March a, 1885.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



68 1 



been any time cleared, to see the rock showing through m 

 different places, and the unmistakable indications of a slip 

 in its immediate vicinity. All the terracing in the world 

 would never remedy this evil under such conditions, though 

 it might modify it, and, of course, the effect of manuring 

 would simply be nil, so far as the plants were concerned, on 

 a shallow soil like this. When the tap roots get down to a 

 rock, which elsewhere has a large exposed area not far from 

 the bush, the effects of the heat inevitably carried to that 

 portion of the rock in contact with the roots, may prove 

 more than theoretical. Terracing also means constantly re- 

 curring labour. To thoroughly appreciate the condition of 

 things.it is necessary to see some of the hill gardens in 

 Ceylon, and to note the terrible scour along some of the ter- 

 races which are of a sufficiently gentle gradient to secure 

 one from serious loss in any but a soil like that in question. 

 This, and the impossibility of profitably manuring a hill 

 garden when once impoverished, and the fact that the major- 

 ity of the tea gardens in Ceylon fall under this category, are 

 the only unpleasant features in this otherwise happy picture. 

 If any tea planter in India wants to employ his time pleas- 

 antly an! profitably too, he cannot do better than go to 

 Ceylon and see some of the new gardens that are now spring- 

 ing up en every side. 



» 



PLANTING IN WYNAAD : 



THE NKW LAND SETTLEMENT— MAISTttlEs' ADVANCES - 

 MINING IN WANAAD. 



There has been some further correspondence between 

 the Settlement Officer, Mr. Stuart, and the Honorary 

 Secretary of our Association, from which it appears that 

 a radical change in the method of taxing land in AVynaad 

 is not only in contemplation, but has already been de- 

 cided upon. This change consists in the "substitution of 

 a charge upon occupation for a charge upon cultivation 

 only as at present;'' the object being to do away with the 

 necessity for yearly inspections, and a certain not very 

 lar<;e sum will thus be saved to the revenue. It is just 

 conceivable that in a much more flourishing period than 

 planters are living in, this change might do them no 

 harm ; as things are, it will inevitably lead to I he hasty 

 abandonment of a large portion of the laud at present in 

 cultivation, and to a permanent reduction of the acreage 

 under coffee. An invitation has been issued by the Associ- 

 ation to all landholders, whether members or not, to 

 attend the 'meeting on the 7th proximo, when, as I men- 

 tioned before, the Settlement Officer is to be present. It 

 is well that our Honorary Secretary and other leading 

 plinters should have an opportunity of stating their views 

 on the various changes that are to be made after the 

 completion of Mr. Stuart's work. These geutlemen may 

 be trusted to do all that is possible to protect the inter- 

 ests of our community, and as the matter is a difficult 

 one to make interesting to the general public, though so 

 important to us, I will ouly briefly point out how the in- 

 tsnded alteration will work. At present our coffee and 

 cinchona land is taxed at the rate of K2 per acre, and 

 in the case of hind bought from Nayars, nothing is paid 

 for grass land, or jungle. "When any acreage is abandoned, 

 that amount is relieved from taxation. It is now pro- 

 posed to fix the amount payable for 30 years, at the rate 

 of E2 an acre yearly on all coffee, or cinchona, in cultiv- 

 ation at the time of the settlement, and 2 annas for all 

 other cultivable land. Thus, supposing a planter to hold 

 1,000 acres, for which he has already paid a large sum 

 to a Nayar, and to have opened 800 acres in coffee, the 

 rest being grass; he will have to pay Rl,600 m 400 as. 

 (or in all E1.625) for the next 30 years ; and yet, at the 

 end of five years he may not have more thau 00 acres 

 worth keeping up; he will then have to choose between 

 totally abandoning this 50 acres and losing the whole, sum 

 originally invested, or going on paying the whole tax for 

 twenty-five years longer. On the other hand, in the some- 

 what unlikely event of a new " coffee-boom," a proprietor 

 of 1,000 acres of jungle, which would now be assessed at 

 2as.per acre (B125), could open the whole in coffee, and 

 only pay that sum for thirty years against his neighbour's 

 Rl,625 for 50 acres. Or again, a large proprietor might 

 now decide to abandon 1,000 acres of doubtful coffee on 

 a group of estates, have it (as I read Mr. Stuart's letter) 

 classed as " unassessed waste," and a week after the con- 

 8G 



elusion of the settlement plant it up, as Ceylon men have 

 done, with tea or fibre, and not pay an anna on it. The 

 inequality is so glaring, and the loss to the reveuue would 

 be so great in the multiplication of such cases (for of 

 course the first instanced proprietor would have to abandon 

 his 50 remaining acres), that it is possible the plan will 

 bo modified. It may be thought that I have proved too 

 much for my case, and that the beuefit to the second 

 and third planters would counterbalance the injury to the 

 first ; but in reality, while the last cases suppose a state 

 of prosperity that does not exist, the first -vill be the 

 position in which large numbers will inevitably find them- 

 selves. A reasonable suggestion, which might be made at 

 the intended meeting, would be to tax all the coffee land 

 at E2 for the present, and on its being decided to abandon 

 any part of it, to oblige the proprietor to have the part 

 surveyed by some competent person, and a declaration 

 made before a magistrate, if considered necessary, of the 

 correctness of the measurement, and then to reduce the 

 tax to 2 aunas per acre ; this plan, while not interfering 

 with the general principle of Government referred to 

 above, and enabling it to do away witli its present staff 

 of surveyors, would allow planters to keep up doubtful land 

 for some years longer, and would save a considerable 

 present loss to the revenue ; for, if carried out in its integri- 

 ty, the system favored by the authorities will compel us 

 to abandon every acre that does not seem likely to last. 

 Mr. Stuart, in one of his letters, trusts we " will abstain 

 from giving credence to rumours circulated by persons 

 interested in the continuation of chaos," so until be has 

 had an opportunity of stating the exact course that will 

 be pursued I need ouly allude to two of the most per- 

 sistent of these rumours, namely, those that credit Govern- 

 ment with the intention of imposing a stamp fee on fell- 

 ing forest trees, and of makiug reserve forest of ail escheat 

 land not already taken up for planting or mining. If 

 either of these proposals were carried into effect, the 

 result would be most disastrous, and it is to be hoped 

 they are not seriously contemplated. 



The dullness of the London coffee market, has had a 

 most distinct and depressing effect out here, and this is 

 the more provoking because crops in Wynaad promise to 

 be a good deal above the average both in quality and in 

 quantity. — Madras Mail Cur. 



TEA YIELDS AND TEA AVERAGES. 



To the Editor of the " Times of Ceylon." 

 Sir, — As I am reported to have asserted that I have 

 a preference for a high yield and low average rather thau 

 a moderate yield and high average, I beg to deny the 

 assertion. I agree with both " Festina Lente " and " Humko 

 Malum" in what they have written. I believe in plucking 

 carefully, and aiming more at getting good leaf thau a 

 large quantity per eooly. I believe in taking the leaf 

 when ready, withering carefully, and fermenting evenly, 

 drying without burning, and packing tea in a well-prepared 

 state. I believe in watching my trees to see what treat- 

 ment suits them best, and, because Tom and Dick are 

 bringing in so much leaf per cooly, I don't bring in my 

 bushes to try and keep up with them. There is far too 

 keen a desire to try and make so much off young troes 

 because on one particular estate 300 or 400 lb per acre 

 was made in the second year, and of course everyone 

 ought to be able to do the same. I believe in a man 

 being satisfied with 300 to 400 lb good tea per acre with 

 good average. It sometimes happens, however, that even 

 with tea made in the most careful manner good prices 

 are not got. This, of course, is a case of Paul may plant, 

 fee., yet he cannot put into the soil what is required to 

 make the tea suitable to the palate of the Lane brokers. 

 I believe in manure when tea gives a fair quantity 

 but is wanting in strength. C. A. Hay. 



Klackwater Estate, Jan. 22nd. 



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