MANUAL OF THE XILVGIRI DI.STRICT. 



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or burnt in heaps. If left about on the ground they merely CB. XXIX. 

 serve the purpose of breeding myriads of white-ants. rp^^ 



When the ground has been thoroughly cleared, the planter can 

 easily determine the manner in which he will lay out his estate. 

 The sites for the buildings and nurseries cau now be selected, 

 as also the course of the roads and drains. 



In my opinion vei'y steep slopes should not be cultivated unless —terracing. 

 means of terracing substantially are at hand, and even then drains 

 at wide intervals may be necessary to break the force of a heavy 

 fall of water. These drains should be laid out at a gradient of 

 1 in 30 to 1 in 40. The general cost of terracing comes as a rule 

 to about the same as that of pitting, viz.. Rupees 20 to 25 per 

 acre. In the cases of light showers, the terraces absorb the 

 rainfall instead of letting it run off the ground. It is always 

 advisable to demarcate, at any rate, and if possible, to partially 

 cut out the traces of the roads and drains before beginning to 

 line the estate. 



The next business is to line the estate, i.e., mark out by means —lining. 

 of pegs or slips of bamboo, the exact spot at which a pit is to be 

 dug for the reception of the plant. This is most easily accom- 

 plished by the aid of a Chesterman^s land chain 100 feet long, in 

 links of 1 foot each, and a staff indicating the distance between 

 the rows for the men at each end of the chain. The whole 

 appearance of the garden in after years depends upon the 

 accuracy with which this work has been performed. The first 

 step to be taken is to lay a horizontal base line as far as you can, 

 and then from its centre set off a vertical line and work from 

 that. The lines must be kept accurate, not following the curves 

 of the hill. In spite of their somewhat set and square appearance 

 they will be more pleasing to the eye than a succession of 

 irregular curves. The cost of lining should not exceed Rupees 5 

 per acre. 



The land has now to be pitted. A cylindrical pit of 18 inches —pitting. 

 in width and depth is the best size. These pits are usually made 

 by contract at the rate of Rupees 12-8-0 per 1,000, or, if executed 

 by the planter's own labour, at Rupees 10 per 1 ,000. When the 

 land has to be terraced this work should be done after the lining 

 and before the pitting. Some planters incline to horizontal 

 trenches 18 inches wide and deep, but the cost is much greater, 

 and while the roots have soft ground to work their way through 

 on two sides, on the other two they ai'e met by a hard compact 

 surface. 



In the earlier days of tea-planting, very wide distances were 

 advocated, sometimes as much as 7 feet by 7 feet for indigenous 

 plants. Experience has^ however^ taught us that shrubs planted 



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