valley was well cultivated and contained several villages. The forests, owing to their remote position, had never been worked, but in a few places they showed traces of having been cleared for cultivation. Even in these areas, since felling had been prohibited, the sâl had again taken possession of the ground. Pearson wrote:

"There are here, in consequence, to be found an immense store of noble first-class sâl, as well as an abundance of trees of every age and size. The good forests may be said to extend over about fifteen miles in length, through all the lower portion of the valley below Janett on the slopes and plateaux facing the north, and on the opposite bank of the river over the last five miles. On the plateaux immediately above the river the trees have attained a very large size, but, generally speaking, they stand somewhat too thickly together, and would much improve if some of them were removed. But in order to effect this, and with a view to the sale of the wood, it will be necessary first to open a cart road up the lower portion of the Mondhal valley into the valley of the Ramgunga, and this will be a work of considerable expense, as the gorges become very narrow and precipitous on both sides near the mouth of the river. The work will therefore, in all probability, have to be done by a little at a time, as money can be spared for it; as the details of the working plan, which it is my intention to propose, will not necessitate the carrying on of operations for the removal of the large timber in this valley for a number of years to come. In this valley, however, I propose at once to go on with the regular survey, as it will be most important to have an accurate estimate of its contents in order that we may know what reserve stock of timber we have in hand for future years, and may husband our resources accordingly. It should be mentioned that there is a large amount of fine 'toon 'in the valley, which seems particularly well adapted to its growth.'

The forests of the Ramgunga and South Patli Dun were in a very different condition. Owing to their accessibility, in Pearson's words "they may all be said to have been felled in, even to desolation, by Captain Read, as well as by Mr. Finn and the native contractors who went before him." Owing to the old hollow trees having been left standing as worthless, thus serving as seed bearers, Pearson noted that "in most places they are now recovering themselves . . . and over most of the ground young timber of every size is to be seen rapidly

THE REMNANTS OF AN OLD SAL FOREST. THE TREES NOW STAND ON WASTE SAVANNAH LAND.
THE PATLI DUN, NORTH WEST PROVINCES. APRIL 1889

Photograph by Sir S. Eardley Wilmot

coming on." The exception was in the valley near the river, where the removal of all trees had resulted in the tall tiger grass preventing the seedlings from coming through. What these forests," says Pearson, "must have been in past ages is easily seen from the size and symmetry of the gigantic old trunks which have been left standing. At present the long grass gives cover to a number of wild elephants, but it is doubtful if the difficult nature of the ground would admit of their capture; and as they seem to confine themselves to regular tracts, it is not apparent that they do any great damage to the young sâl. The exclusion of cattle for the last five or six years has worked wonders, and it is to this point, and to the prevention of fire, that attention should principally be directed.

It has been said above that these forests have been worked to desolation, but perhaps even this does not give an adequate idea of the waste that has occurred, and the mischief that has been committed. Thousands of trees were felled which were never removed, nor was their removal possible; and a large revenue has been realised during the last few years by allowing passes to the people of the lower country to cut up and remove the dead timber on the payment of a royalty. There is also a very large export of bamboos from hence to the plains below. It may be added that in several places along the Ramgunga Valley there are fine patches of 'toon.'

The Patli Dun has lately been made accessible to carts by a good road, constructed by the Forest Department, through the lower range of hills near Kalagurh and leading into the Bijnour District. For facilitating the removal of the dead timber and minor forest produce, this road will be of the greatest use, and will add considerably to the revenue of the valley."

The Kumaun Forests.-Pearson divided these into the Kosillah River Forests, Kumaun Iron Company's grant, the Nindhore and Serrara Garinner ranges, forests of the outer ranges and the Bhabar and the Sardah Forests (Kuldoonga). The Kosillah Forests comprised a tract of about 400 square miles between the Ramgunga on the west and the Iron Company's grant on the east. A large portion of this area had been excessively worked by native contractors in previous years and by the Forest Department during the past three years. It nevertheless still contained a fair proportion of unworked forests: Doorgadeh, Timlipani, Koolbangadhera and Daudree.

Doorgadeb was the best of these, described as "a noble forest, all the trees being straight and well grown and of noble appearance, with clean bark and round, well-formed stems and free from undergrowth." A proportion of the trees here as elsewhere were unsound. Pearson estimated that from 8000 to 10,000 mature sound trees could be taken from these forests without over felling. About 9000 trees from the Bhoojaket and Seronlee Forests had been taken out by the Forest Department during the past three years, these forests being now closed. Pearson said that the selection of the trees for removal here had been very well done. That the forests had been improved by the removal of the old growing stock, and that when the time came to reopen these forests many more first-class trees would be ready for the axe. "In addition to the above," the Conservator wrote, "it is satisfactory to see some exceedingly fine and regular young forests springing up in this section. Among these, those of Amtoonolah and Chukur Nagul, east and west of the Doorgadeb plateau, are conspicuous; they are almost as regular in appearance as plantations, and contain trees up to 3 feet in girth and 50 to 60 feet in height. It is remarkable that the whole of the plateau on which these forests stand bears the mark of ancient cultivation, the trees springing up on the edge of the old fields. This is said to date from the time of the Chund dynasty, above a century ago, and one mature forest of trees has already been removed to make way for the forests which are now growing up. The young forests of Deolee Chour above Mohan are also in the best possible condition."

The lower forests nearer the plains were not in such good order and a mixed forest of other species had in some places supplemented the sâl. If fire could be kept out of these areas for the next few years Pearson had hopes that the sâl would get the upper hand again.

"Immediately above the cultivated lands of the Bhabar, west of Ramnuggur, the forests may be said to have been worked out, and as they are required as grazing grounds for the cattle of the Bhabar villages nothing more can be done except to protect the sâl from felling as a reserved tree. There is a block of mixed jungle about eight or nine square miles in extent in the plains beyond Dhela, seven miles west of Ramnuggur, in parts of which some fair young sâl trees may be seen; but as a whole, I have not much expectations from it in point