JAN. — MAR. 1858.] 



168 



XI. Extract from Report on the Vegetable Products of the 

 Putney Hills. By Lieut. E. H. Beddome, Assistant Con- 

 servator of Forests. 



( Communicated by the Madras Government. J 



I have completed my tour in the Pulney range, and have thorough- 

 ly explored all the slopes and the forests on them. In many places, 

 there has at one time been a considerable quantity of Teak, and 

 Blackwood (Dalbergia latifolia, and D. sissoides,) also on the north- 

 ern slopes, Cungilium (Shorea robusta,) almost all the large trees of 

 these timbers have been long since felled, Teak and Blackwood 

 saplings are yearly springing up, these are felled, when their scant- 

 ling is about that of a man's arm, and used as posts, &c, the natives 

 prizing the Teak especially as they say, that the white ants will not 

 touch it. Whilst I was at Pulney, I saw ten young Teak saplings, 

 none of them perhaps thicker than my arm, brought in by the wood- 

 cutters, and sold to an overseer as posts for a shed that he was 

 building near the public bungalow, saplings that would have yielded 

 magnificent timber years hence. On the slopes near Pulney, and 

 between that place and Verupatchy, I observed a great quantity of 

 timber cut and being carted away, chiefly Vengay, {Pterocarpus mar- 

 sitphim,) and Veckalie (Conocarpus latijolius,) some logs of good 

 size. On the lower slopes in this direction, there is a scattering of 

 Teak. There is also Blackwood, of this tree I observed a great 

 many saplings, about the foot of the ghat which ascends to Cowa- 

 jee, and for some way up the rocky slopes, they are being felled, 

 however, by the wood cutters. I saw one large tree of this timber 

 being carted away from the jungles, though I did not succeed in 

 finding any trees of size, standing. 



Ascending to Poombary from Pulney there is a very extensive 

 alpine basin with high hills all round, in this, and the ravines and 

 valleys formed by the spurs to the West of it, below Ulloorankun- 

 vay, I found no Teak : the timber, particularly in the large basin, 

 has been much destroyed. 



Note. — Dr. Wight visited the Pulney Hills, his observations will be found in 

 this Journal, Vol, V. p. 280, (1837.) 



