cultivation.

"Rice (Oryza sativa of Linnæus) was supposed to come from Orissa, whence its name. The earliest menHistory of rice tion of rice is found in the tragedies of Sophocles. It is supposed to have been introduced for the first time into Europe by the Greeks of Alexandria. It was an article of commerce from India when the Roman empire was 'at its zenith. Its cultivation was first introduced into Spain in the eighth century and into Italy in the tenth, but it was not cultivated largely until the fifteenth century, when the excavation of 'canals commenced. In 1523, it is recorded that the town and Marquis of Saluzzo suppressed rice cultivation in their territories owing to a pestilence which depopulated the town and country. 'From this time the Government began to make laws regulating 'the distribution of water and the distance of rice-fields from habi'tations. In 1595, the Venetian Republic ordered the destruction ' of all rice-fields established after 1556, seeing that their previous 'injunctions to restrict the cultivation had been disregarded. The Spanish and Milanese Governments continually issued proclamations, regulating the distance of rice-fields from habitations, remarkable for the extraordinary number of penalties, always threatened, hardly ever enacted. One of the most important 'proclamations is that of Governor Gusman Ponce de Leon of 7th November, 1662, fixing the distances from the principal centres of population under penalty of fines and corporal punishment at the 'discretion of the Governor.

"In spite of these restrictions, rice cultivation extended, 'favoured by the introduction of productive varieties and improved 'methods and the excavation of canals, until the opening of the Cavour system doubled the cultivation in Piedmont."

In the matter of the processes of cultivation there is not much to say, for they differ but little from those practised in India; but the cultivators in Italy are careful to establish a good rotation and grow as alternate crops oats, wheat clover, and meadow grasses, leaving the land fallow occasionally. The disease called brusone which is a rust of the genus Pleospcra' often does considerable damage if there is irregular weather in summer, or where the soil is poor.

FORECAST OF THE WINTER RICE CROP.

The Note on the preliminary forecast of winter rice published by the Agricultural Department in Bengal gives the forecast of the crop as 13 annas, the average being 1 Rupee. And a similar result is expected from the bhadoi crops, except where locusts have done much damage, as they have done in Bhagulpore and the adjoining Districts.

IV.-TIMBER MARKET.

CHURCHILL AND SIM'S WOOD CIRCULAR.

EAST INDIA TEAK.-There has been a large consumption during September, though less than in the corresponding month last year, the figures being 1,551 loads, 2,040 loads and 345 loads for 1891, 1890, and 1889 respectively. For the first three quar ters of this year there have been delivered from the Docks 11,392 loads, against 12,926 loads and 11,252 loads in the same period of the two preceding years. Statistics of the Timber shipping, and for shipment, are very eloquent against the prospect of excessive supplies, and holders becoming aware of this, are firm in their quotations. Some floating cargoes have been sold at an improvement, and any increase in the demand would establish the market at a higher level,

SATINWOOD Logs continue to be asked for, and there is no stock; for planks and boards there is no demand.

ROSEWOOD.-East India. By some concessions in price important sales have been effected.

N.-W. PROVINCES TIMBER RATES.

Statement of average selling rates for timber and bamboos in Meerut, Cawnpore, Bulandshahr, Pilibhit, Barielly, and Moradabad for the

quarter ending 30th September, 1891.

V. NOTES, QUERIES AND EXTRACTS.

DR. H. NÖRDLINGER.

Dr. Hermann Nördlinger on retiring from his work as Professor at the University of Tübingen, has been decorated by the King of Wurtemberg with the order of the Crown. His name is familiar to our readers as the author, so to speak, of Nördlinger's sections of woods; but besides that, he has filled many posts, and has published many works, some in German, others in French. Among the latter are, Note on the forest trees of Brittany, Nantes, 1845; Essay on the geology of the country round GrandJouan; Sixty transverse sections of the most common forest trees, Nancy.

He also prepared a neat little box of 50 transverse sections of the more common Indian woods for the use of the students of the Dehra Dún Forest School, where it is on sale for Rs. 5.

TOURS OF THE COOPERS' HILL STUDENTS.

The forester students at Cooper's Hill paid a visit last July to some French forests in the neighbourhood of Bellême and Reno-Valdien. It seems that there were 14 English students and two natives of India, the latter studying for service "under one of the Maharatta princes near Bombay." They were accompanied in their tour by Dr. Schlich and Mr. Fisher, and they received a cordial welcome from the French Forest Officers whereever they went. We hope the next time the Cooper's Hill students visit French forests, one of them will send us an account of the tour, as it could not fail to be interesting to many of our readers

DESTRUCTION OF TIGERS IN THE SUNDERBUNS FORESTS.

A Resolution of the Government of Bengal which appears in the Calcutta Gazette of October 7th has increased the reward for the destruction of tigers in the great Delta forests from Rs. 25 and 15 respectively for full grown animals and cubs, to Rs. 50 aud 20. The new Rules provide as follows:

The skin and skull of each tiger, tigress, or tiger-cub killed should be taken either to a Ranger or Forester in the Suuderbuns by whom they should be retained until the arrival of a gazetted officer of the Sunderbuns Forest Department, and produced before him for inspection, or to the District Magistrate, or, during

the absence of the latter from head-quarters, to the officer in charge of the district office, for inspection. The authorized rewards should be paid after the inspecting officer is thoroughly satisfied that the skin is intact and attached naturally to the skull, and that the animal was killed in the Sunderbuns protected or reserved forests. He should also personally see that the skull is destroyed so that it cannot possibly be used again.

THE HEAD OF THE CEYLON FOREST DEPARTMENT.

We are given to understand that Government have at length come to terms with the present Deputy Conservator of Forests, Mr. A. F. Broun, with a view to securing his services permanently in the island. The exact terms of the agreement have not transpired, but Mr. Broun will shortly take entire control of the Department and will be entiled to pension as well. We are very pleased to hear this, because it is very important that this department should be placed in charge of a skilled and highly trained officer capable of working it up to be a real benefit to the community, and in course of time a source of income as well. Had Government allowed Mr. Broun to return to India, the Forest Department of Ceylon would have practically ceased to exist, and we congratulate Government on determining to take the wise step they have done.-Ceylon Times.

A BIG RAFT.

A raft containing upwards of three and a half millions of cubic feet of timber has been successfully towed by steam tugs from St. John, New Brunswick, to New York, and not a stick was lost during the voyage, which lasted sixteen days, the average rate of speed being two and a half miles per hour.

DESTRUCTION OF PRICKLY PEAR.

In Southern India the prickly-pear is largely used by the ryots for hedges, so much so that in many villages and even towns, the rapid extension of prickly-pear has become a crying evil with which it is impossible to deal adequately through the criminal law. The question of dealing with this mischievous and devastating growth and restraining it within reasonable bounds has long been engaging the attention of the authorities. Lately it was proposed by the Collector of Bellary to regard such cases in which prickly-pear spreads from a ryot's hedge over a neighbouring Government land as cases of " occupation by the ryot, and charge them accordingly. He said it was difficult to see how a man can occupy land more completely than by allowing his "property" (to wit, the prickly-pear of the hedge) to spread over it in such a way as to make it useless or worse than useless to others. To support this view it was urged that a man, who merely enclosed