clviii Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XIII, 



1 The Planting Industries of Southern India.— By R. D. 



Ansteab. 



The Planting Industries of Southern India comprise a number of 

 different products of which Coffee, Tea and Rubber are the main crops, 

 and the paper sketches the early history of these three industries. 



The oldest planting industry in Southern India is .Coffee. The early 

 history of this product is shrouded in mvstery and veiled in legends. 

 Coffee is indigenous to Ethiopia and was probably introduced from there 

 into Abysynma about 875 A.D., and from there it reached Arabia. Syria, 

 .Persia, Turkey and other countries in Asia. 



No food product has ever had to face as much opposition as Coffee ; 

 religious superstition, political opposition, medical prejudice, fiscal restric- 

 tions, taxes and duties, but surviving all these it has become a world 

 popular beverage and food. 



tj u Tr S di i-° n - has '* that Coffee was introduced into South India by 

 tfaba Budm in 1600 on the hills above Chickmaglur in the Mysore State. 



T^ Cert ? mly introd uced from Aden to the Malabar Coast in 1700 and 

 in 1800 references are found to it in Indian literature. There are now 

 some 200,000 acres under cultivation on the hills from the northern limit 



of Mysore, through Coorg, the Xilgiris, Shevaroy>. Pulnevs, to» Cochin 

 and Travancore. ' * 



The next biggest planting industry is Tea. The Tea plant is indige- 

 nous to Assam and also in China, and its use and cultivation originated 

 in the latter country , the history of its discovery being purely legendary. 

 The cultivation of Tea in India was first recommended in 1834 and the 

 China variety was tried and failed. In 1840 the Assam Tea Co. was started 

 ™aJ t Assam '^gencus variety and there are now some 64,000 acres 



Wv^J e V?K OUt jT rn . • India <*»fly in the hill tracts of the Nilgiris, 

 Wynaad, Malabar, Cochin and Travancore 



to, wf lat6 ^ P lantin S Vestry of any considerable size to be established 

 2i e n ? 8 5 U 5 ber - .^ckham in 1876 brought home to Kew the first 

 TJil f / > i° aDy f Ze and this he smuggled from t he Amazon. Plants 

 rntlJ«r S6ed Were sent to Cel y° n a "d in 1879 twenty-eight of 



J 6 lt 3 were P f ut °»t at \ilambur. About the same time a number 



maracherv ahl ? ^n b ? ^ er g uso * **> Poonoor at the foot of the Tam- 

 ed and rZ £n • ?° ° f S** 6 8Urvive t0 " da y • The trees were "^ 

 on the wit P f considered a failure till Proudlock in 1 902 reported 



Th« fiL p ^ * i C ° Untry M beir) g suitable for Rubber cultivation, 

 o ? J5 8 l? U J bber f e S ate ' n South Ind ia was opened in 1902 at Thattakad 

 ^i,, h L b K. nk !u° f the . Peri y ar ^er in Wane ™> - ^ 



fnllnvL-o^ k„ *u 1 j. J liver in travancore. This was quickly 



Son aS Sr^^ ? OW there are so ™ 60,000 acres under culti- 

 vation, and Rubber which m 770 mQO ^«i i ._ ' :i MM i» has 



})P»pnmA ™i* rsf *u i J WiA * om Y usea to erase pencil mar^ »— 



theTorlS m ° St lm P° rtant and valuable comment! products i 



the world. 



lished h thaf I tt n 5l n l! n f dU u tr i eS ° f South ^n India are now so firmly estal 

 ^t£V£X£»% tar «* , » a that * is «*y comparatively recent! 



port^e' mnrovW i*^ ? lStTicts are developing, the means of trans- 

 ?ush of ZSmS mecha n^al facilities are extending, and in the 



Sneers and [fil^ 06 ° f the earl y days, * he ™ eraor - v ° f ^ 

 ^Tbe^d tZSESS**** 5* a " d termination, are 



The 



Vgri.ultural Insurance.— By J. S. Chakbavabti 



necessary 



« the AgScS ?2LSu S^S" *'" •*- to ""> ^-^ """"*' 



