Part VIII] Smythies : Afforestation of Ravine Lands 
o 
a fairly good crop of babul sufficiently dense and valuable to encourage 
a firm to take over tbe forest. 
In 1902 tbe area was leased for 50 years to Messrs. Cooper Allen 
of tbe North-West Tannery, Cawnpore, for tbe extraction of babul 
bark, on payment of R2 per acre and an annual rental of R1 per acre. 
By 1914 however, i.e ., in 12 years, tbe Firm bad practically worked out 
tbe whole area, and were glad to transfer their lease to Government 
for R2,500, who also took over tbe annual rental payment of R2,832 
to tbe zamindars. Tbe current lease ends in another 33 years. 
7. In 1904 tbe growing scarcity of babul bark for tanning led to 
tbe commencement of tbe Kalpi Plantation 
(Jalaun District), of which a brief history 
The Kalpi Plantation, 1904. 
may be given :— 
In 1902, tbe Ordnance Department asked for an enquiry into tbe 
possibibty of increasing tbe supply of babul bark to tbe Cawnpore 
tanneries. Mr. Hobart Hampden, I.F.S., submitted a report in August 
1902, as a result of which in 1904, Government acquired 820 acres 
of waste ravine land about 2 miles south of Kalpi on tbe Jumna 
river, and alongside tbe main Cawnpore-Jbansi railway. The plantation 
was first owned and looked after by tbe Ordnance Department, but 
after a few years they applied to tbe Forest Department to manage 
it for them, and it was put under tbe D. F. O., Jbansi Division, in 
1907 and under tbe Afforestation Division in 1913. In 1915 tbe 
Ordnance Department made a free present of it to tbe Forest 
Department. For tbe first 10 years, tbe results of working were 
disappointing as for various reasons tbe sowings of babul were not 
very successful. 
In 1904 seed was sown broadcast over 700 acres in ploughed lines 
and germinated well, but tbe Severe winter of 1904-05 killed all tbe 
young plants. In 1905 tbe area was resown, but again failed owing 
to drought, and drought again affected tbe sowings in 1907 and 1913. 
In tbe intermediate years, a certain amount of babul was successfully 
established. Tbe stock is described in tbe plantation journal as fol- 
follows :— 
“ Here and there are small well Stocked patches, but over large 
areas there are only scattered isolated young trees.” 
Failure to establish a complete crop is attributed to tbe following 
reasons:— 
(1) too large an area was taken in band at once. Tbe ploughing 
with country ploughs was too superficial and the sowing 
in some parts could not be made until too late after tbe 
break of tbe rains. 
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