My head duffadar informs me that the reason why Nogurigays are so liable to parasites is on account of the rough, deeply-fissured bark, which retains the parasite seeds dropped by birds, whereas smooth-barked trees, like the first five named, of course do not retain them, and hence you rarely see parasites on smooth-barked trees.  Another objection to this tree is that, from its shedding its leaves in the monsoon, and not growing them again till we are liable to have hot bursts of sun, you may have a thoroughly saturated soil exposed to a hot sun, which of course has the effect of rapidly hardening the soil.  A neighbouring planter tells me that he finds the Noga tree liable to attacks from parasites at even ten years old, and that he therefore regards the tree as a temporary shade, i.e., as a shade to be removed after other more desirable trees are ready to take their place.

Since writing this chapter I have again paid particular attention to this tree, and have been struck with the fact that, for some unknown reason, some trees of this variety seem to be much more liable to attacks of parasites than others, while some escape altogether.  But it is quite clear to me that, generally speaking, this tree is not to be relied on, and I have, therefore, no hesitation in advising planters who have relied on it as a permanent shade to at once put down trees of the desirable kind first given with the view of gradually removing the Nogurigays.

Mullee Geruguttee.  A very thick, tall tree with large buttresses.  Coffee thrives well under this tree, but it is not a wide spreader, and, when old, the foliage becomes poor.  It is evident that a tree of great thickness which is not a wide spreader, takes up an immense deal of room in proportion to the shade that it yields, and this tree is therefore not so desirable as any of the first five species I have given as being the most desirable trees.

Howligay (Acrocarpus Flaxinifolia).  This tree has been largely planted in Mysore for shade, but no one speaks well of it now.  We have some on my estate upwards of thirty years old, and the foliage is poor and scanty.  The trees, too, shoot up to a great height, and spread but little.  By topping at a certain height, this defect may be remedied to some extent, but in order to get an efficient shade from this tree you would require to plant it thickly, and would thus have a large proportion of stems and roots in the land.  This tree, though not injurious to coffee, is certainly very undesirable as compared with the first-named kinds I have given.  Some years ago two of these trees died on my property, and all the coffee died around them.

Hessan (Artocarpus Hirsuta).  Though said to be injurious in poor and shallow soil, coffee thrives under it in good land, but it has a tendency everywhere to run to stem, and therefore affords poor shade.  An occasional tree branches out, and affords fair, and in some cases, even good shade, but, as a rule, this is not a desirable tree.  It spreads little and thus gives but a poor return for the space taken up by its stem and roots.