MANUAL OF TllK NILAailM UISTIUCT. 523 



together unchecked, but iuvuriubly one takes the lead and out- CH. > 

 strips all the others in growth. A single plant in sole possession ^^ 

 of the pit will always produce a finer and more vigorous bush — 

 than can several seedlings huddled up together. There is not 

 the slightest doubt that on well-drained lands with a moderate 

 incline and in favourable seasons the planting of germinated seeds 

 in situ is a saving of both labour and money. The risk attached 

 to so doing is that on these hills we can never rely thoroughly 

 on the weather that may prevail at any particular season of the 

 year, and close observation and record over a series of years 

 have only led to very mystifying results. Tea seed that is 

 imported from Assam ripens generally about the middle or end 

 of October, and seldom reaches the Nilagiris earlier than the end 

 of December or early in January. The first quarter of the year 

 frequently passes without a drop of rain having fallen, and it 

 naturally follows that planting in situ under such circumstances 

 would be attended with great risk. If, however, the seed is sown 

 in nurseries and carefully tended, the plants so raised may be 

 planted out without any fear of undue loss in the first rains of 

 the south-west monsoon, and even should that fail, as is sometimes 

 the case, the planter is almost sure of suitable weather before 

 October ; but the earlier in the season the plants are put out the 

 better, as they are then enabled to establish themselves well and 

 make some growth previous to encountering the trials of a hot 

 season. It is however as well to wait for the second or third 

 shower to plant up pits that have been recently filled in. The 

 loose soil has become more compact, and the heat generated 

 by the first fall has had time to pass away. 



Nilagiri seed, on the other hand, ripens between March and 

 August, the crop lasting as a rule over three months, and the 

 time of its commencement depending much on the quantity of 

 rain that fell during the north-east monsoon and the dryness or 

 otherwise of the first quarter of the year. If therefore the plants 

 are well shaded up to the time of their attaining 2 inches or so 

 in height, and no floods occur to wash the seedlings out of the 

 ground, tliey have every chance of making a strong and vigorous 

 growth, and the check occasioned by removal of a strong seedling 

 is avoided. This is more especially the case when the seed has 

 been germinated previous to its being sown in the pits. In the 

 case of planting germinated seeds in the pits, two seeds to each 

 pit will be found ample, and the nearer they are situate to the 

 centre of the pit the better the subsequent appearance of the 

 garden will be. In situ tea-planting on these hills, however, 

 always involves more or less risk. A tea plant raised in a nursery, 

 if planted with care and of a moderate size, is by far the most 



