TEA DISTRICTS. 21 



feet, is far too great ; but plantations lower down do 

 tolerably well (that is, well for hill gardens). The climate, 

 like all hill climates, is too cold. As regards transport the 

 Darjeeling plantations will be well situated when the rail- 

 road now constructing is finished. Like elevations in 

 Darjeeling and Kumaon are in favour of the former, first, 

 because the latitude is less; secondly, because Darjeeling 

 has much more rain in the spring. I believe, therefore, 

 that the hill plantations of Darjeeling have a better chance 

 of paying than the gardens in Kumaon, but, as stated 

 before, no elevated gardens, that is, none in the Himalayas, 

 have any chance in the race against plantations in the 

 plains, always providing the latter are in a good Tea 

 climate. 



In two respects, however, Darjeeling is behind Kumaon. 

 The soil is not so good, and the land is much steeper. It 

 is more than absurd, some of the steeps on which Tea is 

 planted in the former ; and such precipices can, I am sure, 

 never pay. Gardens, barely removed above the Terai (and 

 there are such in Darjeeling), can scarcely be called "ele- 

 vated," and for them the remarks applied to the Terai are 

 more fitting. As a broad rule it should be recognised that 

 the lower Tea is planted in the Himalayas the better 

 chance it has. 



All the plants in the Darjeeling gardens, with but few 

 exceptions, are China. 



The China plant makes by far the best Green Tea, and 

 I believe the Darjeeling gardens would pay much better 

 than they do if they altered their manufacture from black 

 to green. (See further on, under the head of Hazareebaugh, 

 what has been done in this way.) All Himalayan gardens 

 should, in my opinion, make Green Tea (Kumaon has 

 awoke to the fact), for all have China plants, and 

 can therefore make far better Green Tea than can be 



