THE TROPICAL AQRICULTURfST. 
[t)ECEMBER I, 1891. 
up BO well, aud the Piuus excelsa Oisn be considered 
to be a failure. I believe, however, that a large pro- 
portion of the Films excelsa seed v^as worin-euteu. 
Teak seed vvus also received from the CdDservator 
of Forests, Pegu Circle, Burma, and from the Con- 
servator of Foreets, I'mvaucore. Ihe seed has been 
distributed in three Proviuoos. The Burma seed vsas 
however reported to be much weevil-eaten. 
We have made this long extract as of special 
interest to planters and others who may feel the 
necessity of planting up portions of their land 
with trees for timber and fui-1. At the higher 
altitudes the best exotics seem to be Acacia de. 
currens and A. melanoxylon, with Eucalyptus 
robusta, E, rostrata and E. globulus. Still more 
sucoesbful generally is the beautiful Orcvillea 
robusta. Cryptomeria japonica seems likely to be 
a success, but the Himalayan cedars and pines 
seem slow of growth, Esoellent for firewood are 
the casuarinas and frenelaa, both sending out a 
multitude of branches. The iluk grass noticed by 
Mr. Broun (the dreadful alang-alang of the Malay 
Peninsula aod Java) is not prevalent at high 
altitudes. There is nothing more annoying than 
the receipt of seed, either immature, or deprived 
of its vitality by long keeping ; and it will 
be observed that the forest department is no more 
exempt from such worries than are private planters. 
Pirns exelsis is the only tree mentioned of which 
we have had no personal experience. On the other 
hand Pinus sinensis promises to be a great ac- 
quisition at high altitudes. Many of the forest 
trees of China and Japan ought to succeed on our 
hilla. The connection of natives with the Govern 
ment plantations is scarcely what we should think 
would be satisfactory. They are supposed to cultivate 
tree plants for the Government while cropping the 
ground for themselves. The lion's share of attention 
is pretty certain to be devoted to the crops 
of grain and vegetables. 5'orest roads are much 
warned, and there is an " outcry " for houses for 
the offiaers, especially those who have families. 
Curiously enough the forest department of Ceylon 
is specially interested in " the northern arm " for 
the Colombo breakwater I 
The site of the Central depot in Colombo appears to be 
etill unsettled on account of the poisibility of eoustruc- 
tioii of a Northern arm of the Breakwater. For this 
reason ihe Government Ageut of the Western Province 
desires to ehifb the site to Beira, near the .Government 
Factory. The only drawback will be want of spice and 
the dietanoe from the Breakwater, an item of some 
importance as regards ebony, which hitherto could be 
shipped direct Irom its depot at the root of the Break- 
water. It is time that substantial buildiugs be built 
6omewhere,as the timber now lying in depot is exposed 
to many deteriorating inflaences. 
We are told that 
Two wire shoots, each 1,500 feet long, were purchased 
for the Central Province in connection with the firewood 
supply to tlie Kailway, and set up, one in the Kanuoya 
strap tellings and the other in the Kotagala reserve 
above Darawella. As regards the Nanuoya shoot, it 
was much neglected and the rollers were ruined owiug 
to want of oil and careless loading:- The small wire 
shoot in the flaputale forest is doing good work. 
The total value of timber and other forest produce 
should during the year amount to E371,215'03, 
against Ii337,ia0 84 during 1889 aud K1C9,810'80 in 1880. 
Of these li37l, 216 03, the value of produce sold to 
Public Uepactmente amounts to £238,98810, and of 
that bold to the general public to K132,^2t>.93, 
Mr, Broun in treating of supplies of sleepers for 
the railways states ; — 
1 am convinced that before long we shall have a 
coDbiueraDle demand tor palu and kumbuk sleepers. 
Kunibuk bridge planka have been proved to last 
ttn yearH, aud the objection to palu, viis., that it is 
likely to Hplit, has now beuu removed, for the Assistaati 
Q'QDaervBtor, ^oith-Weitein Province, tepoite tba,^ 
trees which had been girdled in 1889 aud felled in 
1890 showed no signs of cracking. Both trees are 
abuudant in the forests and grown tj a large size. 
"Large size" inadequately describes the kumbuk 
trees on the banks of rivers, especially in the 
North-Central Province. The word "enormous" 
alone can give an idea of some such trees, with 
immense oaves in their trunks and calculated by 
Mr. Henry Parker when dislodged by floods as 
striking against the Tekkam " (Giant's Tank 
anicut) with a weight of five tons. To the Tele- 
graph Department posts have been supplied of 
pandikaaa {Eugenia bracteata) and ranai. Who is 
the enterprising but apparently eooentrio engineer 
of the Uva Province who has been giving trouble 
to the Forest Department after the peculiar fashion 
thus detailed ? — 
In Uvo, where transport of heavy timber is exceed- 
ingly difficult owing to the hilly configuration 
of the country and to the distance of the toresta 
from the centres of uiilisalion, a good deil of un- 
necessary trouble was caused by the Provinical 
Engineer indenting for large pieces which he would 
alterwards saw up into smaller sizes in the saw mill 
be had erected in BaduUa. It is rather hard that 
the onus of justifying the existence of this turbine 
should fall to the Forest Dt^partment. The Assistant 
Conservator reports that one order was tor 390 pieces 
12 ft. by 7 in. by 6 in., which had to be transported 
29 miles over rough ground, and which were iniended 
to be sawn up in Badulla into half-inch reepers. On 
another occasion a representation was made to Gov- 
ernment to the effect; that no timber could be got 
from the Badulla depot. As a matter of fact the 
depot was always well stocked, and delay was due 
to the omission, on the part of the Provinical 
Engineer, to inform the Assistants Conservator of 
the order in which he would require different pieces 
of timber. That delay in construction of buildings is 
not always due to the action of the Forest Depart- 
ment, is proved in another instance which came 
under my own observation in the low-eouutry cf 
Uva. Free permits were given to the Public Works 
Department to fell timber for the construction of 
resthoase at different places between Koslanda and 
Tanamilwila. Large heaps o£ round timber can be 
seen lying at different places along the road, and 
they have been lying there so long tbat they are 
being utterly ruined by exposure and white ants. 
This will be further alluded to under the heading 
of " Free Grants of Forest Produce." 
About 400 tons per annum of ebony ara needed 
to supply the market, and it is to be supplied in 
the proportions of 300 tons from the North-Central 
Province and 100 from the Northern. We sup- 
posed from this that the forests of the Eastern 
Province have been denuded of their onoe rich 
stores of ebony ? It seems that dead halmilla 
timber, of which there is a large qqantity, ia 
usually sold to Indian traders, who bring in 
rice, and take back cargoes of timber, 
A very important function of the Forest Depart- 
ment is to supply fuel to Government establish- 
ments, especially the railway. It would be very 
interesting and useful, if a list were given of 
trees growing at high and low elevations, native 
and exotic, best suited to be grown for fuel 
purposes. Pending the publication of such a list 
the principle may be accepted, that the harder 
the wood is and the closer the texture , of the 
timber, the better will be its calorifio properties. 
Trees suitable for timber when grown to a large 
size make good firewood when coppiced, and 
planters have a right to look to the Forest De- 
partment for the result of the experience of its 
officers as to the trees which Dest bear re- 
peated ooppioing and yield, in the shape of 
coppice growth, the highest returns of service" 
ftble fuel, The iva, which Mr, Strong told us 
ma one ol the beet Um oi those wbicb 
