35 



CHAPTER VI. 



WATER AND SANITATION. 



THESE may be discussed together and shortly. 



Of course adjacent water-carriage is a great advantage 

 for a garden, and it should be obtained, if possible, in 

 selecting a site. The expense of land-carriage, where there 

 is no rail, is great, and Tea cultivation requires all advan- 

 tages to make it pay well. 



But it is water for a garden that particularly concerns 

 us now. It is not easy to find land that can be irrigated 

 (this is discussed elsewhere), but no labour or expense in 

 getting such land would be thrown away. Irrigation, com- 

 bined with high cultivation in other respects, will give a 

 yield per acre undreamt of. 



In no case should a plantation be made except where a 

 running stream is handy. Water is a necessity for seedlings, 

 and a plentiful adjacent supply of it is a great desideratum 

 for the comfort and health of every soul on the garden. We 

 all know how dependent the natives are on water, and it is 

 evident facilities in this respect will conduce much (whether 

 the labour be local or imported) both to get and keep 

 coolies. Norton's tube wells a cheap and most efficient 

 mode of procuring water will, I doubt not, be eventually 

 much used on Tea plantations. 



It has been observed that, as a rule, a good Tea climate 

 is not a healthy one. There is no getting over the fact, 

 and we can only make the best of it. The house, the 

 factories, and all the buildings should be placed as high as 

 possible, and not very close to each other, both for the 



