Part VIII] Smythies : Afforestation of Ravine Lands 31 
for famine work, for several reasons. The main reason is that the work 
is done far more thoroughly by famine labour than we can possibly 
attempt to carry out departmentally, when the capital cost of creating 
plantations has continually to be borne in mind. The enormous mass 
of labour that has to be accommodated at famine time would result, if 
worked on ordinary lines, in preparing such an enormous area of new 
plantation that the subsequent sowing up and tending during the rains 
(when famine labour is no longer available) would be almost impossible. 
In fact the area worked is kept within workable limits by increasing 
the intensity and quality of the work. Again the preliminary soil loosen¬ 
ing is normally done by ploughing in all flattish areas, and left undone 
on steep and precipitous slopes, but in famine time digging by hand 
labour is substituted and is done everywhere, both on flat ground and 
steep slopes. Finally the employment of numbers of old and feeble 
folk and young children, and various miscellaneous expenses not usually 
incurred (e.g., establishment (5 per cent.), mates (5 per cent.) water 
supply and well digging (5 percent.), etc., add quite 20 per cent, to the 
cost of the work. 
The cost per acre varies considerably with the locality, especially 
with the degree of steepness of the slopes. A calculation was made 
for an acre of fairly steep ravine land, and worked out as follows :— 
Cost of soil preparation of 1 acre. 
Nature of work. 
Units 
Class of 
labour. 
OF WORK. 
No. of 
units. 
Cost of 
1 unit, 
annas. 
Approxi¬ 
mate 
cost 
per acre. 
Annas. 
Remarks. 
(1) Digging 
B 
500 
2 i 
1,250 
(2) Ridging 
C 
150 
2 
D or G ; 
150 
u 
500 
(3) Bandhing 
B 
25 to 50 
2 \ 
C 
50 to 100 
2 
D 
50 to 70 
H 
250 to 300 
Bandhing very 
C 
25 to 50 
variable. 
(4) Miscellaneous. (20 
add 10 per 
400 to 450 
For miscellaneous 
per cent, of above 
cent, of 
works add 19 per 
cost). 
above 
cent, to No. of 
work units and 
20 per cent, to 
total cost. 
Total cost . 
B 
GOO 
C 
250 
2,400 
D 
200 
to 
G 
100 
2,650 
[ 247 ] 
