‘TTI-IE 
Vol. X. COLOMBO, OCTOBER isx, 1890. |No. 4 - 
THE FUEL QUESTION IN CEYLON. 
LTHOUGH matters are not in 
the oritioal position which 
Mr. Berry White in his left- 
handed benevolence toward 
Ceylon represented (“ the wish 
being father to the thought”), 
and although the tea enter 
prise is not likely to fail because there is “ not a stick 
of firewood left,” yet the fuel problem is undoubt- 
edly a serious one, from the fact that so large 
a proportion of the tea estates were formed 
on the sites of coffee estates, whence nearly 
every trace of timber had disappeared. If the 
heavy demands of the railway are included, we 
can easily believe in the correctness of the 
estimate, although it was questioned by our 
good friend, Mr. A. H. Thomas, that the produce 
of 100 acres of forest per annum would be 
required to supply the demands of the one 
district of Dimbula. That is with reference to 
the present consumption : but be it remembered, thaj 
while the demand for tea furnaces increases with 
the increasing yield of tea, there will soon be a 
large additional requisition on the Government reserve 
forests for railway purposes, when trains begin to 
run from Nanuoya across “ Summit Level ” to 
Uva. One of the speakers at the Nuwara Eliya 
meeting evidently understood by the felling of 100 
acres of forest for fuel that a clean sweep would 
be made of the standing trees, large and small, 
young and old, on the space indicated, and he 
contemplated the passing of the cleared Government 
forest into private hands by sale. No wilder iuea 
could be entertained, and that apart from the 
rule, prohibiting sales of forest land at an 
altitude exceeding 6,000 feet. The authority 
who estimated the extent of felling required un- 
doubtedly meant the equivalent in firewood of 100 
acres of Government forest, as dealt with on proper 
scientific principles, such as have been adopted 
in the treatment of the forest above Nanu- 
oya, on the right hand of the road to Nuwara 
Eliya. It is only the mature, old and damaged 
trees which have, in the blocks dealt with, 
been cleared and converted into timber and firewood, 
while the younger and healthier trees and ihe 
saplings have been spared. In the spaces thus 
partially cleared of trees and thoroughly cleared from 
nilu and other undergrowth, fast growing Australian 
trees, such as gums, acacias and, we suppose, casuari- 
nas, are to be planted, with reference to future sup- 
plies. It is not probable that any portions of the 
Government forest reserves will be alienated, unless 
indeed some enterprising capitalist, able and willing 
to wait for deferred returns, came forward and 
offered to take land on the condition of at once 
planting it up with trees, calculated, when grown, to 
yield supplies of timber and especially fuel. We fear 
there are few in circumstances to face the risks of an 
enterprise which would probably pay in twenty 
or thirty years, in view of the demand which 
must increase for timber suitable for railway 
sleepers and other purpose 1 and for railway and 
tea estate fuel. The danger as regards the specula- 
tor would consist in what we all so earnestly 
desiderate for the benefit of the tea enterprise, 
the discovery of some cheap artificial fuel which 
would render unnecessary the present fearful waste 
of wood by combustion in furnaces and for the 
production of charcoal. When discussing this 
question some years ago, we noticed the fact that 
under the advice of their sagacious Visiting Agent, 
the proprietors of the group of tea estates known 
as K A W purchased forest sufficient to enable 
them to possess one-third forest for two-thirds 
cultivated land. We also quoted Mr. Rutherford’s 
strong recommendation that trees good for fuel 
should be planted on every tea plantation not 
possessed of forest reserves. We now add advice 
which we are carrying out in practice : that is, as 
the reserve forest connected with an estate is 
denuded of the natural growth, to supply the 
clearings with good fast growing fuel trees. On 
estates possessing no forest reserves and where 
supplies of fuel from outside are not readily ob- 
tainable, it might be wise to plant up pieces o( 
poor tea, the sides of streams (specially favourable for 
red gums), and exposed knolls. In calculating the 
amount of fuel available in 100 acres of forest in Dim- 
bula, the character of the greater proportion of the 
forest reserves must be taken into account. In those 
elevated woods tropical luxuriance of growth does 
not take the shape of large trees thickly planted 
over the surface. The sparseness of well-grown 
trees, and the rarity of forest monarchs (hollow- 
hearted monarchs too often when they do 
exist,) strike the explorer of those moun- 
tain forests, as well as frequency of open 
spaces in the heart of the woodland, down 
into which the sunlight streams. In some oases 
these retreats of elephants and deer in the 
