Part IV.] Shebbeabe : Artificial Regeneration of Sal. 9 
in grass-land in Jalpaiguri by this means between 1896 and 1899 remains, 
in part, a perfect success and tbe failure of tbe other part appears to be 
due mainly to neglect and absence of incentive, for, at that time, the 
aim was to introduce sal where none existed and no anxiety was felt 
for natural reproduction in existing forests. Taungya plantations mostly 
of Tun (Cedrela spp.) and Lampati (Duabanga sonneratioides), were started 
in 1908 and the best of them are a great success. It was, however, Mr. 
Troup, after his visit to these forests in 1914, who first proposed taungya 
on a large scale as the only apparent means of regenerating sal and 
this, together with the success of the Cinchona Department’s forest plan¬ 
tations, led to the extensive adoption of the system in Northern Bengal. 
It may be of interest to note that teak taungyas were made in 
Chittagong as long ago as 1870 though the idea was abandoned and 
not re-started until 1912. 
4. The general method consists in clear-felling a piece of forest in the 
cold weather and, after the timber and firewood have been removed, 
allowing forest villagers to burn the debris and sow the area with their 
own crops among which the forest plants are grown. These, whether 
sown or planted, are generally put out six feet apart in the plains and 
somewhat closer in the hills either on “ thalis” (planting-holes one 
foot square and deep, filled up again with the loosened soil after stones 
and roots have been removed,) or in continuous lines in the case of sal. 
When possible each area is kept under crops for two or even three years, 
the forest plants being, as a rule, put in with the first crop in the plains 
and the second in the hills ; the Cinchona Department however put 
the plants in after the last field-crop has been reaped. In many cases 
a shortage of cultivators precludes more than one year’s cultivation 
and the faster-growing species sometimes completely close up so as to 
prevent a second crop being taken. The presence of forest plants does 
not interfere with the cultivation of the field-crops as, in any case, no 
plough can be used on account of the roots. The amount of attention 
required depends upon the species to some extent but more than 
anything on the quality of the cultivation round the plants. Sal may 
require weeding and forking two or three times in the first year, twice 
in the second and once or twice in the third, while a fast growing species 
often requires nothing more than frequent cutting out of superfluous 
stems. 
5. The field-crops most commonly grown in the plains are either a 
mixture of rains paddy, maize and cotton or maize alone followed by 
millet; the former being preferable from our point of view. Rape or 
buckwheat is sometimes sown at the end of the rains and several minor 
crops such as sesamum, chillies and various pulses are sown at the same 
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