OCTODER I, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



265 



- AUSTRALIAN SEED WHEAT FOB INDIA. 



Recent experioieuts have shown that really good 

 clean Indian wheat is equal to any in the world. 

 Mr. Cornish, editor of the Madt-as Mail and author 

 of "Under th-s .Southern Cross," recommends the 

 introduction of seed wheat from South Australia, and 

 he has himself introduced some for trial in the 

 Madras Presidency, where only 23,000 acres are down 

 in wheat against many millions in rice, cbolum, &c. Mr. 

 Cornish believes that the cultivation of this dry grain 

 could he advantageously extended in the more elev- 

 ated portions of the Madras Presidency. He wi-ites : — 

 One can understand that a moist climate like 

 Buriuah would not be suitable for the cultivaiion of 

 wheat, which, it is important to bear in mind, is a 

 "dry" grain, that is, it can be grown without 

 artificial irrigitioo ; but why does the doctor jump 

 to the conclusion that wheat cannot be produced on 

 the pUteaus of the Madras Presidency and in Mjsore ? 

 There is no reason why Mysore should not produce 

 some of the finest wheat in India, while I should not 

 be surprised to find that the black-cotton soiU of 

 the Ceded Districts and Diccau, where the finest 

 cholum is produced, would, if cropped with Austra- 

 lian seed, produce a wheat which would have no 

 superior in the world. 



The Australian climate is much more tropical in 

 its character than that of the chief wheat districts 

 in Europe and America, and hence one may reason- 

 ably infer that Australian seed, being as it were 

 a cliniatised to the tropics, would thrive best in this 

 country. The raiufall, climate and soil ot tlie Ade- 

 laide wheat plains have a remarkable resemblance to 

 those of our Indian plateaus, and it is a fair pre- 

 sumption, therefore, that as wheat has been found to 

 thrive in one place it may succeed in the other. 

 Dr. Schomburgk, the talented Director of the Ijeau- 

 tiful Botanical Gardens .at Adelaide, tells us that the 

 South Australian cereals are considered to be the 

 finest grown in the world, the best specimens of 

 wheat weighing G8 lbs. per Imperial bushel; and the 

 fact that Australian wheats now occupy a higher 

 position, and command a higher price, than those 

 grown in Europe and America points to the conclu- 

 sion that wheat improves in a tropical climate, and 

 that it will ultimately find a congenial home over the 

 greater portion of India. 



It will astonish most people to learn from Dr. 

 Watson that India is already one of the largest 

 wheat-producing countries of the world. The Punjab 

 produces from 10,000 000 to 18,000,000 quarters. 

 Oudh 3,500,000 quarters. Central Provinces 3,000,000 

 quarters, and Bombay about 3,000,000 quarters. The 

 production of the North-west Provinces is about 

 equal to that of the Punjab. Thus the yearly pro- 

 duction in provinces under British rule is from 

 30,000,000 to 3.3,000,000 quarters. The production 

 of the United Kingdom is from 10,000,000 to 13,000,000 

 quarters. Austria, Italy and Spain pro. luce, each 

 about the same quantity. Gernjany produces abuut 

 18,000,000 quarters and France and Russia about 

 35,000,000 quarters e.ich. The production of the 

 United States is about 45,000,000 quarters. 



The export of wheiit from India rose from 2,195,550 

 cwts. in 1880, to 7,444,449 cwts., in ISSl, and to 

 19,863,520 cwts. in 1882. At present the trade is 

 confined chiefly to Northern India, but there seems 

 no good reason vfby other districts, where wheat is 

 known to be cultivated, should not share in the 

 advantages of tliis important export trafle, which 

 may possibly assume very large proportions at no 

 distant date. 

 But, as wheat suffers terribly from rust and smut 



in some parts of Australia, seed obtained thence should 

 be "piclded" before being sown by being steeped 

 in a solution of suljihate ot copper, strong enough to 

 kill the spores of the fungi but not so strong as to 

 injure the germin.ating powers of the wheat. Mr. Rob- 

 ertson of the Madras Farm, however, describes sul- 

 phate of copper as preventing smut, but not rust, 

 In certain places in Australia the latter (closely allied 

 to Hemileia vastatrix) has done as much mischief to 

 wheat as our leaf lungus has done to coffee. In 

 truth all articles lai'gely cultivated are liable to fungus 

 and insect pests, against which war has to be waged, 

 mth variable result?. In some cases, but generally 

 only for limited periods, man has to submit to ab- 

 solute defeat. 



THROUGH THE TEA DISTRICTS OF 



NORTH INDIA :— No. VI. 



{By a Ceylon Planter.) 



TEA (JAEDEN.S IN DARJILISG TERAI — HEA\-Y MORTALITY 

 AMOXO COOLIES AND GREAT DKA\VBACK.S — lyDIOENOUS 

 ASSAM SEED FOB TUE CEYLON LOW COUNTBV. 



KUESEONG. 



The tea gardens in the Darjiling Terai, have not 

 fulfilled the high expectations which were formed 

 of them at their outset. With perfect lay of land 

 flat as in Assam, and possessing all the advantages 

 of unexhausted soil and a very forcing clunate, they 

 are disappointing in appearance and in result. The 

 reason of this is very apparent, the land consists 

 mostly of a rich surface soil, varying greatly in depth 

 but seldom approaching that of Assam, and below it 

 lies a sub-soil of barren gi-avel and sand, excellent 

 for drainage purposes, but ill-adapted for the sup- 

 port of a vigorous deep-feeding plant like tea. 



During the early years of growth, the Terai" 

 gardens gave most satisfactory results, but when the 

 plant is in fuUbeaiing, the yield in many cases falls 

 off greatly, and the vigour of the bushes decreases. 



The Dooars, a young and rising district to the 

 east of the Darjiling Terai, but similaidy situated at 

 the foot of the hills, has a better soil and fives 

 greater promise of success. The unhealthiness of these 

 districts is proverbial, and has been against them 

 from the first. On one garden I was at, 100 coolies 

 had died quite recently from cholera, and 200 had 

 l)olted in conseejuence, leaving an available force of 

 400 out of an original total of 700. Several instances 

 have occurred quite recently of every soul leaving 

 the garden for a time, including managers and assist- 

 ants, — for their presence without coolies was of little 

 use, —in consequence of the numerous deaths from 

 cholera. Fever is too common a complaint there to 

 call for remark, and new-comers inevitably suffer 

 from it in a greater or less degree for some tmie. 

 Europeans after a time appear to become hardened 

 and accustomed to it, and throw off attacks after but 

 a temporary period of suffering ; but the constitu- 

 tion must become undermined in time by these at- 

 tacks, and it is a significant fact that in the Terai 

 in parts of Cachar too I believe, and in many other 

 localities, managers above 30 or 35 years of age are 

 a small minority. It is needless to point out the 

 m.-my ways in which this state of affairs affects the 

 cost of production of tea. Apart from the risk of 

 loss of labour during crol) time— for the unhealthiest 

 mouths coincide with the busiest crop season— the 

 inducements to managers and assistants have to be 

 made commensurate with the risks to life and health. 

 In a copy of the Observer which I came across by 

 chance up here, mention was made of the fact that 



