1 9
2 The Northern Talook of Yclusdvirasime—This talook projects itself into the Ifasgan
3 District of Mysore, of which it should apparently form a portion; being similar in its
4 physical features, soil and people, and very unlike the rest of Coorg. The soil ig less fer-
5 tile than that of the talooks in the interior or Wolanad. Rice 1s the main produce, but
6 rigi, tobacco, gram and oil grains are cultivated in small quantities. Almost the entire
7 length of its eastern frontier is well clothed with deciduous forest ; the chief trees being
8 dindiga, honne, arsentcka (Nauclea cordifolia) much matti and some second class teak.
9 Nandi and blackwood occur at intervals. In the open dry lands, and in the higher por-
10 tions of the forests sandalwood of good quality but of small size grows in some abun-
11 dance. Tho rottleria tinctoria is also not uncommon, and the dye (Kapila rang’) pro-
12 duced on this tree is farmed out annually. In the extreme north, there are but few
13 trees excepting in the pretty hanging woods and village forests near the rice plots and
14 terraces. ‘The chief town Kodlipéte (141 houses) is on the northern boundary ; the kasa-
15 ba town being Sanivdrasanté further south. These places are well supplied with fuel
16 and wood for all purposes, trom private lands and the forests already mentioned.
17 Nanjardjpatna.—-The next talook to the south is Nanjarajpatna, a large and irregu-
18 larly shaped talook stretching across the country from the ghits on the west to the
19 Kavéri on the east. Its climate and products necessarily vary greatly. On the west
20 are the dense forests already described (para 8): further eastis rugged country with
21 much broken forest difficult of access, In the centre is a fine deciduous forest, similar
22 to those in Yélusivirasime, but with little or no sandal. This valuable tree, however,
23 grows in great abundance and of good quality, throughout the eastern portions of the
24 talook, where the forest gradually ceases, and the country ischampaign. European coffee
25 planters ha,e taken up small patches of this talook, and with success as may be seen at
26 Alikatte. The coffee plant is also cultivated somewhat largely by natives, and the sago
27 palm is not unfrequently met with. Rice is howover, like the rest of Coorg, the chief
28 product, and in tho east, the cultivation of various dry grains prevails to a small extent.
29 The chief town Fraserpéte (326 houses,) and the head quarters of the talook is situated
30 on the Kavéri. It is well supplied with timber and wood for building purposes from
31 private lands, and from the forests of Lingapura in Mysore, from Anékadu and Attur, and
32 from a forest depét in the town. ‘There is also just now, no lack of fuel, for which there
33 is a great demand at the sadder distillery not far from the town. Somavarpéte, a large
34 trading village, (197 houses) is well supphed with wood of all sorts. Wuth the exception
35 of the officials there are no Coorg residents in these northern talooks.
36 Next comes Mercara talook in the centre of the land, and touching no foreign
37 territory at any point. Its chief cultivation is still rice, but scattered throughout it are
38 several coffeo plantations. A small part of the talook lies among the Western Ghats, where
39 the forests have been felled with an unsparing hand for coffee; but owing to several
40 causes, with very varying and sometimes unsatisfactory results. The talook possesses a
41 fair quantity of wood in small patches round coffee estates and in bane holdings, and scat-
42 tered among the hills. South of Mercara the country falls towards the Kiavéri, the basin
43 of which river is poorly wooded, excepting in the far east where lie the deciduous forests
44 of Dubire, similar in character to those described in the first part of para 8.
45 The chief town Mercara, (850 houses besides the Regimental lines), stands at an ele-
46 vation of 3,760 feet above the sea, on the summit of a hill surrounded by several others
47 almost all of which command it. The slopes of these hills have, practically speaking,
48 been totally denuded of wood. The timber for large buildings is drawn from Govern-
49 ment depots at Hunasiru, Fraserpéto and Tittimatti, and the carriage forms a heavy
50 item in the cost. Small building wood is also brought up the ghits from the Anékddu
51 and the adjoining forests, having heen felled on license, and private forests yield a small
52 supply. Fuel has also to be brought up. This necessary of life is certainly getting more
53 expensive of late, but, as compared with Mysore, the inhabitants of Mercara may con-
54 gratulate themselves. Up to tho last year or two, friendly coffee planters in the neigh-
55 bourhood allowed firewood to be removec from their estates, but now that the cofiee is
56 growing up, and hkely to be damaged by coolies ix search of wood, and as the greater