Part III] 
Rama Rao : Notes on Sandal. 
137 
Germination and Growth of Sandal Seedling^s. 
By RAO SAHIB M. RAMA RAO, 
Conservator of Forests, Travancore. 
INTRODUCTION. 
In the Nallamalai hill range of the Kurnool District, sandal occurs 
naturally in small patches over a limited area south of the Krishna river 
and about 0 miles north of the Mantralakanama road, extending on the 
west to Pedda-Cheruvu and on the east to the Chinna-Arutla-Peddaehama 
path passing Thummalabailu. That it should have confined itself to this 
comparatively small area when there is anv amount of land to the east, 
west and south of this locality apparently suitable for its growth on the 
Nallamalais is rather curious. Could it be that the introduction of the 
tree was compai’atively recent and that it has spread from the few old 
trees which are growing in the famous Sreesailum Temple enclosure ? 
This conjecture is not improbable, for the existence of sandal on this 
plateau was first brought to official notice in 1864 by the late Mr. Sheffield, 
who then found no trees over 4 inches in diameter. When the writer 
inspected this sandal area in Pebruarv 1907, he found no ti’ees exceeding 
I inches in diameter. An investigation into the origin of sandal here 
would be interesting and perhaps not altogether unprofitable. Sandal is 
also found in some of the gardens at Cumbum, in a few private compounds 
at Kurnool and up the canal from the latter place as far as its junction 
with the Tungabhadra river at Siinlcesula. It is said to occur also on the 
\ erramalai plateau between Betamcherla and !Malkapuram, and at and 
around Rangapuram, along a nulla near TTyyalavada village of Cumbuiti 
Taluk, and also near a village about .5 miles west of Nandikotkur town. 
2. With a view to introduce this most valuable species into the central 
Nallamalais where it is believed that natural conditions favourable 
to its growth exist, some experiments on a small scale were undertaken to 
study the best method of propagating it. The following is a brief record 
of the results of these experiments. 
B 
