January i, 1889 ] 
THE TROPICAL AG LTU ftt ST. 
plished in a few days. Floods of "cables" with esti- 
mates are coming to hand, some one way, some the 
other way. We gather from them that current orops 
won't be anything like as large as was at one time ox- 
pected, and that growing crops will be on a very mode- 
rate scale. Under such circumstances, coffee will con- 
tinue a high price article. 
«. 
TEA PLANTING IN WESTERN DOOARS. 
(From a Special Correspondent.) 
Julpaiooui, Bengal, Septomber 21, 1888.— The Wes- 
tern Dooars is the youngest tea district in India, 
but it already made itself a good name. Most of 
the gardens in it are owned by companies with their 
head-quarters in Calcutta, but home companies have 
not left the Western Dooars entirely alone. It is 
wonderful, indeed, that no more attention is paid to 
it by investors, for dividends of from 20 to '■ 
cent are not considered at all out o! the way upou 
these properties. The district, which lies on the fron- 
tier of Bhutan, has been opened since 1875. During 
that period many thousands of acres of waste lands 
have beon opened up and laid out in tea. In 1886 
thoro were 64 limited liability companies and private 
concerns, having about 25,000 acres under tea. One 
great advantage which the district has is the " free 
labour" which flocks to it aunually from Chota Nag- 
pore aud the bills of Nepaul. Assam and otber 
districts have to pay from 70 to 100 rupees per head 
for their coolies. If the Assam gardens can pay divi- 
dends varying from 10 to 10 per cent, annually, 
though burdened with such heavy expenditure ou 
labour, the gardens on the Dooars should be able to 
pay dividends rarely earned either at home or abroad. 
What is required to make a garden pay, "baud over 
fist" is a capable manager, who has local experience 
combined with push and energy. There is a great 
difference between workiug with "free labour" and 
with agreement labour, as in Assam, and a manager 
from that district, no matter how successful he may 
have been there, is of little use in the Dooars until 
he becomes acquainted with the uew conditions. All 
gardens canuot be expected to pay alike, as some 
have very high-class plants, and others again, very 
low ones; bnt there is no reason why all should not 
pay handsomely. I shall give a typical example of 
not ouly what can be done, but what has been done 
ou a garden with a very medium class of plant and 
a comparatively poor soil. Like farmers in England, 
tl;e planter luw to «outou<1 against m my evils in the 
shape of blight, aud now and then has to suffer from 
a heavy drought. This year the Dooars has suffered 
from both, a.s well as a low market in Calcutta; yet 
managers are still sanguine of making fair profits. 
Once or twice I have used the expression " free 
labour," which docs not mean that we' get coolies to 
work without pay. The expression applies to coolies 
who work without an agreement to stay so many 
years on the garden, &o.; in fact, they are free to 
OQBM and go as they please, and aro in no way under 
Government supervi»iou. There is still n good deal 
nf land to be had fur the cultivation of tea, and the 
terms of occupation are very light, the rent hi in.; 
nil for the first year, X anuas per acre in the ,-u^ojd, 
(J annas in the third, 0 annas in the fourth and 12 
aunas in the fifth. After 15 per cent, of the total 
area held has been brought into good cultivation, 
and actually boars ten plants, the lessee is entitled 
to a renewal of the lease for a furthor period of 
20 years, and to reuewals for similar periods in 
perpetuity, at a r«nt to bo fix" I by tho Deputy- 
Commt-aioiinr on the order of tho Ooverumeut on 
•••oh oocssiou. Tho rent must not exceed that paid 
for similar lauds iu the neighbourhood, uudor other 
crops than tea. It will thus be seen that tho economic 
conditions oJ teagruwiug, i»r labour and reuUl 
am OoneerOM, are vory easy in the Western Dooars. 
As an example of what may be done by good 
umna|{i<nieiit, with u gamen which is by no means 
favourably nitua'i <l : Tho estate of tho Good Hope 
Fra t'onipuu), I. unite. I, nt l.'aleulU, wus opened 111 
1(177, with a capital uf a lakh ot rupees, divided iulo 
1,000 shares of R100 eaoh. Tea cultivation being 
new at that time, the planters had not so much ex- 
perience of the soil or the class of plants best suited 
for the industry in Western Dooars. Consequently, 
the Good Hope garden possesses poorer soil and 
an inferior classes of plant than other tea estates 
opened at since in tho light of wider experience. 
Now, observe the history of Good Hope. Up till 
1883, tho garden was practically a failure, as it only 
once paid a dividend (8 per cent in 1881). At the 
commencement of 1884, when the present manager 
assumed charge,* the tide changed and has since flawed 
steadily along in the direction of prosperity. In 
that year the profit ou the season's workiug was 
R7.567, or about 7£ per on the capital. A dividend 
of 4 per cent, only was declared, as R3.427 at debit 
of profit and loss account for the provious year had 
to be deducted. In 1885 the profit on the workiug 
was R46.460, or about 46£ per cent, on the capital. 
The balauce then at credit of profit and loss acoount, 
including R140 brought forward from last year, 
was R4G,600, out of which a dividend of 40 per cent, 
was declared, aud R6,600 carried fo' W.rd to 188G. 
The outturn of that year compared with the two 
previous ones, as follows: — 1885, l,646j maunds,; 1881, 
1,301 maunds; 1883, 868J mauuds; and the average 
prices obtained were 1885, As. 12-G per lb.; 1884, 
As. 9-9 per lb.; 1883, As. 9-6 per lb. These results 
were brought about by increased expenditure judi- 
ciously applied, for from 1142,790 in 1883 the total 
outlay rose to R56,578 in 1885. The justification of 
this increase was a dividend of 40 per cent, as in 
thi latter as compared with a debit balance in the 
former year. Oue feature about most Indian tea 
gardens is that while the outturn of the year 
generally exceeds the estimate, the expenditure rarely 
does. Thus in 1885 Good Hope produced 246J mauuds 
of tea more than was estimated, but tho outlay was 
only R259 in excess. At this date the garden was 
380 acres in extent. 
In 1886 a dividend, of 28 per cent, was declared, 
there having been a considerable drop iu the Calcutta 
Tea Market; in fact, prices have beeu steadily de- 
clining, the Good Hope averages going from annas 
12-6 per lb. in 1885 to annas 9-4 in 1SS6, and annas 
8-10 in 1887. Still, 23 per cent., a balauce carried 
over of R9,156, and an addition of 60 acres to the 
garden was a fair show for the year. Last year the 
profit on the season's working was R41,202, or 41'2 
per cent, on the capital of the company. A division 
of 30 per cent, was made to the shareholders, and, 
says the report of the managing ageuts: "While 
providing for the expenditure to date on account of 
the new tea house and manager's bungalow, a further 
dividend of 8 per cent. c%n be declared and still 
leave R9.948-4 to carry forward to profit and loss 
account of the current season." The outturn of the 
garden for the past year compared with that of the 
two previous seasons thits: — 1887, 2,82:> in muds; 1886, 
2,214 maunds; 1885, 1,646 maunds. Last year other 
60 acres were added to the garden, making the nice 
round figrure of 500 acres; but, so far, the new 
acreage has not turned out very well. The compauy 
ee'ored its new sea sou with a credit balance of 
R 18,563, and it was e.'itimated that this season would 
produco 2,800 maunds, at an expenditure of Ri)3,l!t J. 
The present season i 5 nearly at au end, but it is 
impossible yet to say what the ultimate result will 
bo. 
The fortunate origii aal shareholders have thus, in 
tho last four years, received in dividends 110 per 
cent., so that— even c ouuting the lean years previous 
to 1883 — they have hi ul a good return on their in- 
vestment* Tho R100 shares are now quoted at 
Caloutta at R220. Tb Js garden is by uo means an 
exceptional ease. Tf iere are two young oues in 
the Dooars — namely, 1 lop" and Matelli — that aro ox- 
peoted, iu a year or two, to ouUtrip any gardcu 
older than Uiomselves. They have been pronounced 
by authorities from otb er districts as being the Guest 
* An 1 wIkmi tho plau * had come iuto full bearing — 
Kd. T. A. 
