August  i,  1892.] 
THF.  TROPiCAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
T33 
ridges  by  inserting  Jumps  of  spawn  in  the  manure 
in  a similar  manner  and  at  the  same  distance  apart 
as  advised  for  the  indoor  beds.  Then  cover  with  two 
inches  of  nice  loamy  soil,  and  beat  it  well,  and  to 
make  it  thoroughly  lirm  sprinkle  it  with  water  and 
then  smooth  it  with  the  back  of  the  spade.  A cover- 
ing of  straw  or  long  stable  manure,  about  nine  inches 
in  thickness,  must  be  applied;  and  to  keep  this  dry 
lay  mats  or  thatched  hurdles  over  it.  Outdoor  beds 
require  more  attention  and  labour  than  those  under 
cover,  but  the  produce  obtainable  from  them  will 
afford  adequate  remuneration  for  all  the  labour  that 
may  be  expended  upon  them.  The  manure  will  at 
the  eud  of  the  season  be  available  for  dressing  the 
kitchen  garden,  but  it  will  not  be  to  rich  in  nitrogen 
as  manure  which  has  simply  teen  brought  from  the 
stable  and  thrown  into  a heap,  and  its  value  as  a 
tertiliz  r will  consequently  be  less.  The  outdoor  beds 
may  be  made  up  during  the  same  period  as  mentioned 
when  speaking  ot  the  beds  in  sheds  ; and  the  last  one 
may  be  as  dated  as  the  cold  weather  comes  on  by  a 
good  coveri- g of  warm  fermenting  materials 
In  gathering  the  Crop  it  is  important  to  cut  them 
as  low  di  wn  as  possible,  for  when  a considerable 
portion  of  the  stem  is  left  it  affords  a harbour  for 
maggots.  At  the  same  time  care  must  be  taken  to 
avoid  disturbing  the  small  mushrooms  with  which 
those  ready  f r the  table  are  frequently  surrounded. 
If  not  gatbertd  in  the  form  of  buttons  they  should 
be  gathered  immediately  they  have  attained  a fair 
size  and  before  the  gills  assume  a dark  colour. — 
Amateur’s  Kitchen  Garden. 
THE  SOUTH  MYSORE  PLANTERS. 
A not  very  amicable  state  of  affairs  seems  to  exist 
between  the  South  Mysore  planters  and  their  coolies, 
judging  from  the  Annual  Report,  a copy  of  which 
has  just  reached  us.  There  has  been  an  apparently 
organised  campaign  against  the  planters  in  regard  to 
their  agreements,  and  the  orders  of  Magistrates 
have  been  regularly  quashed  by  the  High  Court 
without  allowing  the  planter-complainants  any  chance 
of  satisfying  the  Court  of  the  justice  of  their  cases. 
A very  bad  sign,  too,  is  the  fact  that  offences  in 
Mysore  against  Europeans  have  become  very  nume- 
rous. The  coolies,  who  can  behave  very  well  so 
long  as  they  have  a master-hand  guiding  them,  but 
who,  on  getting  the  least  chance  can  do  much  to 
harass  and  annoy,  no  doubt  take  the  treatment  their 
sahibs  are  now  getting  in  Court  as  license  for  their 
continuing  to  annoy  their  employers.  The  Mysore 
Planters'  Association  admits  that,  from  the  nature 
of  the  people  of  the  country,  a hard-and-fast  agree- 
ment with  the  labourer  is  almost  impossible;  but 
the  planter  does  not  demand  regular  or  constant 
work,  or  that  the  coolie  should  clear  his  money 
straight  off  without  taking  any  portion  of  his  pay 
for  food  and  clothing.  Yet,  with  all  this,  and 
because  he  deals  leniently  with  the  coolie,  we  find 
the  planter  is  now-a-days  held  to  have  forfeited  all 
light  to  assistance  from  the  State  should  the  coolie 
afterwards  neglect  to  perform  his  portion  of  the  con- 
tract. All  this  stands  in  marked  contrast  to  the 
peace  and  harmony  that  exists  between  the  tea 
planters  of  Assam  and  their  coolies,  which  we  referred 
to  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  month  in  com- 
menting on  coolie  emigration  to  Assam.  There  the 
coolies,  who  are  not  overworked,  receive  good  wages, 
and  are  contented.  Again,  the  terms  of  the  new 
agreement  between  planters  and  coolies  proposed 
by  Government,  which  we  also  commented  upon, 
put  both  parties  on  a very  fair  footing  to  each  other ; 
and  there  was  the  remedy  if  either  party  broke  any 
of  the  terms  of  the  contract.  What  the  terms  of 
the  present  form  of  agreement  that  exists  between 
Mysore  planters  and  their  labourers  is,  we  do  not 
know.  If  the  terms  were  similar  to  that  method 
of  agreement  we  referred  to  the  other  day,  we  do 
not  see  how  the  planters  could  be  put  to  so  much 
trouble  as  they  are  at  present  by  the  High  Court 
resuming  its  campaign  against  them,  and  by  incen- 
diarism, assault,  and  insult. 
Though  the  President  and  Honorary  Secretary  of 
the  Association  remark  at  the  outset,  "that  it  is  with 
pleasure  they  submit  their  Report,  there  is  much 
that  is  unsatisfactory  in  it,  and  in  which  they  de- 
serve sympathy.  The  Mysore  planters  have  gone  on  for 
long,  hoping  for  many  reforms,  but  they  know 
how  much  they  have  got.  And  this  of  Mysore  is 
your  model  state.  The  planters  have  to  fight  for 
themselves ; and,  knowing  this,  it  is  with  some 
surprise  we  read,  in  reference  to  the  proposal  for 
the  Combination  of  Associations,  the  words : — “ On 
return  of  the  papers  referred  to  in  the  last  Report, 
the  Honorary  Secretary  addressed  all  the  Planters’ 
Associations,  inviting  them  to  meet  in  Bangalore 
in  March  next.  Ouly  three  replied ; two  promising ; 
and  one  declining  to  attend.  We  have  therefore 
been  compelled  to  abandon  all  hopes  of  bringing 
about  the  union  to  which  so  many  planters  looked 
forward.”  The  Mysore  planter  have  many  griev- 
ances, as  this  Report  shows;  they  are  in  a state, 
where,  from  the  High  Court,  they  get  scant  justice, 
At  least  so  we  would  infer  from  the  Report.  There- 
fore there  is  every  reason  why  combination  is  ne- 
cessary. We  need  only  remind  them  of  the  old 
fable  of  iBsop,  in  which  he  tells  of  a certain  King 
who,  lyii  g on  his  death-bed,  called  all  his  sons 
to  him.  Into  the  hands  of  each  in  turn  he  placed 
a bundle  of  sticks  tightly  bound  together,  and  bade 
the  young  men  break  them.  Of  course  they  could 
not,  but  when  the  sticks  were  unbound  and  placed 
in  their  hands  separately  they  snapped  them  without 
exertion.  “So  my  sons,”  said  the  dying  King,  “as 
long  as  you  remain  banded  together  your  enemies 
will  never  overcome  you ; but  become  separated 
through  quarrelling,  and  you  will  be  broken  as 
easily  as  those  sticks.”  The  Mysore  planters 
should  hearken  to  the  moral  of  this  fable, — that 
“unity  is  strength.”  and  a combination  of  associa- 
tions would  be  all  the  more  serviceable  to  them 
now,  remembering  where  they  are,  and  how  they 
are  circumstanced. — Indian  Body  News. 
FIRE  INSURANCE  ON  ESTATE 
BUILDINGS. 
The  Secretary  of  the  Planters’ Association  sends 
us  the  following  Utter  received  from  the  Secretary 
Ceylon  Association  in  Lordon  enclosing  copy  of 
further  correspondence  on  the  subject  of  a reduced 
rate  of  premium  on  the  Buildings  on  Tea  Estates:- 
Copy. 
4,  Mincing  Lane,  London,  E.C.,  17th  June  1892. 
A.  Philip,  Esq.,  Secretary  Ceylon  Planters’  Asso- 
ciation, Kandy. 
Dear  Sir, — I have  the  pleasure  to  enclose  copy  of 
letter  from  the  Alliance  Assurance  Co.,  advising  a 
considerable  reduction  of  rates  for  Fire  risk  on 
Estates.  Mr.  Rogivue  has  come  over  from  Moscow 
hoping  to  make  anangements  for  securing  financial 
support  for  his  business  in  Russia;  lie  speaks  in  a 
very  sanguine  way  of  the  progress  made  with  Ceylon 
Tea  in  Russia  and  considers  the  business  an  assured 
success,  but  capital  is  required  to  work  the  increas- 
ing business.  Mr.  Rogivue  will  return  to  Russia  in 
time  for  the  Nijni  fair.— I remain,  dear  sir,  yours 
faithfully,  (Signed)  Win.  Mamin  Leake,  Secretary. 
Copy. 
Alliance  Assurance  Company,  Bartholomew 
Lane,  London,  E.  C.,  June  16th,  1892. 
William  Martin  Leake,  Esq.,  The  Ceylon  Asso- 
ciation in  London,  4,  Mincing  Lane,  E.  C. 
Dear  Sir,— Referring  to  our  letter  of  the  23rd 
March  we  have  now  the  pleasure  to  inform  you 
that,  as  the  result  of  the  visit  of  our  chief  Se- 
cretary to  Ceylon,  where  he  was  able  to  inspect 
several  Tea  Factories,  we  have  considerably  reduced 
our  rates  for  these  risks. 
We  enclose  a copy  of  the  revised  rates  which 
will,  we  have  no  doubt,  be  satisfactory  to  your 
Association. — lam,  dear  sir,  yours  faithfully, 
(Sgd.)  P.  Myers,  Assistant  Secty, 
