The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-03-15

IieIfeGant-GDverior.
How Burma Cares 70. It's FORESTS
i'ufiliS our conversation the subject
81 the forests came II and | told the
lieutenant governor that o11y a,tI,ori
ties that the present rafe
OF cutting our forests would All re
consumed within twenty years. The
governor replied tina the ndian En-
pre- was doing everything possible TO
preserve its forests, and that tI,ev
We're steadily growing ana increalny
IN area. When he came 10 Burma
the state reserves were less than $50
square miles. In 1890 they had in
creased III lower Burma alone 10 Al
most 5000 square miles, and the GOV
was then getting = revenue
OF about s.. 000 ,o00 a year from them.
IN upper Burma the reservations have
gr"Wn until the government forests OF
the whole province arc now more
than 10000 qua miles.
The woods are watched. It costs
something like a million dollars Der
annuIn to take care OF them, but their
gross income is almost three times
tnat amount. The receipts are increas-
ing steadily from year TO year. h
government has set aside some OF tbs
best tracts Of teak wood. and it is
planting teak seeds III suitable local.
ties where such WOOD is scarce. Ii
has also induced villagers living near
the state forests to set out plantations,
paying them 50 much for every hun
dred teak trees found alive at certain
intervals.
The teak forests are worked With a
view to saving the trees. Those pick
ed out Cor lumber are girdled, under
the direction Of the officials. They arc
then cut down by the natives at con
tract prices and dragged out by eIe-
plants and buffaloes. The timber IS
shipped to Bangoon or handalay and
sold periodically at auction. The for
ests are also leased TO the natives un-
der such terms that for a term OF
years they have the right TO take out
the girdled trees at q fixed royalty per
ton. Such parties use elephants, by
which they drag the trees to the
streams, where it is RATED down to
Rangoon. Under both systems the
forestry department sUperintends the
girdiing of the trees, and none but
those it selects may be cut. AS it is
now about one-tenth OF Burma IS i1
government forest reserve.
Bnrma's New Railways.
| asked Sir Herbert White 10 tal!
me something about 1.-THE railway
movements going on III the country.
He replied tina a NH Of roads
were In contemplation and projection,
saying that the day would come when
there Vould be one thrOugh railroad
line to China and another to Calcutta.
The building OF Il road to- connect
with the lines now being pushed
northward from Bangkok IS another
possibility, and al farther India viii
eventually be accessible from this
noint. Already more than 1900 miles
of line are open to traffic, and ore can
go almost to the Chinese frontier by
rail. There are trains leaving every
from to Mandalay. h
tourney takes eightee Hhours and from
there one may travel on to Katha.
and by river Bhano . n the edge OF
China. or he can 90 farthef noFth-
ward by rail to Myitkyina. on the up
per Irawaai. near the Chinese bound
airy.
Hharao is on the trade route to
China and a considerable traffic
passes through it. Surveys have been
made from Myitkyina through Yum
nan to Ch1nking on the the Yangtze.
This is the capital OF Szecheun n
is one of the most important cities OF
western China. II railroad. for the
building Of which the United States
has recently loaned millions Of dollars,
is to go there and the extension OF
the Burmese road viii bring this coun-
try into connection with the whole
Chinese railway system. The road VIII
go through Yunnan, one of the most
!, fertile provinces CT China 1t Will tap
the French line which IS building
westward toward Yunnan, and its
trade will be enormous. This road
will probably be England's great trade
( route to western China and YunDaTi
will then receive its British cotton
goods by way of Burma. When the
Burma and Chinese systems are con-
nected, one will be able to start here
: at and go to Paris or Berlin
by rail, and the trip will probably be
made in less than twenty-five days
How the Roads Are Constructed.
: The csc railways are ali Dar-
nTo0tiuua on Page SIStccu.)