346 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[November i, 18S3. 



tings." Terracing ha3 been tried, but was not found 

 a success, and the terraces are now being levelled in 

 consequence. All the plantations hitherto are on 

 what we should call " chena" laud, but the soil is so 

 rich that the trees do not appear to suffer in any 

 ■way from exhaustion of soil. The cold weaiher of last 

 winter, which damaged the branches of the forest trees 

 near the Darjiling station to such a great extent 

 by the weight of snow onthcro, appears to have killed 

 back many of the succirubra primaries, which have a 

 strange appearance in consequence. It is striking that in 

 spite of th^ wonderful financial success of this undertak- 

 ing, and of the Darjiling Cinchona Company, which ex- 

 actly faces Rungbee aud Mungpoo across a wide and deep 

 valley, none of the Darjiling Companies have em- 

 barked in cinchona cidiivatiou to any great extent. A 

 few young trees are to be seen along road-sides in 

 some places, but anything resembling what we should 

 call a "clearing" is unseen. Itis no doubt fortun- 

 ate for us in Ceylon, that this cultivation has not 

 been largely extended by private individuals in the 

 Darjiling district, for with the large amount of suit- 

 able land which could no doubt be found and with the 

 comparative immunity they enjoy from premature 

 dying out, we should be faced with a formidable 

 rival to what is now a struggling enterprise, owing 

 to low prices. Another point iu which Darjiling 

 experience coincides with ours is regarding the utiliz- 

 ation of land for a second crop of cinchona. This 

 appears to have been a failure when tried, and, in 

 consequence, all such land is, in the Government 

 territory, planted up with timber trees, aud, when pri- 

 vate land, with tea. I was told that tea planted in old 

 cinchona land did not flush as freely as that in the 

 original chena, but probably a more extended ex- 

 perience will show that when the tea roots penetrate 

 deep into the subsoil this inferiority will disappeir. 



There are some very fine L^dgeriana phnts iu the 

 various uurseriei, said to be nearly half-a milliou iu 

 number, and, iu order to dispose of these, a new 

 plantation, at a distance of 40 or 50 miles across 

 the Seesha river, has been formed for their re- 

 ception. I was shown some plants raised from 

 so-called " calisaya' seed sent from Jamaica by 

 Mr. Morris, and which it now appears aie or.linary 

 officinalis. It seems strange that such a mistake 

 should have occurred, but, apparently, the Jamaica 

 "calisaya" trees which we have heard about must 

 be what we know as "officinalis." 



Carthagena bark plants have been tried at various 

 elevations aud in various localitiis, but without success. 

 There was one specimen left near the bungalow which 

 did not look healthy, and which itis to be feared will 

 soon succumb. T. C. OWEN. 



[Of course small-sized and inferior teak can be used 

 for tea-boxes, but, as teak advances in price, other 

 woods must be used. Mr. Peale, a well-known tea 

 planter, has described the best known Indian woods 

 and their uses in a series of contributions to the Indian 

 Tea Gazelle. Railway extension in Ceylon will enable 

 estates with no reserves of timber to obtain tea boxes, 

 firewood, coals, coke, &c. at cheap rates. — Ed.] 



BALMER, LAWRIE & CO.'S IN'DIAN TEii. 

 AND \\'EATHER RKPOKT. 



Calcutta, 2nd Oct. 18S3. 



Little change lias taken place since our last report which 

 was dated loth September ; the clianees of an early close 

 to the season are more apparent, aud reports from most 

 districts tell the s.ame talo. 



Assam. — Dibrughar :— Last mouth opened with very hot 

 weather and want of raiu ; later on rain fell in most parts 

 but is still far short of last year's fall. There are signs 

 now of an early close to the season and estimates on 

 many estates cannot be realized. Jaipur: — Last month 



began with a favourable fortnight for tea, rain falling in 

 the morning followed by afternoon sunshine ; the nights 

 have been rather cold. Sibsagar :— In tlie early part of last 

 month there were several heavy thuuderstornis here, ac- 

 companied with much rain aud strong gales of wind ; 

 dense fogs in the mornings with rather cool days and 

 nights point to an early close of the season. The weather 

 has been fairly favouralile altliough more rain was wanted 

 and bushes in some parts appear to be quite shut up. 

 Jorehaut : — Kather better news reaches us from some 

 portions of this district and September is regarded on the 

 whole as a satisfactory month ; it is of course too late 

 now in the season to make much impression on the short- 

 comings of the earlier months, but there is a probauihty 

 of some of the deficieucy being made up. North Lakhim- 

 piir : — The weather is on the whole rather too cold iu 

 tliis district and the frequent changes in temperature have 

 been unfavourable for leaf. jS'owgong :— The nights are 

 cold and the leaf liard aud irregular in consequence ; 

 about 20 inches more rain has fallen tliau last year to 

 the same date, but the result of the season is not antici- 

 pated to be BO favourable. Mungledie : — No rain has 

 fallen in this district since the last reports were written 

 us. There is no accounting for the peculiarities of this 

 season ; .some gardens are doing well, wliile others, in the 

 same line of country, are absolutely doing little or nothing 

 and losing oti per cent, weeklj-. Generally the gardens 

 are doing badly, and the little leaf there is, is hard 

 and dry. 



Cachak. — There has again been a good deal of rain 

 over this district, but the reports are not on ths whole 

 unsatisfactory so far as leaf is coucerned, although signs 

 of the colJ weather being near at hand, are apparent. 



Daejiling. — The weather has been favourable for tea 

 lately, although some managers complain of the leaf being 

 bard and leatberj', and there are signs in this district 

 also of the season shutting up soon. In the Terai the 

 crop promises well, there being little or no blight but 

 more rain is wanted. From Kiu-seong we hear that the 

 weather has been cold aud unfavourable, with heavy 

 mists ; since the 23rd ultimo, rain has fallen daily about 

 4'25 inches. Mosquito blight is still very bad on some 

 gardens. 



KuMAOx. — The weather here continued cloudy for some 

 time, but latest advices report bright and sunny days, so 

 that the rains are now evidently over. 



Dehra Dc.n. — We hear that the weather here has been 

 all that could be desired, plenty of rain and good sun hav- 

 ing favoured the gardens which are mostly doing well. 



Kanosa Valley. — The rains are over in this district 

 and the temperature is ranch higher than usual average 

 at this time of year ; the tea is doing fairly well. 



Chittaoonk. — The weather has been very irregular lately, 

 some coucerus having had little rain while others had con- 

 stnat shower. 



TROPICAL AGRICULTURE. 



The Tropical Aaricultarist : a Monthly Record of 

 Information for Planters of CotFee, Tea, Cocoa, Cin- 

 chona, ludiarnbber, Sugar, Tobacco, Cardamoms, 

 Palms, Kice and other Products, suited for Cultiv- 

 ation in the Tropics, Compiled by A. M. and J. Fer- 

 guson of the Cetjlon Observer : (Loudon : J. Haddon 

 and Co., 3, Bouverie Street, 188-'.) 



A bulky volume containing thirteen monthly num- 

 bers aud occupying more thin a thousand pages can 

 hardly fail to contain a large aniouut of varied and 

 useful information, especially when it deals with such 

 a subject as tropical agriculture. Xot only tropical 

 but subtiojiical regions are laid uudfir tribute, the 

 latter being represented chiefly by Southern Austi-alia, 

 New Zealand aud China, while Ceylon and the vari- 

 ous provinces of India receive, as might be e.xpected, 

 the greatest share of attention. There are, moreover, 

 abundant references to several oceanic islands which 

 have within recent years been invested with more 

 or less political interest. Thus of Fiji it is stated 

 that the planters are chiefly coucerned iu growing 

 sugar-cane, collee aud cotton, and though it is claimed 



