May I, 1886.J 



tHE TROPICAL ACiRICULTtljRlSt, 



Soj 



TEA AMONG THE BHUTIAS. 



Ml-. Darrah, the officiating Director of Agyienlt- 

 ure iu Assam, in his report for 1884-8:"), gives a 

 curious account of the process of infusing tea 

 pursucJ among the Bhutias at Dewangiri. Two 

 pots, one of brass anil filled with water, the other 

 an earthen one and empty, were put over a lire. 

 A piece was broken oft' a brick of tea and crum- 

 pled up in the hand to separate the adhering 

 leaves and twigs. The handful so obtained was 

 put into the dry earthen pot, and stirred up for s. 

 few seconds till hot. Then about a couiile of winc- 

 glassei full of potash water (made by straining 

 water through ashes) was poured an the dry tea, 

 and when the heat had almost evaporated the 

 moisture, another spoonful of water (now hot) was 

 was added from the brass pot. The tea meanwhile 

 was kept stirred to prevent its burning, and, when 

 nearly dry, a second, and then after an interval, a 

 third spoonful of water was added. When this, 

 too, was almost dry, all the water from the brass 

 pot was poured in, and a teaspoonful of salt having 

 been added, the mixture was boiled. As soon 

 as the bubbles showed that the liquid was boiling, 

 it was ladled out with a spoon- formed from a 

 gourd into a sort of churn made from a thick 

 piece of bamboo about two feet long. The churn 

 was provided w-ith a w-ooden cover, through a hole 

 iu which a piston-rod worked, the piston being 

 simply a round piece of wood roughly fitting the 

 interior of the churn. The boiling liquid having been 

 poured in, the churn was worked for a few seconds, 

 and then about a table-spoonful of r/Zii was added 

 to the mixture. The churn upon this was w-orked 

 vigorously for a few- minutes, considerable pressure 

 being cvidentlv required to force the piston up 

 and down. The Bhutia next poured back the 

 liquid uito tlie earthen pot, which meanwhile had 

 remained on the fire, and tasted the tea. lie stated 

 that more salt was wanted, and added accordingly 

 about an eggspoontul. The whole was boiled again 

 for about a minute, and then t.-isted and pro- 

 nounced right. The amount was equal to the 

 contents of two ordinary quart bottles,— fioHciw-. 



DECAYINti INDIAN IXDUSTKIES. 



Among the remarks made by Mr. (!rant liul'f 

 wjiich require expansion or elucidation tn make 

 them truly valuable, or to show their lack of 

 value, was one about the decaying trades and in- 

 dustries of India. Ue said he did not care for 

 the encouragement of manufactures in this coun- 

 try which England or Europe could supply cheaper 

 and better. Here there are two questions lo be 

 a.iked : first, if Europe can supply them better 

 and cheaper, does she do so ? and next, if Europe 

 can now supply them cheaper and better, is it 

 impossible, is not rather very possible, for India, 

 by improving her methods of manufacture, to 

 produce many kinds of goods both cheaper and 

 better than Europe can supply them -? And if 

 this be possible and practicable, ought not the 

 country to set about accomplishing it as a fact ? 

 Apply Mr. Grant Duff's remark to the production 

 of handmade Arnee muslin at 1 Rs. a yard ; 

 and we quite agree with him : it would be cheaper 

 and better to get English or Scotch l.iwn at 

 Kl'8 or 2 K a yard, even though it might not lie 

 quite so utterly too tine. But much of the 

 cheepest cotton fabric that England sends to this 

 country, if cheap, is abominably nasty, being 

 overloaded with chalk and packed damp, because 

 it is bought by weight : and therefore the longer 

 it remains unpacked, the more the fabric rots, 

 till, at last, vihsa the ruslicB buys vhea^ a, thick, 



closely woven cloth, which has every appearance 

 of being strong, he soon finds that it would have been 

 better for him to have purchased a hand-mado 

 product of the village looni. Of all those manu- 

 factures and trades for which India supplies the 

 raw material, she ought to strive to learn cheaji 

 and rapid modes of production, by importing and 

 employing the most modern machinery used in 

 the nianufacture. Even if the price at which she 

 could thus produce the fabric were not lower than 

 it could lie produced in foreign countries, India 

 would be benefited by the expenditure of capital 

 and the employment of labour in the country ^ it- 

 self. But even with well paid European superint- 

 endence, the manufacture of Indian products in 

 India is likely to lead to a much cheaper fabric 

 or manufacture than what can be produced in 

 England ; for there is freight in and out to pay, 

 and there are the profits of many middlemen. 

 This is provided by the manufactures of cotton 

 mills set up in India the fabric is less injured 

 by chalk and damp ; it is cheaper and stronger 

 than most English manufactures of the same class 

 that reach India ; and yet the manufacture yields 

 a handsome profit. 'We w-ould like to see the 

 same process of producing and manufacturing 

 according to European methods applied to iron in 

 India. The quality of Indian iron ore is excellent 

 and the supply is unlimited ; and yet the pro- 

 duce of iron mines in India is declining, because 

 of the vast quantity of iron imported from Eng- 

 land and America. In 1884-8.'), the produce of 

 iron by natives in Southern India amounted to 

 only 1138,417 against E41,357 in the previous 

 year. Doubtless this arises from the vast quantity 

 of iron imported by the railway companies. 

 There were no less then 16 lakh's worth of 

 iron and steel, wrought and unwrought, imported 

 into the presidency in 1884-8-3 ; besides six and- 

 a-haU lakhs of rupees' worth of machinery and 

 mill wciirk ; and nearly six,' lakhs' worth of rolling 

 stock, in which, we presume, there must be much 

 iron. The sale of old iron rails and other worn- 

 out railway materials of iron at a cheap rate, 

 helps to reduce y<arly the amount of Indian iron 

 produced. Where ore is so abundant and pure, 

 is it not a jiitv that so inucli of foreign iron 

 should be imported '-' Might not forests be planted 

 near the rocky regions where the best Indian 

 iron ore is (o be found; so that the next gener- 

 ation at least may begfn to utilize the abundant 

 excellent Indian ore. ? But this would require either 

 that Englishmen take up the indnstiy and w-orh 

 it .according to European methods ; or (hat natives 

 study and l.arn Europe.an methods of smellin.',' 

 the ore and make it up. Here i.-^ nii immense- 

 work awaiting eommencement in the S.alern dis- 

 trict, -vrhich may change the aspect of industry 

 and life in a large portion of the presidency. 

 Will no wealthy native give his mind to the matter, 

 and prepare the w-ay for his son's vulcanizing the 

 country '! — ilaili'iiK Timei 



♦ • 



REi'OET OX CHINA, INDIAN, CEYLON 



AND JAVA TEAS, 

 (l-'rom Geo. M'liite <(> Co.'s Aiiiiiial Uepart.) 



LoKDON, March 20th 1881) 

 The scii-ion now fast drawing to a close hat lieen cliii-llv 

 rt-niarkable for the sterling tjuulity of most o( the i:rnp, and 

 for the run since September on ten* for price, ii!i i-elaih-rs toniul 

 the lower aradcs were of .-(Uch useful itesf-ription that tlu'y 

 could ntforil to purchase them in larije (luaiitilics, cvi-li ut 

 hii!her prices Ihau usual- This diversion in thedrniaud seiimiMly 

 uffeclei fiue to t'tnest kind.s, and these beine li"l!lected, prices 

 raiidly declined unlil a fall of Id to Cd per lb. w.is estaldi-ln d, 

 which lias never been recovered. The result-s will uevt-r- 

 thclcsa be satisfactory to cardeo ow-ners- as in cnnsei|u»'iicc ot 

 ih'; euliauc^-d prices obuined (or thi. lower jfrafiea tUe average, 

 lias beeu well sustained, 



