8 FIRST REPORT ON FOREST OPERATIONS 



14. Waindd and Heggadevincotta Teak. — The forests on the 

 borders of Mysore and Malabar are of great value, and stand 

 second in importance. I went through part of these forests in 

 company with Captain Pearse, superintendent of Astagram, 

 which are about forty miles long by thirty broad, and believe 

 that they will supply 2000 cart-loads annually (or, say 40,000 

 cubic feet of teak) without apparently injuring the resources of 

 the forest. There being no cultivation, and a very scanty popu- 

 lation, and the timber consequently not being required for local 

 purposes, I would strongly urge that this should be considered a 

 reserved forest. From the situation and natural slope of the 

 country, the timber must be carried eastward, and will be ex- 

 tremely valuable for military purposes in Bangalore. The new 

 barracks there are being built of teak, and it is probable that this 

 timber will come into use also to meet the increasing demand at 

 Utakamand. It is much to be regretted that no means of trans- 

 port exists by which the crooks and other naval timber found in 

 this tract can be conveyed to the .coast, where they would be ex- 

 tremely valuable. The expense of carriage by the usual route to. 

 Mysore and Manantoddy, and down the Peria Ghat to Tellicherry, 

 is altogether prohibitory. The average price of teak at the quar- 

 terly auctions held at Mysore has been almost exactly the same 

 as at Anamalai, about one rupee per cubic foot. I have expe- 

 rienced great difficulty in obtaining exact information as to the 

 extent, tenure, revenue, and productions of this forest, on account 

 of its being little' frequented, from the fear of wild animals. In 

 no place have I seen such abundant traces of elephants. How- 

 ever, the authorities at Astagram and Coorg, and the commissariat 

 officer at Hoonsoor, all drew my attention to the waste of teak 

 which occurs there, the timber being carted out in large quantities 

 by three roads under the plea of passes from two Devasthanams, 

 the limits of whose Enam land I have no means of ascertaining. 

 A particular survey, well-drawn lines of demarcation between 

 Mysore, Malabar, and Coorg, and an improved system of regula- 

 tions, are required for placing this forest on a proper footing, and 

 securing an uninterrupted supply of this valuable wood for the 

 future. I think this duty would be best performed by an officer 

 of energy and character, who would work well with the neio-h- 



