Page:Madras District Gazetteers - Anantapur.pdf/31

chintarlapalli, Maddulacheruvu and Sivapuram (hamlet of Kénéti- ndyanipdlaiyam) in Dharmavaram; and at Nutimadugu, Palavenkata- puram (hamlet of Santékondapuram) and Manirévu and its hamlet Obalapuram in Kalyandrug taluk. It is only mined spasmodically and on a very small scale.

Iron is smelted in insignificant quantities from iron-sand found in nullahs at Jambugumpala and Malandyakenahalli (hamlet of Khairévu) in Kalyandrug taluk.

Except in Tadpatri taluk, ‘bangle-earth’ is found in numerous localities and the making of bangles or the preparation from this earth, for export elsewhere, of the alkalies from which they are manufactured, is carried on in many villages. The subject is referred to again in Chapter VI (p. 68) below,

The steatite found at Goddumarri in Tadpatri taluk and the serpentinous limestone from which vessels, cups and so forth are made at Rayalcheruvu are mentioned in the accounts of those places in Chapter XV. Many of the dioritic trap dykes contain green stones of great beauty in very large quantities and the supply of granites for building is inexhaustible. On the summits of the flat-topped hills along the north-eastern frontier of Tadpatri taluk are quarried the flat slabs of dark close-grained stone which are usually known as ‘Cuddapah slabs.’

The flora of the district has never been systematically examined by the experts. As has already been stated, the whole of the centre of the district is unusually bare of trees or vegetation of any kind. The stony wastes are often however covered (especially in Kalyandrug) with the yellow-flowered tangédu (cassia auriculata) the bark of which is used for tanning. The hills are as often as not devoid of any growth except thin grass and scattered euphorbia or cactus bushes. The growth in the chief reserved forests ts referred to in Chapter V. below. In the fields and villages the babul, margosa and tamarind, which last always does well on granitic soil, are perhaps commoner than any other varieties. Topes are rare in the north and centre of the district but commoner in Madakasira and the east of Hindupur taluks. In these the tamarind is the favourite tree. In the irrigated topes (drupairs) in Madakasira areca and cocoa palms are comnion and in this same taluk the kénuga (pongamia glabra) is largely grown for the manure its leaves afford. In isolated spots— Kudéru in Anantapur and Rayalcheruva in Tadpatri taluks are notable instances—there is a very thick growth of date-palms in the damp, low-lying ground.