, 1872-11-09
FORESTS AND RAINFALL IN INDIA.

- 49, ~ 80 A0AAASiOCO Nv SUlIs
climate, and the action of man. In India
the distribution Of moisture was one of the
most important elements. Explaining the
advantage of considering India as divided
into arid, dry, and wet districts by obser-
walton of the rainfall, he stated that in the
west corner OF India was what might be
called the arid tract, extending from the
coast of Clutch, and from Scindein tie South
to the Salt range in the north, and from the
hills OF Beloochistan in the west to the Ara
vaIll range in the east. The average rain
tall In this district was less than Is inches.
Throughout this arid part of India the
spontaneous arborescent vegetation was ex-
tremeIy scanty, although athiD sprinklIngo Of
low thorny scrub on the hills offered ample
and interesting employment to the b0tan-
ist. In this region the work Of the forester
was limited to those tracts which stretched
along the Indus aud its principal tributaries,
watered by the annual overflow ofthe river
during summer, or which could be other
wise irrigated. Thus in Scinde there were
on both sides Of the Indus river 1852, 900
acres Of Government forest maintained sole
ly by the overflow Of the river and by per-
collation.. The results of the DETECTION ola
river from it's course was that the forest
near the old bed frequently persisted. Out
side this arid tract there were two belts,
with a rainfall of between IS and 30 inch
es, which might be called the dry zones of
India. The spontaneous arbOrescent vpge-
tatlon was scanty, save In the moist lands
along the great rivers, but it was better
than In the arid tract. In the southern dry
zone, comprising part of the Ueccan, was
the country of the sandal wood, n small
tree which did not grow gregariousIy, and
did not form continuous forests. Here, too,
where the ancient irrigation works, tanks,
and gigantic stone dams across rivers, and
where water was thus supplied fields and
gardens were most Iuxuriant. In the rest
of India generally the rainfall exceeded 80
inches, but even in these moister parts of
the country the conditions for forest vegeta-
ton were not everywhere rs favourable in
India as in Europe. Really thriving for
ests were only found when the fall exceed
ed as inches, and luxuriant vegetation was
limited to those belts which had a much
higher rainfall. Within the moist regions
with a rainfall exceeding 60 inches lin one
place rising to $50 incheS) and in Eastern
India there was a great variety o fgood for
est. Of the De0dar forests Of the North
West Himalaya a small portion only fell
into this belt, the greater part lying in land
where the rainfall was less than 60 inches.
Between the dry and moist regions was a
vast tract of country with an annual rainfall
of more than 80, but less than SO inches,
comprising the greater portion of the upper
Gangetic plain, the whole Of Central India,
and the Western side ofthe peninsula. In
this part of india the main obstacle to a
luxuriant forest growth was, not so much
an insufficient supply Of moisture, as its
unequal distribution over the seasons Of the
year. The jungle fires were also most IA
tai to forest growth in these rigions of In
dia. The protection Of forest against this
sc0urge was not an easy matter, but thanks
to the energy of Colonel Pearson. fires had
been excluded from several forest districts
of the Central Provinces even since 1864,
and the improvement in their condition
was marvellous. Up to the present time,
however, many otherwise observant people
in India, and even officers connected with
the administration of the public forest, had
been of opinion that these fires were not
mischievous, and might in some. cases be
beneficial. The action Of man upon the
co~ock &c TAl:o Lol,0A;l .u:kb;o 4hof loeA TAr-