— 62 — 
number of manufacturers producing santalol-capsules seems to increase 
continually. 
With regard to this year's auctions of wood, we have received the 
following official programme: 
District 
Koti 
Date of auctions 
Quantities 
Shimoo^a 
o 
Tirthahalli 
1 6^^ Nov. 
1903 
125 tons 
Sa2:ar 
jj 
100 „ 
yy 
Shimoga 
525 . 
Kadur 
Tarikere 
26th „ 
yy 
Chikmagalur 
j> 
200 „ 
Hassan 
Hassan 
Dec. 
5> 
200 „ 
Bangalore 
Bangalore 
^th 
j> 
84 „ 
Mysore 
Seringapatam 
J? 
200 „ 
J) 
Hunsur 
I4tb „ 
yy 
„ 
Total 2084 tons 
The "spike"- disease which has broken out among the sandalwood 
trees in some districts of East India, and to which we referred in our 
two last Reports^), has spread further, and continues to draw the 
serious attention of all interested parties, — in the first place the 
Indian Government. The latter has recently published a third report 2) 
from the pen of the Government botanist Dr. Butler, which in the 
main agrees with the earlier work by McCarthy and Barber. The 
detailed microscopical examination of all tissues, from the leaves to 
the root, showed an extraordinary overloading of the parenchymal 
tissues with starch. The leaves, which during the attack become stiff 
and sharp (the first symptom of infection), become decidedly thicker 
in consequence of the overloading of the mesophyl-cells with starch. 
The stomata increase considerably in number in comparison to healthy 
leaves of equal surface. In the trunk an irregular formation of the 
vascular tissues was only observed in trees which had reached an ad- 
vanced state of the disease. The roots, with the exception of their 
extremities, are healthy, — a fact also observed by Barber. In con- 
sequence of the excessive assimilating action of the tree, no blossoms 
are produced, and instead of these the typical stiff -bristled leaves develop. 
A satisfactory explanation of this strange hypertrophy could not be given; 
in Butler's opinion it is probably due to the presence of a poison 
in the sap. The disease does not appear to be of a parasitic or 
bacterial origin. Butler recommends as preventive measures, the im- 
mediate cutting down of all infected trees, if healthy trees are near; 
and further, in working up the wood, the immediate and complete 
1) Report October 1902, 77; April 1903, 70. 
^) Indian Forester 29 (1903), Appendix to No. 4. 
