July  i,  1892.] 
67 
THE  TROPICAL 
PLANTING  NOTES  FROM  THE  NILGIRIS. 
Coonooe,  June  1. — The  season  of  1891-92  is  well 
nigh  over  on  the  Niigiris,  exempt  on  a few  high  estates, 
where  the  crop  has  been  slow  in  ripening  and  where 
picking  is  still  going  on  ; and  we  sre  now  just  entering 
on  the  season  of  1892-93.  as  far  as  one  can  julge  at 
present,  prospeots  are  good  on  nearly  all  the  estates 
which  have  been  under  proper  cultivation.  Biossom 
on  some  low-lying  estates  came  out  as  early  as  Febru- 
ary, which,  contrary  to  expectations,  set  well.  During 
March  and  April  all  the  estates  were  under  blossom, 
and  as  the  weather  then  was  on  the  whole  favourable, 
there  was  nothing  to  prevent  it  from  setting.  No  one 
expects  bumper  orops  next  season,  but  a good  average 
yield  is  confidently  looked  forward  to.  The  largest 
returns  will  probably  be  from  the  Adderly  Estate, 
situated  within  a few  miles  of  Coouoor,  which 
has  a young  orop  of  about  80  ton?  ou  it.  This 
estate  is  one  of  the  oldest  on  this  Bide  of  the 
Niigiris,  the  first  portion  of  it  having  being  opened 
out  early  in  the  fifties  ; it  is  most  favourably  situated 
in  a fine  rioh  valley,  and  easy  of  access  both  from 
Ooonoor  and  Mettapollium,  and  used  to  be  one  of  the 
best  paying  properties  on  these  hills,  having  often 
yielded  over  100  tons.  Some  years  ago,  however, 
when  leaf  disease  brake  out  in  a virulent  form  those 
who  owned  the  estate  lost  faith  in  coffee  and  cut  down 
the  expenditure  on  the  estate  at  the  very  time  the 
trees  required  the  greatest  amount  of  care  and  culti- 
vation, with  the  result  that  the  yield  fell  to  about  a 
quarter  of  wbat  it  used  to  be.  About  two  years  ago 
it  was  acid  to  two  of  the  most  enthusiastic  planters 
in  Coonoor,  who  rightly  consider  that  proper  culti- 
vation alone  is  necessary  to  mike  coffee  a paying 
speculation.  These  gentlemen,  having  perfect  faith 
in  coffee,  cultivated  the  estate,  both  in  a praotioal 
and  liberal  manner,  with  the  result  that  they 
have  now  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  a splendid 
orop  on  the  trees,  and  with  every  prospect  of 
large  yields  in  the  future.  During  the  late  dis- 
pute between  planters  and  Government,  with  res- 
pect to  the  value  of  portions  of  the  estates  taken  up 
by  the  Nilgiri  Railway,  one  of  the  arguments  brought 
forward  by  the  Government  Solicit  r in  support  of 
the  very  low  valuations  put  on  the  portions  required 
for  the  railway,  was  that  as  the  trees  were  over  30 
years  of  age  they  were  old,  passed  bearing  fair  crop?, 
and  liable  to  die  out ; and  although  the  evidence  of 
several  well-known  and  experienced  planters  went  to 
show  the  contrary,  yet  the  hypothesis  adduced  by 
the  Government  Solicitor  teuded  to  lower  the  value 
of  the  estates  in  the  eyes  of  the  Judge.  The  pre- 
sent crop  on  Adderly  should  be  a conclusive  proof 
that  an  estate  between  30  and  40  years  of  age  is 
still  valuable  property  and  capable,  with  proper  culti- 
vation, of  yielding  large  crops. 
The  weather  during  the  past  ten  or  twelve  days 
has  been  very  unpleasant  and  unsettled.  A nasty 
wind,  accompanied  with  slight  showers,  blows  all  day 
and  night.  Whether  this  is  the  burst  of  the  South- 
West  monsoon  or  not,  it  is  hard  to  tell  as  yet;  if  it  is 
tbe  monsoon  it  is  a very  mild  one ; but  let  u?  hope 
that  we  will  get  our  full  share  of  rain  later  on. 
The  quality  of  the  crop  greatly  depends  on  the  quan- 
tity of  rain  we  get  during  the  South-West  Monsoon. 
Although  the  rainfall  on  the  Niigiris  is  always  great 
during  the  North-East  than  during  the  South-West 
Monsoon,  yet  crop  prospects  .depend  to  a great  ex- 
tent on  the  latter,  and  any  failure  in  the  rains  dur- 
ing this  month,  and  July,  has  a most  deteriorating 
effect  on  the  quality  of  the  bean.  During  the  last 
two  or  three  years,  the  quality  of  Nilgiri  coffee  has 
been  rather  below  the  average  in  consequence  of  the 
failure  of  the  South-West  Monsoons.  This  year  a 
good  monsoon  is  predicted  and  let  us  hope  wo  shall 
Dot  be  disappointed.  Leaf  disease  has,  lam  glad  to 
say,  been  on  the  wane  during  the  last  12  months. 
I had  occasion  to  go  over  several  estates  lately, 
and  I was  rejoiced  at  not  being  able  to  find  signs 
of  the  disease  on  any  of  them.  We  may,  how- 
ever, not  be  quite  out  of  the  wood  yet  for  the 
worst  months  for  the  pest  are  July  and  August,  aud 
until  those  months  are  passed  it  is  best  not  to  be 
agriculturist. 
too  sanguine.  Estates  are  this  year  looking  better 
and  freer  of  diseases  of  all  sorts  than  they  have  done 
for  years  past,  their  present  state  making  one  hope 
that  good  days  for  coffee  are  returning. 
All  estates  are  at  present  short  of  labour,  but  in 
another  week  or  two  most  of  the  coolies  will  return 
when  the  first  thing  to  be  done  will  be  to  weed  estates 
and  get  them  cleaned  up.  This  work  invariably  oc- 
cupies all  hands  for  tbe  best  part  of  a month,  and 
about  the  middle  of  July  handling  should  commence. 
It  is  not  advisable  to  handle  out  trees  laden  with 
orop  before  July,  as  the  berries  whioh  have  just  set 
are  liable  to  wither  when  exposed,  before  they  are 
a mouth  or  two  old.  Handling,  like  pruning,  is  a 
most  impartant  work  on  all  estates  and  one  which 
should  be  very  carefully  done  and  constantly  super- 
vised by  competent  meD,  as  the  succeeding  year’s 
orop  will  to  a great  extent  depend  on  the  manner  in 
which  the  trees  are  handled.  I have  heard  planters 
say  that  although  it  is  difficult  to  get  good  pruners 
yet  any  cooly  can  handle.  No  doubt  any  cooly  can  cer- 
tainly pull  out  young  wood,  but  merely  taking  oat 
wood  is  not,  what  is  commonly  understood  as  hand- 
ling. This  work,  to  be  properly  done  requires  a great 
deal  of  care  and  forethought.  If  too  much  of  the  wood 
is  pulled  off  now  it  will  be  a bad  lookout  for  next 
season’s  crop  as  very  little  fresh  wood  comes  out  after 
the  end  of  July,  and  such  wood  as  the  tree  may  about 
throw  out  late  in  the  year  will  not  be  ripe  enough 
for  blossoming  next  March  and  April.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  'oo  much  wood  is  left  it  becomes  too  great  a 
draiu  on  the  trees,  and  although  such  trees  often  throw 
out  a good  blossom,  yet,  except  under  very  favour- 
able circumstances,  tbe  blossom  invariably  fails  to 
set ; and  even  when,  under  very  favourable  circum- 
stances, the  blossom  on  trees  was  laden  with  wood 
does  set,  the  frees  deteriorate  and  the  orop  turns 
out  light  and  inferior  in  quality.  A coffee  tree 
should  be  handled  with  discretion,  and  according 
to  its  vigor.  Trees  which  are  strong  enough  to  bear 
a heavy  crop  should  have  more  wood  left  on  them 
than  weakly  ones.  Very  few  coolies  have  discre- 
tionary powers ; or  if  they  have  they  are  much  too 
apithetio  to  exercise  them.  Hence  it  is  very  necessary 
that  handling,  to  be  profitably  done,  should  be  con- 
ducted under  proper  supervision.  I almost  forgot  to 
mention  that  while  handing  all  gormandizers  should 
be  removed.  Gormandisers  are  generally  the  results 
of  too  heavy  pruning,  and  they  will  soon  kill  the 
tree  if  allowed  to  remain.  Some  little  time  ago 
I was  very  much  amused  to  hear  a planter,  who 
said  he  had  26  years’  experience,  say  that  gormandisers 
always  yield  the  heaviest  crops.  It  was  a great  comfort 
to  me  that  this  planter  hadn’t  the  working  of  any 
estate  I was  interested  in.  Handling  should  be  com- 
pleted by  the  end  of  September,  or  at  the  very  latest 
by  the  middle  of  October.  On  no  account  should 
trees  be  interfered  with  after  October  as  they  should 
be  left  alone  to  ripen  the  crop.  If  from  any  oause 
this  work  is  not  completed  by  Ootober,  it  is  best  to 
leave  it  until  the  beginning  of  February,  when  the 
superfluous  wood  may  be  removed  while  pruning.  I 
by  do  meaus  advooate  such  a method,  but  I merely 
choose  between  two  evils,  as  it  is  better  to  remove 
the  surplus  wood  in  February  than  to  handle  in 
November,  December  and  January. 
Mr.  L.  Reilly,  who  for  the  last  30  years  or  so, 
was  oonnected  with  the  Hillgrove  Estate,  first  as 
Superintendent  and  then  as  part  owner,  severed  hia 
connection  by  selling  his  share  to  hia  partners  about 
a month  or  two  ago.  The  estate  is  a valuable  pro- 
perty of  about  300  acres  under  coffee  cultivation. — 
Madras  Mail,  June  4th. 
ASSAM  AND  CEYLON  AS  TEA  DISTRICTS. 
At  a recent  meeting  of  the  Indian  Tea  Association, 
Mr.  Playfair  thus  showed  how  unfavourably  the 
great  Brahmaputra  tea  region  compares  with  Ceylon 
in  facilities  of  communication  and  labour  supply  : — 
The  province  of  Assam,  moat  appropriately  called 
by  the  Lord  Napier  of  Magdala  the  Eden  of  India,  is 
a conspioaous  example  of  the  strange  indiflfereuoe  with 
