588 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[March !, 1904; 
from 6,000 feet ou the somh to 4,(100 on the north, with 
the Gnndila valley between thena. North of these 
conies the KoUsgal plain, about 1,800 feet, about 21 
milea east and west, by 12 miles north and south. The 
Chikkalur hills, about 3,000 feet, come north of this, 
the Karudhalli hills, about 3,000 feet east of it, and the 
Msddeswaranmalia hills about 3,500 rising to over 
4,000 feet east of the Eamdhalii hills. 
BHAVANI KANGE. 
The North and South Bargur and Tamarakarai re- 
eerves form a plateau of 3,6ii0 feet, deeply ii]terF,ected 
with ravines. The Palamalni reserve, as before stated, 
is an isolated range. 
COMMUNICATIONS. 
Two roads were constructed in byegone years by the 
D. P. W. through the whole of these hill.s. One from 
Kollegal via Lokanhalli, Bailus, Gedderala, Hassanur, 
Dimbham, and Bennari to Sattyamangalam. The 
second from Kollegal via Ramapuvam Girgagandi, 
Tattakarai, Bargur, Tamarakarai, Sellampalayam to 
Bhavani. The ghat portions of these roads were laid 
out at far too steep a gradient, some parts of the first 
being 1 in H, even at places where there are zigzags. 
The consequence is that they are constantly being 
washed away, and their surface becomes thus impass- 
able. These roads have been for some years taken 
'over by the Forest Department, which, from reasons 
given above, labours under great disadvantages with 
them. A forest road was constructed from Kollatur, 
north of 'X'alamalai reserve, just into the North Bargur 
hills, but does not extend into them. A bridle path 
was constructed from Dimhham to Talamalai (now 
nnder conversion into a rough cart track) ; aud another 
was constructed from the Kollegal road up the Gundila 
valley. With these exceptions there is not a single 
cart track of any description through the reserves ; 
and the footpaths mostly go from the hills into the 
deep ralleys and ravines below them. It must be re- 
marked that very frequently, within half a mile to a 
inile from their source, the streams often form valleys 
from 500 to 1,000 feet below their starting point. In 
these circumstances it may be readily understood that 
communications are practically nil, and that transport 
in the present circumstances is well nigh impossible. 
NATURE OP THE FORESTS. 
This division contains forests of a more hetero- 
geneous nature than I have ever come across in such a 
limited area, and the number of valuable species is 
very numerous. The species that has received the 
most attention is the sandal (Santalam album). 
Besides this, however, there are teak, blackwood, 
vengai (Pterocarpus marsupium), Shorea Talura 
(laccifera), Hardwickia binatn, Ougeina dalbergioides, 
Gmelina arborea, Stereospermum xylocarpum, Ter- 
minalia chebnla, Terminalia tomentosa, Eugenia 
Jambolana, Acrocarpus fraxinifolius, Cedrela Toona, 
Chickrassia tabularis, Melia dubia, Melia azadirachta 
(indica), Anogeissus latifoli», Chloroxylon Swietenia, 
Bassia longifolia, Bassia latifolia, Mimusops heman- 
dra, Mimusopa Elengi, Mimusops Eoxburghianus, 
Schrebera swietenioides, Stephegyne parviflora, Vitex 
altissima, Briedelia retusa, Cassia Fistula, Albizzia 
odoratissima, Albizzia pedicellate , Albizzia Lebbek, 
Acacia Sandra, Acacia leucophloea, Acacia huma, 
Acacia ferruginea, Schleichera trijuga, Grewia tilioe- 
folia. 
SANDAL. 
The sandal seems to be a species of paradoxes. It 
grows luxuriantly at Markampalayam at an elevation 
of 1,600 feet, and at Kotadai at an elevation of over 
4000. It grows on hard, dry soil between Yekkatur 
and Kadhatti, and on soft damp soil along perennial 
streams near Bailnr. It grows on red loam and ou 
black loam. It iippears to grow best, when young, 
undercover; when older, in the open. It is found 
uite in the open ; but it also occurs in some of the 
ensest thickets of Sculia, Zizyphus and bamboo. It 
pomes up fairly abundantly from seeds dropped by 
birds; but stubbornly rcfuseii to do so when sown by 
hunian beings. It is destroyed in large numbers by 
fires, but plants are found growing luxuriantly on fire 
lineF, which are burnt annually. It is eaten when 
young by cattle, but it appeal s to grow most abundantly 
in the vicinity of villages, and especially along 
tracks frequented by cattle. It ordinarily dies 
when the bark is stripped, and yet near Tala- 
kari there is a flanrishiiig young growth from 
suckers, where the back of the semi-subterranean 
stems has come oS from the portion above ground. It 
ordinarily is found on flit gronml and gentle slopes, 
but is also found ou steep gradients, provided, however, 
that in both cases there is suiHoient depth of soil. 
The area which it covers in this division (which is 
included not only in the reserves, but also in the 
cultiv*ted lands adjoining thfm) is worked depart- 
mentally, as the saudal has become the property of 
Government, and fojms a kind of broken T, of which 
the downstroks strikes northwards from Yekkatur 
(Sattyaraangalam) to Lokanahalli at the north end 
of the Bailur plateau (Kollegal), and the bar runs 
across from Palamalai on the west to Madan (east 
of Tamarakarai in the Birgur hills in Bhavani range). 
There are, however, some isolated patches in the 
Maddeswaranmalai reserve, and tlie steeper slopes 
within the T contain no sandal. The total area 
covered by the sandal in this division is rongbly 130 
square milea. It grows sometimes very gregariously; 
at other times much scattered. It is only within the 
last six or seven years that it has been worked in a 
systematii fashion. At present there are five working 
circle^', tentatively formed, two in Kollegal and one in 
each o( the other thiee ranges, called Bailur, Maddes- 
waranmalai, Talamalai, Gutialatur, aud Tamarakarai 
sandalwood working circles. Each of these work- 
ing circles is divided into ten coupes except 
Gutialatur where there are. 13, Each year ot;e 
of these coupes is taken in hand, aud all mature, 
dead or dying trees (sandal) are numbered and 
marked with tar, and the measurements entered 
in a register. Trees are considered to be mature when 
they have a girth measurement of 42 ipches ; and dying 
when they cannot be expected to live until another 
rotation. To assure sufficient reproduction, »11 the 
immature trees in the coupe are likewise cotinted, but 
not marked. To facilitate enumeration, the ground 
covered by a coupe is gone over and a plan made, 
showing all the natural features— paths, streams, &c., 
and the coupe is then divided temporarily into sub. 
coupes. Enumeration has to be done in the sub- 
coupes in proper succession, one sub-coupe being en- 
tirely completed and woiksd in systematic order before 
the next sub-coupe is taken up. The next year the 
fellings are done, aud this, too, is conducted in 
the same systematic order, taking each tree in its turn 
and each sub-coupe in its turn ; all roots over 2 inches 
diameter have also to be taken up, and it must be 
noted that reproductiou from suckers is beat from 
roots, so cut, left in the ground ander 2 inches in 
diameter ; when the Urger roots are taken up, seeds 
are dibbled into the holes so formed. Immediately 
after a tree is felled, it is cut up into suitable billets, 
each billet and root receiving the number of the tree 
and a subsidiary letter, and is then registered with its 
dimensions in a register. The billets are then first 
rongh-chipped, to take off the sapvvood, then fine- 
chipped and polished to bring them to a marketable 
state; but the billet number is alw.iys left on, or, if 
necessary to remove it, painted on afresh immediately 
after removal. Until recently the sandalwood was 
sold direct to Messrs. Pierce, Leslie & Co., who have 
secured a good name for Ooimbatore sandal, but as it 
wi'.s considered objectionable to give them a monopoly, 
they have now been appointed as agents to the depart- 
ment to ship thelmaterial to Europe, and selljit there on 
behalf of Government, receiving a commission on the 
proceeds. The outturn from the division annually 
amounts to about 8,0(10 to 10,000 mauads of 25 lbs., say 
100 to 120 tons of cleaned wood. The local value » 
about Ks. a per maaud cf 25 lbs, 
