206 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September a, 1889. 
splendid tea months, and nearly every single garden 
has made more than its estimate." 
The table below gives, according to the district 
returns, the yield per acre for the Brahmapootra 
Valley, Surma Valley, and whole Province : — 
Yield per acre. 
, 1 , 
1887. 1888. 
lb. lb. 
Surma Valley ... ... 379 349 
Brahmaputra Valley ... ... 388 415 
For (he whole Province ... 384 386 
These figuses are the natural result of the character 
of the season. In the Surma Valley, the average 
outturn in Sylhet, owing probably to the productive- 
ness of the gardens lying in drained bils, is greater 
than in Cachar. In the Brahmapootra Valley, 
Luckimpore, as usual, heads the list, owiu^ to its 
great humidity. The hot -winds, comparatively so- 
called, which blow in March and April in Kamroop 
aud the Western end of the valley, and so consider- 
ably retard the early flush, are unknown in the 
North-eastern districts, where plucking consequently 
generally begins earlier than in any other part of 
Assam. 
The figures for average outturn of the Indian Tea 
Association given below, though somewhat lower than 
those brought out by district returns, nevertheless 
confirm generally the results shown in the preceding 
statement : — 
Yield per acre. 
7887. 1888? 
lb. lb. 
Surma Valley ... ... 352 329 
Brahmapootra Valley ... ... 376 398 
For the whole Province ... 365 367 
The trade return figures for the import and ex- 
port of tea-seed are given in the statement below : — 
Imports. Exports. 
' 1887. 18837" 7887 . 1888."^ 
Mds. Mds. Mds. Mds. 
Surma Valley ... 102 392 1,602 3,337 
Brahmapootra Valley ... 2 4,053 8,734 
For the whole Province 102 394 5,655 12,071 
It would seem from these that the revival in the 
trade noted last year continues, and is accentuated. 
The amount exported, though large, does not equal 
that of the year 1884, when, owing to the demand 
in Oeylou, the total rose to 15,490 maunds. No 
reliable information can be expected from district 
returns as to the cost of production aud cost of 
cultivation. The figures must uecessarily vary from 
garden to garden, but the limits of the variations 
are in some cases so great as to show that there 
must be gross error somewhere. On this subject the 
Deputy-Commissioner, Luckimpore, writes as follows: — 
"I have again not filled in the columns of the 
return relating to cost of cultivation and manufacture. 
The figures supplied by the managers vary so oon. 
siderably that it is impossible to form any accurate 
estimate. One planter gives the cost of cultivation 
per acre at B10 and another at B210, while the 
cost of manufacture varies from 4 annas to 8 annas 
per pound. However, from what I can gather, it 
costs from 3j to 0 annas per pound to place the 
tea in Calcutta and 7 to 10 pence in London." 
Taking the estimates given by Deputy-Oommissioners, 
we obtain the following figures : — 
Cost of Cost of production 
cultivation of 1 lb. of tea laid 
per acre. down iu Calcutta. 
Bs. Rs. As. P. 
Cachar ... ... 58 
Sylhet ... ... 67 
<;<;>lpara ... ... not given 
Kumroop ... ... SJ7 
Jjurrung ... ... 72 
Nowgong ... ... 100 
Sib augor ... ... 89 
Luckimpore ... 100 
0 
6 
4 
0 
7 
9 
0 
6 
0 
0 
6 
0 
0 
7 
4 
0 
6 
0 
0 
5 
6 
0 
5 
0 
It is impossible to reconcile some of the figures 
in the last column of this table with those in the column 
preceding and the outturn. The mole in which the 
cost of cultivation is calculated clearly requires consider- 
ation. The average prices obtained in Calcutta, for the 
teas of 1888 are stated by the Indian Tea Association to 
have been 7 annas 5 pies to 7 annas 7 pies per pound for 
the Surma, and 8 annas 2 pies per pound for the Brahma- 
pootra Valley. The teas of 1887 fetched the following 
average prices on the total number of reported 
sales : — 
Surma Valley 7 annas 9 pies to 8 annas per lb. 
Brahmapootra Valley 8 annas 2 pies per lb. 
These figures represent actuals, and are reliable 
as far as they go, but it must be remembered 
that all Assam tea is not sold in Calcutta, and 
that many gardens send their produce direct to 
London. No reliable figures are as yet obtainable as 
to the average prices realized in London, but as 
the Calcutta averages are somewhat below those of 
last year, it is but too probable that there has been 
a decrease in the London market. As usual the 
change is attributed to excess of production as com- 
pared with consumption. 
The season was unfavourable to tea in the Surma 
Valley, and favourable on the Northern side of the 
central range. Oacbar was almost water-logged, 
while in Sylbet the rainfall was excessive, and its 
distribution bad. The following extract from the 
Report of Mr. Driberg, Deputy-Commissioner of 
Luckimpore, is interesting, as indicating the opening 
of a new, though limited, market tor the poorer 
kinds of Assam tea : — 
"During my recent tour in the Mofussil, I saw 
about a couple of maunds of loose unpacked tea at 
a Kaiya's. On making enquiries I found that he 
bought it from villagers, who have small plots of 
tea, some in the bastis, some in the juugles, on old 
abandoned gardens. A ryot takes a Itiga or so of 
an abandoned garden, keeps it clear, plucks the leaf, 
manufacturers it and sells it to the Kaiyas. The 
Kaiya in question told me he got some 10 maunds 
each year in this way, aud another Kaiya, to whom 
he referred me, said he got about 15 maunds. I 
afterwards, when inspecting a tea-garden in the 
neighbourhood, heard from the manager that many 
ryots have small patches of tea, aud that the Kai- 
yas collect some 200 maunds of tea annually. The 
Kaiyas told me they bought at 5 auuas per seer, 
and after sifting and sorting, they so'd at 12 annas 
a seer. Most of this tea goes to Margherita, and 
is purchased by the Singphos and Khamptis. I was 
not aware before that the ryot went in for tea cul- 
tivation in this way, and that the hill people bought 
so largely from us. It his hitherto been supposed 
the Singphos, Khamptis, and Burmans only use! 
tea prepared in a particular way, that is pickled 
tea, but I find that they take our tea prepared in 
the ordinary way. I will not lose sight of this 
matter. A little encouragement may lead to a fair 
amount of trade. I do not th ; nk any of this tea 
purchased by Kaivas from ryots is exported to other 
districts or to Calcutta. It all appears to go to 
the hills in the direction of the Hukong Valley." — 
Indian Planters' Gazette. 
COCONUT PLANTING IN CEYLON, 
Of all investments in Ceylon, none have from "find 
to finish " shown such good results as coconut plant- 
ing. The profits have never, perhaps, been so great 
as to lead to " booms " and other means of self-decep- 
tion. A coconut property once in bearing need never 
be worked to a loss, and if of sufficient area, must 
always leave a profit. As far as Europeans are con- 
cerned, plantations have seldom beeu large enough ; 
anything under 500 acres of good, or 800 acres ordinary, 
is the lowest extent they should be, and if of greater 
area so much the better. In all cases they require pro- 
tection ; so the larger the area inside the. more easy 
will it be to surrouud them with watchers. Then the 
systematic destruction of beetles and other pests, and 
the chief, perpetual work of coconut growth is 
pru.ided for. 
