110

FORESTRY.

It will be seen from the foregoing that, notwithstanding
the enormous mass of plants inhabiting Ceylon, only a small
proportion come into use, but at the same time. it must be
admitted that our knowledge of the medicinal and other
properties of the Island’s plants is by no means completely
known.
In 1885 an Ordinance was passed by the Legislative
Council of Ceylon known as the Forest Ordinance, and with
its introduction forest administration in the country practically
 took a regular systematic form. Previous to the date
of this enactment a vast amount of valuable timber was
exported from the Island in the form of ebony, satinwood,
Trincomalee wood. and ironwood, beside manv other species.

ELEPHANT AT WORK.

_ From 1862 to 1831 445,450 cwt. of ebony were exported,
of which China took 184,345 cwt., India 44,455 cwt., Europe
and America 216,650 cwt.
The total declared value of this mass of one purely ornamental
 wood amounted to Rs. 2,066,482. Of satinwood, for
the same period (1862 to 1881) the declared value of the export
amounted to Rs. 397,661, of which Europe and America
did not take so large a proportion as in the case of ebony.
In Trincomalee wood timber to the value of Rs. 318,388
was taken out of the country, while in ironwood and other