds yield the 
best fibre. 
This kind too is much rarer, but as the plantain 
garden is an ideal place for its culture, and these 
plants can easily be propagated by pieces of tbe 
leaves, there is no reason why it should not be thaa 
largely cultivji.ted by the natives with great advantage, 
It would take two and half to three years before 
they were fit for cutting if thus propagated, bat at 
the end of that time it would be possible to get two 
or three cuttings per annum, which wonla yield 
from an average Uganda plantain garden, aa • 
bye-crop, at least oue-third of a ton of fibre per 
year, which would be a manifiaent income for the 
ordinary Muganda. 
The fibre is prepared in two Ways. In method No, 
1 the succulent material is removed by means of Bi 
hard wooden knife, holding the knife iu tbe right hand 
and drawing each individual leaf through by the left) 
and repeating tbe process until all the sncculent 
matter is removed and the fibre only rsmains. This 
should then be Washed by a second person while still 
Wet, to avoid any of the green a aterial adheringi it 
i^then quite White and When dry is ready for th^ 
market. 
