October i, 1890,] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
of our forests. Only in two or three Provinces has a 
commencement been made at present. In Uva E3,010 
Was realised for the right of collecting gall-nuts 
(Tenninalia chehula), R17 for the right to quarry 
limestone, and E81'68 for the sale of mana grass grow- 
ing on the Crown patanas. Certain planters have 
thought fit to object to paying for this grass, but 
considering that some of their members remove from 
two thousand to five thousand bundles (head-loads) 
per mensem, and are only asked to pay the very 
small fee of E3\50 half-yearly, and that they have 
no right of user whatever, there is no substantial 
ground for complaint. The Assistant Conservator, 
Sabaragamuwa, complains that although endeavours 
have been made to lease the collection of aralu nuts, 
these efforts had failed because the villagers have 
been accustomed to help themselves. This is another 
argument in favour of reserving forests without loss 
of time, and having the rights and privileges defined. 
In the Eastern Province the forest produce sold 
realised El, 252. 
As already mentioned the sale of minor forest pro- 
duce requires development. The right to tap inferior 
trees for resin, gums, gamboge, &c., might be leased 
out. The bark of ranawara (Cassia auriculata) is 
largely exported for tanning from the Hambantota 
district, and there are other trees which yield tanning 
material, such as the fruit of bulu and nelli, the 
leaves of dawa, and the bark of many trees, all of 
which should bring in revenue. Velan bark (Acacia 
leucophlosa), a large article of export, is freely taken 
from trees growing on Crown lands, the bark being 
stripped to the unnecessary damage of the trees. No 
royalty is of course paid, and the Treasury is a 
great loser. 
In the Northern Province E336‘80 was realised 
from the sale of green leaves from the commoner 
kinds of trees for manure for tobacco gardens. This 
is not a kind of practice which deserves much en- 
couragement. The ruthless destruction of palu trees 
for their fruit, the natives of the Northern Province 
being allowed to break off large branches in order to 
obtain the fruit more easily, still goes on unchecked 
in this Province. Mora trees in the Eastern Pro- 
vince and beraliya trees in the Southern Province 
suffer in the same way. By allowing the people to 
break off the branches, rain-water penetrates into 
the holes so formed ;and rot speedily sets up. Our fine 
palu trees in the Northern Province are threatened 
with extinction, if the practice be allowed many 
years longer. Another pernicious practice is that of 
felling trees for the sake of getting at honeycomb. As 
the procedure is quite unnecessary, there is no doubt 
that it should be stopped. 
Peek Grants and Eemoval Under Eights and 
Privileges. — Owing to our principal forests being 
situated in districts where there is littlle population 
the forests are not much burdened with rights, and 
where natives are allowed certain privileges, these 
must be regarded as concessions rather than as rights. 
Besides grants of timberfor purposes of public worship, 
public institutions, and so forth, by far the largest 
atnount of timber really given away consists of per- 
mits to cultivate chena. If the amount of timber 
given away annually in this way were calculated, the 
figures would bo startling. 
With reference to mana grass from the patanas, a 
fee of R2'50 per annum for, we presume, unlimited 
cutting does not seem unreasonable; and Govern- 
rnent, in replying to the Haputale Planters’ Asso- 
ciation on the subject, seemed to indicate that the 
object of the exaction was mainly to secure the 
continued rights of the Crown in the land. Should 
a factory or factories be established for con- 
verting the patana grasses into “ strawboard,” for 
the manufacture of tea chests and for other pur- 
poses, we can only repeat our belief that all pos- 
sible encouragement will be given to an enterprise 
calculated to utilize produce which now runs almost 
entirely to waste over hundreds of thousands of 
acres of our upland prairies. 
The gall-nuts produced by Tenninalia chebula, and 
the bark of the ranawara {Cassia auriculata), the 
latter a pretty yellow-blossomed shrub, are amongst 
the most highly valued substances used for tan- 
ning hides, an enterprise for which Madras is 
famous. This Cassia must not be confounded with 
the Acacias (popularly mimosas) so common in 
the jungles pf the arid regions of the north and 
east of the island, the marked characteristics of 
which are formidable thorns and beautifully colourd 
flowers of sweet odour. The bark of one of these. 
Acacia Icucophlma, is amongst the minor forest 
produce which Col. Clarke desires should contribute 
something to the publio revenue as well as to the profit 
of the persons who in stripping the bark, kill the 
trees. In this ease, but much more in the practice 
of breaking down the_ branches of the palu tree 
to secure the edible fruit, the natives exemplify the 
moral of the fable of the goose and the golden eggs 
Stringent rules, especially as regards the palu trees* 
can be defended on the ground of benevolent regard for 
the interests of the reckless natives themselves. 
On the whole the report indicates satisfactory 
progress ; — 
The transactions of this Department show a con- 
siderable increase in 1889 over those in 1888, the value 
of timber and other produce sold being E280 199, as 
against S173,820 ; while the value of stock in depot 
has increased by R83,796, being E244.264 as apainsf- 
E160,468 at the end of 1888. ’ ’ ® 
Details of stocks of timber and firewood in the depots 
of the various Provinces are given, and Ool. Clarke 
observes ; — 
TT • IV -V, „„„„ rrovince— 
Uva is tne stock less than in the previous year due 
in this ease to increased sales involving the emptying 
of the depot more quickly than it could be replenished 
By adding the value of the stock in depOt to the value 
of sales for the two_ years respectively, it appears that 
the timber transactions amounted in 1888 to R.333 840 
E624 380, thus showing an increase of 
K190,531. As regards the actual sales, I shall now 
endeavour to show, so far as the very unsatisfactory 
returns permit, that there has been increased activity 
m sales of timber, firewood, charcoal, bamboos, and 
cane, ©nd minor forest produce. 
Then follow the details, with tho remark that the 
increase of firewood supplied by private forests is 
not taken into account, any more than “ Drift and 
waif wood and confiscated forest produce.” Ool 
Clarke then deals with returns of timber imports and 
exports supplied by the Customs Department ■— 
n,xcepring saxinwooa.it will be seen that the imports 
consist chiefly of timbers which have equally good re- 
presentatives in this island. Teak, the ch[ef import 
has now risen m price to such an extent that a consider- 
able savmg would be effected by substituting indigenous 
timbers for it. For ordinary railway oonsteuctiot bal- 
mfila, satin, milla, and palu would all be suitable, while 
for railway pannelling, halmilla, margosa, hulanhik 
paonaka, and many others would answer the purpose of 
teak. Flowered satin eannotbe excelled for pannelling 
Large quantities of teak from Burma, and “white 
cedar’’ from Cochin, are imported for oil-cask staves 
and Shooks, but experiments are now being conducted 
to find cheaper substitutes for such purposes. Hal- 
milla IS considered by oil-oaak makers as good, if not 
better than teak. The price offered to tL Depart- 
ment by the oiUmill proprietors for halmilla is^not 
however so high as those obtainable from Indian 
traders Timber traders in Burma and elsewherf ire 
constantly sending trial timbers, but up to the pre! 
sent, whether owing to brittleness, porosity, or to 
colouring matter, none have been accepted it is im 
perative that something should be done to prevent tZ’ 
trade passing out of the Island, and a circular was sen t 
on1d\ inquiring what wood^ 
would be likely to be suitable, and asking them to send 
enough timber of the species selected to make half a 
yet only_ doon has been submitted 
to trial, and a report on its merits is now awaited 
