Oct. 1, 1901.] Supplement to the Tropical " AgricuUmist." 
291 
main feeder of the Daroju tank, with all its 
tributaries, had water running in them all through 
the year. The climate of the Drag during the 
monsoons and the cold weather vfas quite 
cold enough to make very necessary, al- 
though its elevation is not more than 3,300 feet 
al)ove the sen-level. The water supply was most 
abundant during the whole of the hot weather, 
and the tank was almost always full surplusing 
very largely during the South-west monsoon. 
These observation? refer to the yt'ars 1856 up 
to 1864 inclusive, when I left the Bellary district 
and did not visit the Drag again till January, 
1879, I found every thing changed, the jungle 
has been almost entirely destroyed ; the rainfall 
is most precarious, and certainly not so much 
as 24 inches iu the year ; the tank has not filled 
for the last three years, and is generally 10 or 12 
feet below full tank level, the springs are almost 
free, always dry, dribbling only at the best, 
the climate is so changed that in the cold water 
it is hardly necessary to shut the doors and 
windows, except for the high wind and slight 
mists of the South-west monsoon, it would not 
be necessary to close the house at all. The main 
feeder of the Daroju tank dries up altogether 
by the end of February, and all its tributaries 
have no water in them." 
Mr. Macartney, the Agent of the Sandar State 
in the Bellary district, Madras Presidency, also 
maintains that the rainfall within the last ten 
years has become lighter and more irregular with 
the increased destruction of forests by wood cut- 
ters and charcoal burners, and indiscriminate graz- 
ing of cattle, sheep and goats. Mr. Macartney 
epeaks from an experience extending over 22 
years, and supports his observation by the follow- 
ing facts : — 
" In the first decade of my residence here, the 
tank near my house used to be regularly filled every 
year and to be running over for several weeks 
at a time. Latterly, though it has accumulated 
an immense amount of silt, and is now conse- 
quently of diminished capacity, it rarely fills. 
The same remarks apply equally to the Ramandrag 
tank and to that of Sigankeni. 
The Rushikulya, a river in the Ganjam district, 
Madras Presidency, is formed by two main bran- 
ches. One of these coming from the well-wooded 
hills of Sadara and Pandakol, carries water for 
nine or ten months in the year, whereas the other, 
the Mahanadi, taking its rise iu the much more 
open country of Gumsar and Chokapad, is dry 
for nearly eight months. 
A difference of 10 per cent in the average rain- 
fall, combined with a more equal distribution, 
especially over the drier month, would suffice to 
bring about the historical changes already noted. 
Ebermayer's exhaustive experiments have 
shown that the mean annual temperature in a 
closed forest is 10 per cent less than in the open. 
In both cases the measurements were taken at 
6 feet from the ground. The difference is greatest 
in summer, and consequently to us iu India of 
much greater importance than to the inhabi- 
tants of more northern latitudes. 
That when a much greater part of India was 
covered with forests the climate of the country 
was on this account different seems equally in- 
disputable. Fa Hian, the great Chinese traveller 
iu India in the 4th century A.D. says, in 
describing the country, that its temperature was 
neither cold nor hot. 
This as already stated is corroborated by the ruins 
of an old civilization in many localities where this 
could not now exist without the large works of 
artificial irrigation. It may, I think, be assumed 
that the same state of things would re-establish 
itself if a considerable proportion of the country 
were again brought under dense forests which 
is physically possible ; but that this could, be 
effected tn the extent dosirable by any measures 
of the forest conservancy that any Govern- 
ment could under existing circumstances apply 
is out of the question. As this aim cannot 
therefore in practice be reached, the foregoing 
paragraphs might be branded as fanciful and use- 
less, but if it can be accepted that the climate of 
India would regain its pristine state by a complete 
afforestation of a large proportion of the country, 
every step in that direction must exercise a small 
advance (however immeasurable) in that direction, 
During the earlier period of the present admini?- 
tration shifting cultivation (kumti) was practised 
to a large extent in the central provinces, and 
several thousands of sugar mills were thereby Uid 
barren year after year. 
Early in the seventies this method of cultivation 
was stopped and extensive growth of young forests 
sprang upon its place. It is true the whole area 
is grazed over to a considerable extent and cannot 
therefore exercise that influeuce which would 
exert under more favourable conditions, but it 
would appear that the influence has nevertheless 
been beneficial. — \ Forestry in British India by B. 
Mibbenthorp.'] 
{To be concluded.) 
SOIL IMPROVEMENT. 
The Fruit Grower has some useful remarks on 
the above subject, and as they are such as 
cannot be brought too often before the mind 
of the cultivator, we are inclined to follow 
the example of our contemporary and dwell on 
the subject for the benefit of our readers. 
It is a common complaint that " land is not 
what it used to be," or " the soil has greatly 
deteriorated of late." Now the explanation of 
this very often is that it is not the soil that 
is at fault, but that its condition is bad. The 
importance of perfect conditions of soils is 
patent when we consider the needs of the seeds 
or plants whose growth it has to support. Seeds 
require aerated, warm and moist conditions, and 
the more perfect these conditions the greater 
success will attend their germination and deve- 
lopment. We often come across soils that are 
sodden during wet weather and caked during 
dry, but which nevertheless contain plenty of 
plant food, and it is the work of the cultivator to 
treat the soil so that the available plant food 
may be made fit for ready assimilation of the 
rootlets of plants and trees. 
