MANUAL OP THE NILAGIRI DISTRICT. 459 



In 1847 Major Ouchterlony proposed the establishment of a CH. XXVII. 

 Government farm, more especially for the growth of wheat and Agriculture 



barley, recommending two sites for the purpose — one the elevated 



tract to the westward of the Paikare river, commencing at the Ouchter- 

 north-west angle of the plateau near Neduwattam, and extending lony's 

 southwards to Mlikarte peak, the other the Kodandd promontory Pi'opos^^- 

 in which Mr. Hill has now formed his large tea estate. His 

 proposed farms had special reference to the establishment of 

 Government breweries on the Hills for supplying the troops with 

 malt liquors. He also desired to promote immigration of 

 farmers from Europe. His remarks are noteworthy as indicating 

 the great change that has taken place in the price of labour, &c. 



" Here cooly labor is very cheap, 2 annas, or 2|(?., a day being the 

 regular rate of pay for a working man who can pei'form any duty 

 pertaining to spade husbandry, and undertake all the duties of a farm 

 which in England fall to the lot of the common laborer, such as 

 hedging and ditching, trenching, hoeing, reaping, stacking, thatching, 

 &c., &c. A shilling a day, or | a rupee, is the pay of a bricklayer or 

 carpenter ; men to look after 2 horses receive 14 shillings, or 7 rupees 

 a month, cowherds 4 or 5 shillings, and all other labor in proportion. 

 These advantages, coupled with those presented by a ready and ever- 

 demanding market for such articles of produce as wheat, barley (oats 

 if raised), clover, hay (of which article an immense quantity would be 

 consumed in Ootacamund if it was procurable), turnips, potatoes 

 (Ceylon offering a very favorable market for this vegetable), butter, 

 eggs, and stock of all descriptions, both for butcher's meat and for 

 salting for ship use, would surely, it is to be supposed, tempt many 

 indigent farmers to this hilly I'egion, whose necessities impel them to 

 emigrate from the mother-country, but whose steps are stayed by the 

 warnings uttered by the many hundreds of their unfortunate fellow- 

 countrymen who have hurried heedlessly out to the Australian colo- 

 nies, only to meet with disappointment and ruin." 



I must refer to the Memoir for further information of the state Silk-worm 

 of agriculture on the Hills at the time, but I would quote his cilt^^re. 

 notice of silk-worm culture, as the matter is now attracting 

 attention. 



" There remain yet a few articles of plantation produce to be 

 noticed, the oldest of which, in the agricultural history of the Neil- 

 gherries, is silk. There are sevex-al plantations of mulberry trees in 

 various parts of the Hills for the breeding of the silk- worm with estab- 

 Jishments for preparing and winding the cocoons, the silk produced 

 by which has, I understand, been pronounced in London to be of a 

 quality very far superior to any produced in the plains, either in 

 Bengal or other parts of India, and what has been sent to England 

 appears to have realized very high prices. The quantity produced 

 however has hitherto been very insignificant, and I confess, as far as 

 I am able to judge, the scheme appears a complete failure. The 

 mulberry trees do not shoot out fresh leaves with that redundant 



