TEA. 



91 



cannot be the slightest doubt that the industry is in an infinitely better 

 and safer position now than it was ten years ago. The existing gardens 

 are, as a general rule, well filled with plant, highly cultivated, and 

 carefully managed. The amount of tea produced per acre, although 

 falling far short of the sanguine expectations of the first days of tea 

 planting, is satisfactory in all the more important districts, while 

 the prices obtained now show that the average quality must be very 

 good. There is every reason to hope that the labour difficulty is dis- 

 appearing in Cachar ; and in spite of the complaints from Assam, there 

 are evident signs of improvement in that province. In Darjeeling 

 there is at present some difficulty, but the labour question is even 

 now less troublesome in this district than it has been at all times in 

 Assam and Cachar. But while there seems every reason to hope that 

 the industry is now entering on a period of prosperity and stability 

 such as it has not hitherto experienced, it would be most unwise to 

 shut our eyes to some unpleasant signs which seem, when read by the 

 light of past experience, to indicate a recurrence to that spirit of 

 speculation and want of foresight which so very nearly ruined tea 

 planting in former years. 



In a report of the Directors of the Assam Company, under date 

 16th December, 1841, they stated that : 



" The total quantity of land fully and partially cleared was 

 1958 poorahs,* of which the quantity of native tea land cleared, 

 and in actual production, was 780 poorahs. 



" The quantity of land contained in our grants was unknown, as 

 the officers of Government had not yet been able to survey them, but 

 of the whole, 25,774 poorahs was the quantity estimated as suitable 

 for the cultivation of tea. 



" Of the 780 poorahs of native tea land above mentioned, the number 

 of plants in a poorah was found to vary from 450 to 2400. The 

 average number in a poorah was found to be 1660. 



" The average quantity of tea to be obtained from each plant at full 

 produce was estimated at a quarter of a pound annually. 



" The total annual cost of cultivating one poorah, and converting 

 its produce into tea, is estimated by the superintendents in Assam 

 at 120 rupees, or 111. The superintendence in Assam, Calcutta, and 

 London, packing, and every contingency, are estimated by the local 

 directors at 100 rupees, or 101. per poorah. 



" Thus one poorah containing 1600 plants will produce 400 lbs. of 

 tea, and the total annual charge will be 220 rupees, or 22Z. The 

 value of 400 lbs. of tea, at 2s. a pound, will be 40Z., estimating the 

 average value of black and green tea at that price (which, with 

 reference to the actual, and probably improving, quality of the article, 

 the Board consider that they have a right to assume as the average price 

 for some years), and the gross profit per poorah would therefore be 

 18/., so that the profit on 1000 poorahs would be 18,000Z. 



" In 1845, all the tea lands now actually producing will be yielding 

 full produce." 



Now, let us compare the present condition of tea culture in Assam. 

 The following gives the total area taken up in the province of 

 ♦ A poorah contains 52,900 square feet, or 1 y\ acre. 



