96 TEA 



should not be grown in many other places which possess 

 a suitable soil and climate. The plant is hardy, and different 

 varieties of it are found growing in the hot damp plains near 

 the equator, and in the colder lands of northern China. It 

 would seem to nourish best, however, on the gently sloping 

 sides of wide valleys, in a damp warm climate, where the 

 rainfall is at least between 70 and 100 inches a year. The 

 more rain the better, apparently, so long as the moisture is 

 not allowed to clog its roots. 



With regard to the climate of Assam, this is what Mr. D. 

 Crole says of it : 



' As many as 10 inches of rain have been registered in 

 9 hours. . . . Till one has stood in a tropical downpour the full 

 significance of the word rain cannot be appreciated. Macin- 

 toshes and umbrellas are perfectly futile attempts against the 

 sheets of water if one has to be out and about all weathers as 

 planters have. Instead of putting on more covering it is 

 wiser to don as little in the way of clothing as is compatible 

 with convenience, unless of course you are very strong and 

 like carrying a few odd pounds or so of water about with you 

 for pure exercise and amusement.' 



In the early duys in Assam roads and bridges were very bad. 



' The old order of things more often than not consisted of 

 a flimsy swaying construction of bamboos tied together with 

 strips of cane, the roadway being merely composed of bamboo 

 matting tied on top of the transverse bamboos. To cross such 

 a bridge on horseback was a distinctly exciting adventure 

 from the momentary uncertainty of the next step.' 1 



In spite of these difficulties, however, the cultivation of 

 tea has gone on increasing, and now good roads and railways 

 exist, and by the clearing away of swamps and other means 

 much has been done to render the climate more healthy. 



The tea plant requires a rich soil, and in order to grow it 

 successfully there must be plenty of labour available. As 

 in the case of cotton, it is difficult to see how any machine 

 could successfully pluck the tiny leaves from the plant, so that 



1 D. Crole, Tea, its Cultivation and Manufacture. 



