INTRODUCTORY. 15 



to diversify the nearly dead-level cotton soil flat. The southern half 

 contains the Raya Drug mass, the Kailasa and the Dharmapuri peaks, 

 and numerous other less important hills, and around and among them 

 are considerable red soil spreads. 



The tract of Mysore territory running up north between the Raya 

 Drug and Kudligi taluqs is very hilly, except in its north-eastern part* 

 which is just an extension of the great cotton soil plain of the Hag- 

 gari valley forming the northern half of the Raya Drug taluq. 



Kudligi taluq is very hilly in its eastern and central part, and is 



mainly occupied by sandy pale red soils. Cotton 

 Kudligi Taluq. 



soil spreads are not very common nor very ex- 

 tensive. They lie chiefly in the western part of the taluq, near the 

 valley of the Chikka Haggari. The hills in the north-eastern part 

 of the taluq have not been entirely denuded of their forest covering, 

 and energetic measures are being taken to retrieve the mischief done 

 by decades of neglect. Except where covered with thick lateritic 

 crusts, the hills are capable of supporting forest of good quality. The 

 valleys between the granitic hills are generally characterised by the 

 presence of fine trees, if any at all are allowed to grow. Tamarind 

 trees and banyans, of great size and beauty, are frequently seen, and 

 very frequently also stumps and roots of similar old trees of yet 

 greater size still remain, 1 showing that they were formerly much 

 more plentiful than now. Very many of the streams flow between 

 strong thickets of wild date which help greatly to make the stream 

 perennial. The date trees flourish exceedingly when not tapped 

 for toddy and in unfrequented parts of the country spread readily, 

 and have, where they grow thick, a most beneficial tendency in 

 stopping the injurious action of flood waters. They grow luxuri- 

 antly on poor sandy soil, so long as they get sufficient moisture to 

 start them. The exceeding luxuriance of their growth in this part 



1 About a mile east of Kudligi town stands one of the large and finest specimens 

 of the true banyan (ficus indica) I have ever seen. It is an incomparably finer, loftier, 

 and larger tree than the famous specimen in the Hovvrah Botanical Gardens, and in size 

 and thickness of top second only to the noble tree at Melur, in Madura district, the 

 finest of its kind as far as I know. 



( 15 ) 



