1849.] 



exercised by Trees on Climate. 



467 



of high and wooded hills ; there is, however, a difference iu the fea- 

 tures of Chittledroog or the northern division, and the Toomcoor or 

 southern division of this district ; there are very few large trees, and 

 but limited garden cultivation on the Chittledroog side, while trees 

 are numerous, and garden cultivation extensive on the Toomcoor 

 side ; — in the former locality, there are occasionally wet seasons, and 

 heavy falls of rain, but the quantity of rain generally falls far short 

 of the supply in the latter locality ; in the absence-of the data afforded 

 by the clearing of a forest or the extensive cutting down of trees, or 

 the restoration of such, it would be difficult to decide whether exten- 

 sive garden cultivation and planting of trees has originated iu, or pro- 

 duced, the more abundant supply of water; but I am inclined to 

 adopt the latter conclusion."' 



The above extracts show that the opinions of the superintendents, 

 and of the natives of this country, are in favor of the notion that the 

 presence of trees in a country tends to increase the quantity of rain» 

 One passage in the superintendent of Chittledroog's letter is worth, 

 notice, viz., that heavy falls of rain are frequent in the Chittledroog or 

 northern part of his district. In that part of the country are barren 

 ranges of granite hills, which, it is not unlikely, attract electric 

 clouds accompanied by torrents of rain. The heaviest falls of rain iu 

 Mysore are in October and November during the north-east monsoon, 

 and these showers are always accompanied by thunder and lightning. 



On the 4th of October, 1846, an extraordinary storm of this sort 

 broke over the hills to the north of Toomcoor, in the Chittledroog 

 district, 10 inches of rain fell in 4 hours, and burst the bunds of 

 nearly all the tanks over a range of 80 miles. The presence of trees 

 appears in some way to modify these sudden bursts of rain and to 

 equalize the falls, as similar thunder storms are common in the im- 

 mediate neighbourhood of Seringapatam, where rocks are abundant 

 and verdure scanty. The talooks in which most rain falls, apart 

 from the hill country, are exactly those in which are the largest 

 amount of jungle, Shemogah, Chennagherry, Terrikeriy, and again 

 down to the south in Heggadadavencottah and the talooks skirting the 

 Coora: jungles and hill country, and then inland following the line of 

 hills which runs from the Neilgherries and separates Mysore fiom 

 Coimbatoor. In the Bangalore division, or eastern district of My- 

 sore, the line of jungles from Severndroog to the Cauvery, including 

 VOL. XT. Ko. xxm. ^ 



