TEA DISTRICTS. 19 



leaves can be pulled until October 15, but no later, as by this 

 time they have got hard and leathery and not fitted for making good 

 Teas, and it is necessary to give the plants good rest in order to- 

 recruit. Some plants continue to throw out new leaves until the end 

 of November; but those formed during this month are generally 

 small and tough. 



When this was written, the experience detailed related to 

 Dehra Dhoon, the Kumaon, and Kangra gardens, and we see 

 that five flushes or gatherings are thought good. It however 

 makes matters in this respect (far from a general fault in 

 the said ' Records ') worse than they are. Ten and twelve- 

 flushes with high cultivation, can be got in the North-west. 

 But what is this as against 20 and 25 ? 



Labour is plentiful and cheap. The great distance from 

 the coast makes transport very expensive. 



KANGRA. 



This is a charming valley, with a delightful climate more 

 favourable to Tea than the Dehra Dhoon, still it is not a perfect 

 Tea climate. It is too dry and too cold. The soil is good for 

 Tea, better than that of the Dhoon, but inferior to some rich 

 soils in the Himalayan oak forests. Local labour is obtainable 

 at cheap rates. Distance makes transport for export very 

 difficult ; but a good local market now exists in the Punjab, 

 and a good deal of Tea is bought at the fairs, and taken 

 away by the wild tribes over the border. With the limited 

 cultivation there, I should hope planters will find a market 

 for all their produce. Manure must be obtainable (manure 

 had not been thought of for Tea when I visited Kangra), and 

 if liberally applied, it will increase the yield greatly. 



Kangra is strictly a Himalayan district, but the elevation 

 is moderate, if I remember right, about 3,000 feet, and the 

 land is so slightly sloping it may almost be called level. A 



c 2 



