February r, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



633 



ever, with which we do not propose to deal on the 

 present occasion, though we may do so in a future num- 

 ber. 'WTiat we now propose to do is to place beffre our 

 readers a few facts and figures connected with the tea 

 industry in India, regarding which there seems to be at 

 preweut a good deal of misapprehension. For these facts 

 and figures we are indebted to a short note on the Tea 

 Industry, lately published by Mr. Liotard of the agricul- 

 tural Department. To begin with it may be as well to 

 show the progress made in the cultivation and produc- 

 tion thi-oughout India from 1875 to 1881, which is as fol- 

 lows, and can be best shown in a tabulated form : — 



The yield per acre of mature plants is estimated on an 

 average to be 2821b3. in Assam, 220ilbs. in Bengal, from 

 108 to 192ibs. in the North-West Provinces, and 1681bs. 

 in the Punjab. 



The next question is. what becomes of all this tea? 



The total exports of Indian tea to foreign countries by 

 sea were as follows during the last six years: — 



The places whence these exports take place are shewn 

 iu the next table, and for this purpose the figures of the 

 two last years only will afford a sufficient indication of 

 the directions of the trade : — 



It will be noticed that Bengal sends out by far the 

 largest quantity of Indian tea. Calcutta is the chief port 

 whence this export trade takes place, and the quantities 

 exported include, besides the produce of assam and Ben- 

 gal, a very small portion of that of the North-M^'estern 

 Provinces. It is remarkable that the exports from Bom- 

 bay more than doubled during the last-mentioned year, 

 and that those from Sindh also increased very consider- 

 ably : the figures of these two places probably represent 

 chiedy the produce of the Punjab and the Xorth-Western 

 Provinces. But the year 1881-82. including, as it does, 

 only the three first months of 1832, is just antecedent to 

 the abolition of the import duty, and the effect of this 

 measure, it does affect the exports of Indian- tea from 

 Bombay and Karachi, wiU be disclosed fully at the close 

 of the curreut year. 



♦With the exception of forty all the gardens in the 

 Punjab are small native holdmgs. 



The countries to which Indian tea is exported are shown 

 in the next statement for the last two years : — 



This shows that, next to the United Kingdom, Australia 

 takes the largest supplies of Indian tea. The following 

 are flg-ures of our exports thither during the last six years, 

 and show the rapidly increasing market which our tea is 

 gain-iug in that colon.v : — 



Most of this tea is the produce of Assam and Bengal, 

 and it is doubtful that the North-Western Provinces or 

 the Punjab will be able to appropriate any considerable 

 share in this increasing export, the chief obstacle being 

 the cost of railway fare which has to be incurred. 



The exports to the United States of America have risen 

 from l,8S31bs. valued at R4,613 in 1876-77 to 197,3021bs. 

 valued at Rl, 48,381 in 1881-,S2. The Straits Settlements 

 take at present about 50.0001bs.. Persia about 55,000ibs,, 

 Aden about 8,0001bs., and Turkey in Asia aud Egypt about 

 21,0001bs. Here we leave the subject for to-day. — Asian. 



STARTING PLANTS IN THE HOUSE OR 

 HOT-BED : 

 By Joskph H.1EE1S — Authob of " Walks a.nd Talks ox 

 THE Farm," etc. 

 In the absence of a propagating house, much may be 

 done in the way of starting early plants in one's dwelHug 

 or hot-l.:'d. The priucipal impedimeut commonly experi- 

 enced is in the difficulty of obtaining, in the spring, 

 the proper kind of soil or compo.st to put in the boxes 

 or hot-bed. Professional gardeners prepare the soil with 

 great c;ire the previous fhe year, but if winter is about 

 to set in, and you have nothing ready, excellent residts 

 may be obtained by placing in the cellar a load or two 

 of any good light sandy loam ; the lighter and richer the 

 better. In the spring, before using it, run it through a 

 sieve, so as to remove all stones and lumps and rubbish. 

 If you have it, mix a tablespo.nfiil of superphosphate 

 to eivch half bushel of soil ; then get some peat— moss, 

 or Sphagnum, such as nurserymen use for packing — dry it 

 throughly, and sift it fine, and to each pack of soil put 



