156 



Noiice o f the Sclerdific labors of 



[iVo. 34, 



But widi all these advantages of climate,' there are certain peculiarities, 

 which, in some situations, prove most injui'ious to vegetation, and if over- 

 looked in any schemes for the improvement of agriculture or horticulture in 

 these regions, might mar our best exertions. These are 1st. The great 

 intensity of the solar rays, when the sky is not obscured by clouds. 

 2dly. The great waste of heat from the ground, and from plants, by 

 radiation in clear nights. The former will sometimes produce a heat of 

 from 90' to 100° on the surface of leaves, flowers, and fruit during the 

 day ; the latter may subject them, in the succeeding night, to a degree 

 of cold considerably below the freezuig point. Few plants wdll bear so 

 great a transition, and it is only to be avoided by a judicious selection of 

 situations, which are not likely to be much under the influence of the two 

 causes I have noticed ; or, in the case of fruit trees and garden plants, by 

 matting, and other contrivances. I need scarcely remark that it would 

 be highly desirable to ascertain the meteorological characters of the dif- 

 ferent parts of the hills, before attempting the introduction of any new 

 staples; otherwise, in a new country and without experience, success would 

 be very questionable, and would rest only upon blind chance. 



" Next to the climate of a country the most important object an agricul- 

 turist has to turn his attention to is the nature of the soils. One of the 

 most remarkable features of the Neilgherries is the great depth of soil met 

 with even on the highest hills. It has originated principally from the disin- 

 tegration of the earthy felspar mentioned above, which is more or less mixed 

 with sand, is coloured with iron, and, in some situations, contains numerous 

 pebbles and small fragments of quartz, and of the other subjacent rocks. In 

 some valleys it contains a certain quantity of vegetable matter ; and in many 

 places on the higher hills a thick coat of black vegetable stuff is found, 

 principally formed of decayed ferns, and which might, perhaps, be usefully 

 employed for the amelioration of other soils. Tlie ground is, in general, 

 easily worked, but being (as far as I can at present judge) entirely defi- 

 cient of lime and of every description of salt, it will probably for certain 

 kinds of cultivation, require to be highly manured, either with lime, with 

 salts, or with vegetable and animal composts. Lime is clearly indicated 

 as a manure for the Neilgherry soils ; but the very circumstance which 

 renders it so necessary, viz., its total absence amongst the subjacent rocks, 

 m.akes it difflcult to be procured. The lime which is employed in building 

 is obtained from the kunker (calcareous tufa) which occurs in great abun- 

 dance all over the plains of Coimhatore. Upon analyzing it, however, I 

 have found it to contain a considerable quantity of magnesia, which ren- 

 ders it totally unfit for the purposes of agriculture, nothing being so inju- 

 rious to vegetation as that earth. Were the distance not too great, shells 

 might be brought from the coast to improve the soil, and sea salt and ni- 

 tre, neither of which are very expensive, might prove useful. 



•'1 need not insist upon the inducements, that these and some of the other 



