M ISC EL LA NE O US NO TES. 
815 
The interest of the specimen lies in the fact, I believe, that it is the seeoml 
specimen of the species on record and the first male specimen. The female spec!, 
men through which the species is known is 7'ecorded from Vellore and is in tl e 
British Museum (vide J. B. N. H. S., Vol. IX, p. 452). The present specimen 
is in the Indian Museum. 
I may state that I am confirmed in my identification by Dr. Gravel}' of the 
Madras Museum. 
Department of Zoology, S. G. MAXAVALAIIAMANUJAM. 
Madras Christian College, 
2<dth July 1921. 
No. XXI.— A CASE OF PLANT SURGERY. 
There is an old gigantic Baobab tree (Adansmia digiiata) probably more 
than 300 years old, since the offenders sentenced to death at the time of 
Alii Adilshah, were executed on this tree (Bijapur Gazetteer,); fo> 
which reason the tree is still known as “ The Execution Tree 
The tree has a very thick stem with a girth of 49 ft. at 3 ft., 50 ft. at 6 ft., and 
58 ft. at 10 ft. from the ground. The largest measurement of Adansonia digitata, 
as stated by W. B. Bannerman from Madras in 1904, is 48’-2".* The tree di\ddes 
into 3 huge branches at about 10 ft. from the ground. The whole tree covers an 
area, of 10 gunthas. Thus it presents a huge appearance in the compound and 
attracts the notice of every passer-by. 
Being old, this tree was naturally attacked badly by rot and the main 
trunk near the base, where there was a hole, and the whole of the heart of tree 
had disappeared. 
Being afraid of losing the tree, Jlr. Elliot, the District Judge, first applied to 
the Private Secretary to His Excellency the Governor of Bombay for steps to 
be taken to rejuvenate the tree. The correspondence was forwarded by the 
Director ol Agriculture, Bombay Presidency, Poona, to the Economic Botanist 
to the Government of Bombay, Poona, and I was deputed for the work. 
Being encouraged by the successful results of similar work done on Casuarina 
and other trees in the Ganeshkind Botanical Gardens, Kirkee, I went there and 
observed the tree. In the base, a hollow was found of the dimensions of 15 
feet by 17 ft. It was conical in shape. The following operations were made 
during the first week of September 1920. The hollow was filled in with rubble 
and mud and concreted over. The affected parts were first cut out and it was 
found that the rot was due to the grubs of a large beetle. Hundreds of these 
grubs were cut out of the tree. As soon as the woimd edges were cut dowm 
to sound wood, the wound was tari-ed over and then filled in \rith concrete. 
All other parts which showed signs of attack or suscejitibility to it, within a short 
time were tarred over and any spot where water was likely to lodge was 
filled in with concrete. 
The District Judge was pleased to remark in his letter, dated the 10th Feb- 
ruary 1921, addressed to the wiiter as follows: — 
“ The result has been a most workman-like job and the tree this year, though 
a famine year, at once reacted by producing a far finer foliage than was noticeable 
the year before. The whole job has been satisfactorily done and attracted 
a large crowd who had never seen such a surgical operation on a tree before.” 
* Journal, Bombay Natural History Society, Vol. XV, p. 718, 
31 
