Abstract

A grass survey of the Travancore State was made by the author between 16th November and 6th December 1941. Though Travancore State is just equal in area to a large district of the Madras Pro- vince, the ecological features exhibited are very diverse, ranging from sub- temperate to tropical. The elevation varies from sea level to about 9,000 feet in. height at Anamudi which is the highest point in South India. The State forms a narrow strip of country between the sea and the ghats. It has a long coast line on the western side and rises gradually to the Western Ghats which form the eastern boundary. The climate in most parts is humid due to the long coast line, presence of backwaters, lagoons, innumerable canals and rivers and also to the heavy rainfall received in the major portion of the State. The high ranges of the State have a semi-temperate climate. One half of the country is covered with mountains and many rivers take their origin from them and fall into the Arabian Sea on the western side. The soil in most parts of the State is reddish being of laterite formation. Due to the undulating nature of the country the land is subjected to both sheet and gully erosion. The fine particles of the soil are carried away by the rain water to the rivers and deposited in the backwaters and the sea. The land is, therefore, comparatively poor and the soil is deficient in mineral contents The substratum consists of gneiss while that of the adjoining British Indian districts except Malabar consists of limestone commonly known as kankar. The soil is, therefore, further deficient in calcium.

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