518 - MANUAL OF THE NILAQIRI DISTRICT. 



CH. XXIX. thrive ; as a rule it grows naturally with a single stem, and in 

 rpg^ cases where it has a tendency to produce more, these may easily 



be removed without fear of their renewal. Individually I do not 



object to two or three stems, as these plants seldom throw out 

 suckers unless the roots are injured close to the stem of the tree. 



Both the indigenous and hybrid varieties need a better soil 

 than that in which China plants may be grown, but I never advise 

 tea planting on lands which do not possess to a considerable 

 extent natural richness, and care must be taken that this standard 

 of fertility is at any rate maintained if it cannot be improved. 

 Selection The impression that the tea plant succeeds best in a cold 



climate is erroneous. Tea plants do not grow freely or mature 

 their seed so well at a high elevation as they do lower down, and 

 the plants raised from seed so grown must share to some extent 

 the weakness of the parent plant. Thus seed procured from the 

 Government garden in Doddabetta ^ would be held in small 

 esteem by an experienced planter. European aginculturists lay 

 great stress upon the selection for seed purposes of only the 

 heaviest and best developed grains ; and the same rule holds 

 good in tea planting also. 



It is but from a few gardens in Assam, and one or two only 

 on the Nilagiris, and that in very limited quantities, that really 

 first-class hybrid seed can be obtained. In Assam the gardens 

 best known to me as supplying a good class of plant are the 

 Bishnauth, Luckimpore, and Hool Maree Company's Estates. 

 On very many gardens the mixed nature of the plant renders it 

 undesirable that seed should be purchased from them. It seldom 

 costs less than Rupees 80 to deliver a maund of seed on these 

 hills, and its turning out good or bad is a mere lottery. 

 I succeeded once in raising from two maunds of Bishnauth seed 

 45,500 plants ; last year from the same quantity treated with 

 great care I only obtained two seedlings. This uncertainty is a 



' In paragraph 23 of his letter, G.O., 28th August 1874, Mr. Cockerell, speaking 

 of the late Mr. W. G. Mclvor, remarks : — 



" He says that the seed grown on it is more adapted to the wants of planters 

 than seed grown at Burliar could be, because seed from the latter spot would be 

 planted out at a greater elevation, and would throw weakly seedlings owing to the 

 greater cold, whereas seeds grown higher up do not suffer on being planted at a 

 lower elevation. 



" 24. I take it that Mr. Mclvor's opinion on this point must be considered 

 decisive." 



My experience is directly against Mr. Cockerell's theory regarding tea seed. 

 I have never yet seen really well filled seeds of the indigenous and hybrid varieties 

 grown at the higher elevations. The result is generally a shell of the usual size 

 and a small undeveloped shrivelled nut inside. A well-developed seed grown at 

 any elevation will, all other circumstances being the same, produce a stronger 

 plant than a half-formed one. A visit to a well-cared-for nursery, situated about 

 5,500 feet elevation, filled with plants raised from seed imported dii-cct from 

 Assam, will serve best to upset the above theory. 



