162 Indian Forest Records. [Vol. II 
[iv) Retanfation and arrest of growth of sandal trees when their 
associates of other species are cut out. 
When Mr. Scott, the first discoverer of the root-parasitism of the 
sandalwood, cut out trees of two species of Heptapleurum growing 
in the vicinity of two sandal trees — apparently in two different spots 
in the Calcutta garden — he found the sandal trees became nearly 
destitute of leaves and were in altogether an unhealthy and wither- 
ing state. Subsequent!}", when the felled Heptapleurum produced 
stool shoots, the sandal trees began to revive and grow vigorously.^ 
In the Bylur Sandal Plantations of the Coimbatore District, 
which were started in 1870, “ weeding and pruning continued up to 
1889, in which year the thorny bushes were removed and burnt.” 
In 1891, the late Mr. Ehodes Morgan recorded his opinion “ that the 
sandalwood was a root-parasite and that the plantations were ex- 
cellent up to 1880” when the plantations were “cleaned” and 
“ pruned ” after which, owing to this injudicious operation, the 
plantations began to go back.® 
(r) A hsence of pure-grown sandal trees {isolated or in groups) in 
nature. 
In all the sandal tracts of the Salem and Kumool Districts, and 
round about Bangalore, I have not come across a single sandal tree 
growing by itself without other species whose roots were beyond the 
reach of its own. Whenever such trees are met with, evidences of 
other species having existed there but since removed are invariably 
found, and besides, they are generally stunted and sickly, with 
their leaves small and yellow and their crowns unhealthy. No 
writer on the subject has ever brought to notice the existence of 
sandal plants growing as a pure crop in nature, but on the other 
hand, all writers are agreed that they always occur in the company 
of other species. 
To the above may, perhaps, be added the evidence afforded bv 
an experiment made by me at Diguvametta in planting out pure- 
grown sandal seedlings about six months old amidst bushes of other 
species. A large number so planted died out gradually, even 
^ Sir Dietrich Brandis on “ Treatment of the Sandal Tree ” in Indian 
Forester, Volume XXIX, page 3. 
’ Mr. P. M. Lushington’s “ Notes on the Sandal Tree in Southern India.” 
