DeCuMDKR 1, 1891,1 
THE TROPICAL «jmtJDLTlini8T 
359 
were used aa fuel by the railway, la, like many 
otbera, too valuable ae a cabinet wood, when 
well grown, to be made into fiiel. Ita merita 
are that it ooppioee eo well and tbrowa 
up EO maay aboota, whleb, every three or four 
years, are available tor fuel. There is a 
species of kekuna (not that with the beautiful 
silvery leaves) which from the quantity of redo 
by which the timber is permeated, makes 8p''oiaUy 
good fuel, the resin mtkinq it objeotiona'de for 
timber purposes. Of the exotic plants, blue gum 
mikes very fair fuel and coppices freely, but bejiond 
all compare for fuel purpoaes are the oansuarinas. 
We have had no experience however, of their 
coppicing properties. The information furnished 
regarding fuel in'Mr. Broua’a report is as follows : — 
Duri.ig the year 87,88(1^ cubic yards were delivered 
to the Railway, against 78,285j[ oubio yards delivered 
in 1889, thus sUowiug an iooioa^e of 9,100| oubio yards. 
This is aorounted for by the exteneiou of the heasuie 
line to Alutgama. 
The proportion of Crown wood has during this year 
been niuoh greater than in 1889, the amount taken 
frum Crown forests being 30, 979J oubio yards as against 
10,064j cubic yards in 1889, while thu quantity or pri- 
vate wojd has somewhat iliinin'sbed, '■eing 58,407 cubic 
yards as against 63,321 cubic yards during the preoed- 
iag year. 
The pxoenditure oj this firewood bss amonnied to 
R118,914 38, or Rl '37 per oubio yard, and tlie revenue 
to 11131.070 60, leaving a .surplus of 1112, l.")0'12. If this 
surplus IS 10 1 ) 9 (Ousider 'd to represeut the royalty on 
the 30,979J tu' io ya'ds of Crown wood, this royalty 
wo Id bo of 39i cents per cubic yard, which is oertaiuly 
not a V( ry heavy profit. 
Figures arc then given which reduced the royalty to 
a little over 31.J cents per cubic yard. 
The surplus IS inoro than swallowed up by expen- 
diture on firewood plantations in tiro Central Proviuco 
and by expenditure on ^Riirveya, rVo., of forests set 
apart solely for the purpose of gii'ing an assured and 
steady supply of firewood to trie Railway. Before 
long the Railway Department will be able to draw 
all its supplies of firewood from Grown forests, and 
the private forests will bo able to satisfy tho demands 
of the general market in Colombo. 
A mm of R600 was placed at tho disposal of the 
Superintendent, Railway Fuel Supply, to make an 
experimental coppice in the forests near the 13J 
milepost. About fifteen acres of forest wore cleared 
and the stools cut flush with the ground. The stool 
shoots aro reported to be springing up freely except 
in one spot, whore tho lantana is giving some trouble. 
Tho cost of coppicing and of transport amounted to 
Rlll'.b7‘2. The yield has been somewhat meagre, only 
701 cubic yards, tho forest being of a poor quality. 
The portion taken over by the Rail vay Department 
by the end of the year, viz. 174 cubic yards, almost 
entirely second and third class firewood, yioldod 
a revenue of Rfa20’49, or R.1‘30 9*10 per cubic 
yard. At tho same rate of classification the 701 cubic 
yards will give a revenue of R',U7 ti0, i c., a not revenue 
of K417'88, crofR27 88 per acre. 
Sboulil the system of coppio'' prove to be fucce.vtlul 
iu theve forests, it will no doubt bo the best toadopt so 
as to obtain at small cost a coutinuous supply of fire- 
wood for tho Railway. 
Fuel Supply to other Depat tmeuts.—la Colombo, 3,071 
cubic yards 0 . fir.-wo al were sold to tho Trison Depsr.- 
ment, the Haib 'ur Works, tJovciinntnt F. ctory. 
Government Pi' t r, and i\I ts'er Altei.dint. In Uva, 
1,032 ciiliic jaitls of fir. wood nii.l 31 bush Is of charo'jal 
were sold for H;j,lflO. 
Fuel Supply to the l'nlilic.—\M JalTiia, 2,286 Ions cl 
dry firi'Wi o i w- re scl'l to the puhliu for Rll 482, I 
heir tint the Governinc'.t A^si.t, Northr.ru I’roviuDe, 
III vards tho end of iho ye»r toi k exoeptio i 10 this 
TUI tin li 0 , ilj.posing of firewood from tee Grown lorests, 
and that since then he has closed the firewood dopo . 
I iispeoh d the firewood depot and the f re-sts from 
which lUe firowood has heen brought to market, and 
Inyve been u solo to lee why the trrngemcnt in Free 
should he disturbe.d. The removal of top pisoes and 
dry timber Ivlng about the forosts. under pmner Bno»r- 
vision, is very beneficial to the forests, while, if pnr- 
oh'sers are let in under permits, there is every ch»nee 
of tVoir he^pinir themselves to whatever comes hands'; 
In TJva, 439 oubio vards of firewood and 1,410 bushels 
of chareosl were so'd for Rl.449. Mr. Moss is still the 
only officer of the D-snartmeut vrbo bng attcmptesl to 
make charcoal according to more ads’sec-d me’bods 
and tbe out'urn is otiM somewhst li' ht and ovsrbn'nf. 
The systen) of pnrohssers belnir allriwod to remove 
timber or firewood from the forest, is manifestly 
objectionable. The retarng from minor forest nro- 
duee, especially gallnuts in Uvn is inoreseiog. Pees 
are charged for animals allowed to grsga, and in Cev. 
Ion as in India, great care is requisHe to secure abun. 
dant grazing grounds for the owners of cattle, while 
duly nroteoting the property of tho public in 
fore.sts. Here as in India the native cultivators, 
when permitted, collect green leaves from the forcat 
as manure. Of course the forest soil is impoverished 
in proportion to tho quantity of vegetable matter 
removed; and in India the system of rah enlture 
has led to muoli discussion and onntrncersv, TTndor 
the heading “ Free Grants of Forest Produce," Mr. 
Broun writes 
The free grant of timber and other nroluee fer 
works of public utilitv is, where funds f ,r CT-ving 
them out are poare", highlv cernmeudsble. bn* there 
is no reason why exncuslve timber sbnuld he given 
sway when olhers less in demand would do jnetns 
well. An instance of this snrt is given by tho 
A«Bi«tsnt Oonaervatnr. Central Province, who s'ates 
that 16 satinwood and 8 milla trees were g’ant.cd, 
without his knowledge, for the constriiclion of aii 
ambalam at Elabor». Nor is it advioable to grant 
permits for in.lUcriminete oul'ing wh"n the timber 
18 afterwards allowed to rot on tho groiinil. I b.avn 
before raentinee.l the case of free permits being 
given to tbe Public Works D'par'ment for the 
construction of resthon-,- Knildines. It seems vorv 
strsnge that th,> Public Works D'oartmenli should 
not have he' 11 able to affor l to pay for this ti'uber, when 
the Provioeial E'lvireer managed to bri"g all the way 
from distant places like Tanamilwila. Teliila itc., 
Cananoro tile8,which cost about R76 landed in Coioiiiho 
or about RlOO brought to fiual destination, when 
Ruingloa capable of 'lasting for twenty years or so 
could have been obtained at a much clioapcr rato 
on tho spot. Tho Assiataut Consrt^-ator, North- 
Central Province, renorts that TTlnjjala Rate- 
niahatmaya has over worth of timber stored 
on Ins premises. His authoritvis apparentlv a verbal 
permission received from His Kxccllency Sir A. Gordon 
to fell as much satinwood and halmilla as ho requires. 
Tt appears to be time to moderate 'the ardour of tho 
Katemahatmaya. 
We Phonld think so. The frietion between offiflers 
of the P. W. D and Forest Depsrtnipnts, ^ow bo 
severe, will, we suppose, abste with the raellowinj? 
influences of time. It seems clear that if the 
Forest Department is to he held responsihle for 
the pood eoudition of (he Government Forests 
and the oonaorvation of their products aR PuppHes 
of timber, fuel, <fec.. should be furnished tbrnnpk 
its oifloors and depots. It is pa^isfaetory *0 lesrn 
than in ISOO 
For tho first time since the orpanisatinn of tlio Po- 
partuient, the revenue credited in the Treasury has 
exceeded the expenditure. 'I’ho net Miirphis to tho 
Department amounts to wJiiie dnrins< 
the deficit amounted to i*2 and in 18H8 to 
K1G,‘)77*20. 
Out of RM0.014 to*al reo-ipts. fuel for M r railway 
iviolded Rl-Sl.f'TO. nn amount which ig l to 
increase materially, year by year, as the rnilway 
system extends, unless moTero s-*I“>v*e thn 
world in respect to a oheap and good artificial 
fuel. After giving figures, Mr. Broun states that 
