5 

 Cultivation of Oranges in the Khasia HillB, Assam, India 



In the Khasia Hill, in one large connected piece of aijoiit 

 IjOno acres lie the groves of Bhalla that supjjly a great part 

 of IRastern as wel\ as Weste^rn Bengal with orf-mges. One may 

 walk for a good hour or two, always under the shade of orange 

 trees, without reaching the limits of cultivation, and when, 

 as i^i December and January, every tree is laden with ripe 

 fruit, no sight "can lae more enjoyable, "I have beem through 

 the Sorrento gardens," says a horticulturist visitor, "but 

 this beats Sorrento, and the Neapolitan orange growers -^vould 

 find some difficulty in selecting out of their entire pia,ns, 

 a piece at all approaching this," 



The plantations cOBunence from the plains and rise to an 

 elevation of about 1,500 feet above the sea-level. Above 

 these low hills and not far away, is the table land of Cherra- 

 punji (elevation 4,500 feet), which enjoys the unenviable 

 distinction of having the heaviest rainfall in the world. 

 Orange trees are common enough in other parts of the district 

 at an elevation of even 5,(500 feet, but there the tree does not 

 thrive so well as in the hot steamy climate of the lower 

 hills ; it takes a longer time to come into bearing, and the 

 fruit is of inferior quality, 



T'rom their peculiar situation the gardens here have 

 natural advantages which are seldom possessed by gardens else- 

 where in the world. They are situated between a net work of 

 small hill streams which overflow their banks during heavy 

 downpours. Every part of the garden goes under water, not 



