"I must not forget the bamboo, which is found all over India, and even
12,000 feet up the mountains. Of course you know all about it, for the
slender stem is carried to all Europe and America. As you look at it you
observe that it has the same structure as some of the grasses, the same
joints and cells. It is not sugar-cane, but at some seasons a sweet juice
flows from the joints, which is here called Indian honey. I have no doubt
my young friends have used the bamboo when they went fishing; and the most
expensive fly-rods are made from its material, as well as canes, and scores
of other useful articles.
"The original forests which once covered hills and plains have been
recklessly cut away; and long ago this source of wealth was driven back
into the mountains, to the vast injury of the climate and the water supply
for the nourishment of the arable lands of the Country. But the British
government has taken hold of this matter since the middle of the present
century, and has made considerable progress towards the restoration of the
forests. Not less than 100,000 square miles of land are now under
supervision to this end.
"India is a vast territory; but it is estimated that not more than
one-third of it is under cultivation, or used for pasturage. Doubtless
there is much more of it available; but a considerable of it consists of
steep mountain-sides, of deserts, and the beds and overflow of the rivers.
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