8 RED SANDERS (Pterocarpus santalinus). 



sold for B75 or, in other words, at R30 per cubic foot. This post 

 was grown in the Kodur Red Sanders plantations and was 51 years 

 of age. The dimensions of a " Special " are 15 " to 18" in mean 

 girth and 10' to 12' long. This represents the measurement of the 

 heart-wood after removal of the bark and sap-wood. A tree capable 

 of yielding a " Special " post measures, as it stands in forests, from 

 3| ; to 4|' in girth at height of 4^ above the ground. In addition 

 to the required dimensions, a special post must be without defect 

 and must taper uniformly from base to top. A defective post which, 

 but for the defect, would be classified as a " Special " falls into 

 the first class. The figures in the margin show the average prices 

 of each class. The rates obtained, it will be observed, fall very 

 rapidly. The charcoal obtained from this tree is excellent and fuel 

 of the best quality is obtained from badly formed and diseased 

 trees. Small pieces of the heart- wood are carved by the Settigunta 

 doll-makers into dolls and idols which are in great demand among 

 pilgrims to Tirupati. The wood is also used for agricultural imple- 

 ments and the leaves for fodder. The very high prices paid for 

 " Special " posts are largely due to sentiment. 



11. The Dye. 



For dyeing cloth a decoction of the wood is prepared, into which 

 the cloth is dipped and the whole is then boiled. In this way, the 

 cloth is dyed a beautiful salmon pink colour. In Europe the dye- 

 stuff was employed by pharmaceutists as a colouring agent. It 

 has also been used for dyeing leather red, but was principally ap- 

 plied in wood-dyeing and calico-printing. From a report of 1881 

 by S. Liotard, it is seen that in the Bombay Presidency the wood 

 was cultivated in the Barsi Taluk to the extent of about 300 acres. 

 It was sown in September and the plants were allowed to grow 

 for 3 years when they were pulled up by the roots and the small 

 roots were cut off and dried in the sun and yielded the dye. The 

 cost of cultivation was about Rl^ per acre and the profit S3. About 

 600 maunds were annually thus produced at Barsi. Of this quan- 

 tity, about 30 maunds were absorbed locally and the rest forwarded 

 to Sholapur, Poona and Ahmadnagar. The value of Red Sanders 

 wood annually sold at Sholapur was reported by the District Officer 

 to be R50,000 and at Barsi R800. The price was from 3 annas 

 to 4 annas a seer. In the Ratnagiri District the tree was not culti- 

 vated. It grew in the woods and the dye-stuff was brought into 

 the town whence it was exported to Bombay. 



