Mysore State: Flora
This article was written between 1907- 1909 when conditions were Readers will be able to edit existing articles and post new articles |
From Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1907 – 1909
Mysore State (Maisūr): 1909
Forests
The area of State forests, which are 'reserved' and are under a Conservator of Forests, was 2,094 square miles in 1904, besides about 1,400 square miles of Ghāt forests and kāns. The unreserved or District forests, which are under the revenue authorities, covered 612 square miles. The forests may be divided into evergreen and deciduous.
The evergreen forests are confined to the Western Ghāts and the country below them on the east, extending from the north of Sāgar to the south of Manjarābād, in a belt from 6 to 14 miles wide. On all sides may be seen magnificent trees with clear stems of 80 to 100 feet to the first branch. Poon-spar (Calophyllum tomentosum), ebony (Diospyros Ebetium), and wild jack (Artocarpus hirsuta) are some of the trees.
East of this is a mixed belt, from 10 to 45 miles wide, extending from the north of Sorab to the south of Gundalpet. It contains the finest timber-producing forests, and is bordered on the east with much sandal-wood. It also comprises the best areca-nut and cardamom gardens, and the coffee plantations of Koppa and Manjarābād. Its junction with the evergreen belt on the west is marked by splendid nandi
(Lagerstroemia lanceolata) and black-wood (Dalbergia latifolia). Teak, satin-wood, sissu, ironwood, and other trees abound in it, as [S. 217] well as bamboo. East again is the dry belt, covering the greater part of the State. Many of the trees found in the mixed belt recur here, but they are smaller, and the tree vegetation is generally inferior. Besides different kinds of Ficus, the mango, tamarind, and jāmun, the ippe (Bassia latifolia), and jack (Artocarpus integrifolia) grow well here.
Acacias, the wood-apple, bael-tree, and honge (Pongamia glabra) also thrive. The bastard date-palm (Phoenix sylvestris) grows in the western part, and the dwarf date-palm (Phoenix farinifera) in the centre and west.
There are twelve kinds of 'reserved' trees : sandal-wood (Santalum album), teak (Tectona grandis), poon (Calophyllum tomentosum), blackwood (Dalbergia latifolia), honne (Pterocarpus Marsupium), lac or jālāri (Vatica laccifera), nandi (Lagerstroemia lanceolata), wild jack or hesswa (Artocarpus hirsuta) kārāchi or kammar (Hardwickia binata), bili matti (Terminalia Arjuna), kari matti (Terminalia tomentosa), and ebony (Diospyros Ebenum).
The principal articles of minor forest produce are gall-nuts, tanning bark from tangadi (Cassia auriculata), and lac. Also soap-nuts, gum, honey, beeswax, &c.
Elephants are employed in dragging timber from inaccessible places, and logs are floated down the western streams and channels. Large-sized timber is sold at the regular timber depots, and small-sized timber at temporary depots opened in convenient places. Bamboos are cut by licence. Sandal-wood, which is a State monopoly and the principal item of forest revenue, is sold at the various sandalwood depots.
Fuel reserves are formed in the District forests, and by special plantations, often of casuarina. Local needs are also provided for by the formation of village forests. Grazing is permitted to a certain extent on a system of licences ; but in times of scarcity the State forests are thrown open where necessary.
Working-plans are being prepared for all the most important forests. Fire preventive measures have been extended over 1,823 square miles, of which 1,653 were successfully protected in 1903-4.
The forest revenue, expenditure, and surplus have been as follows
