Sept.  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
169 
THE  TEA  ENTERPRISE  IN  ASSAM  IN  1891. 
The  abstract  of  the  Assam  Government  report 
on  the  position  and  progress  of  the  TeaEnterpries 
in  (hat  Province,  which  we  take  over  from  the 
Indian  Agriculturist,  is  a suggestive  document.  I 
Although,  as  a whole,  there  has  been  progress 
in  acreage  cultivated  and  yield  of  tea,  yet  such  j 
advance  has  been  confined  to  the  districts  most 
favoured  in  regard  to  soil,  climate  and  supplies 
of  labour.  In  less  favoured  districts,  the  processes 
of  tbe  struggle  for  existence  and  the  survival  of 
the  fittest  have  been  at  woik  in  a severe  fashion, 
— with  varying  effects, —the  general  result  being 
that  a net  decrease  of  35  estates  is  reported. 
Adverse  weather  has  been  adduoed  as  one  oause 
of  unfavourable  crop  returns,  especially  in  Kamrup, 
where  a planter  has  denounced  tbe  season  as  the 
worst  he  has  known  for  17  years.  A general 
advance  in  area  of  cultivation  (notwithstanding 
abandonment  of  estates)  and  in  yield  of  tea  is 
qualified  by  prices  low  beyond  precedent,  and  the 
competition  of  Ceylon  is  adduced  as  a main  cause. 
Our  Indian  friends  are  no  doubt  correct  in  their 
conclusion,  although  the  facts  we  have  stated  in 
regard  to  abandoned  estates  show  that  the  Assam 
planters  are  competing  with  each  other.  If  it  is 
any  consolation  to  the  Indian  tea  planters  that 
their  Ceylon  competitors  are  at  least  equal  sufferers 
from  prices  low  beyond  parallel,  they  may  take  it,  I 
and  we  fear  the  time  is  not  distant  when  we  shall 
have  to  take  account  of  abandoned  estates  in 
Ceylon,  if  the  opening  of  new  markets  does  not 
arrest  the  downward  course  of  values.  The  tolal 
area  of  land  held  by  planters  in  Assam  is  about 
one  million  acres ; but,  of  course  all  this  area  is 
not  suitable  for  tea  culture;  the  coolies,  indeed,  | 
being  allowed  to  cultivate  rice  on  some  of  it.  1 
Out  of  the  million  of  aores,  a little  more  than 
20  per  cent — 208,407  acres— are  under  cultivation  j 
with  mature  tea,  that  is  with  bushes  over  four  j 
years  old,  while  there  are  33,416  acres  additional  i 
under  immature  plants.  In  India,  however,  the  age  ! 
of  plants  is  not,  as  in  Ceylon,  counted  from  the  ' 
time  of  putting  out  the  seedling  into  the  field 
but  from  the  period  of  sowing  seed  in  tbe  nursery,  j 
so  that  tbe  four  years  old  plants  of  Assam  would 
be  reckoned  as  only  three  years  old  in  Ceylon. 
The  total  area  under  cultivation  in  1891  was 
241,823  acres,  a good  deal  short  of  25  per  cent  I 
of  the  area  held.  But  this  proportion  will  | 
be  reaohed  and  exceeded  if  the  increase 
in  1892  over  1891,  equals  the  increase  of 
10-785  per  cent  which  1891  shewed  over  1890,  1 
But  we  should  think  the  low  prices  unhappily  | 
prevailing  for  tea,  will  arrest  the  process  of  in-  j 
crease  in  the  shape  of  new  land  opened  as  j 
separate  estates  or  as  ‘extensions’’  to  existing  j 
“gardens,”  that  beings  the  Indian  term,  variod  by  j 
tbe  use  of  the  less  poetical  description  “ tea 
ooncerns.”  The  district  of  Lakhimpore  seems  to  | 
be,  beyond  compare,  the  best  for  tea  production 
in  India,  perhaps  in  the  world,  taking  the  dis-  1 
trict  with  its  130  estates  and  37,626  acres  as  a 
whole.  The  average  yield  of  North  Lakhimpore  1 
in  1891  was  572  lb.  per  acre.  It  is  notable  that  the  I 
best. yielding  district  was  the  readiest  to  supply  1 
returns  asked  for  by  the  officials  and  neces- 
sary for  a correct  report.  Cachar  compares 
most  unfavourably  with  most  other  districts  in  this 
respeot,  and  justifies  the  belief  that  the  enlerprise 
in  that  valley  is  not  such  as  those  interested 
could  desire.  Blight  was  not  added  to  bad  weather 
in  Assam  in  1891 ; but  it  will  be  observed  that 
considerable  damage  acorued  from  a cause,  so 
rare  in  Ceylon  and  so  slight  in  its  effect  when  it 
does  occur  as  not  to  be  worth  taking  into 
22 
account  : — Hailstorms.  The  much  greater  distance 
of  the  Assam  and  Northern  India  estates  generally 
from  the  equator  is  adverse  to  them  in  regard 
to  this  meteorological  phenomenon:— Apart  from 
the  competition  of  Ceylon,  Assam  has  gone  ahead 
in  extensions  during  the  past  six  years  at  a rate 
which  might  alone  account  for  low  prices.  The 
area  under  cultivation  in  1886  was  only  203,993 
acres.  In  1891  the  aoreage  was  241,823,  an  in- 
crease of  nearly  38,000  acres,  the  greater  portion 
of  the  increase  haviDg  occurred  in  the  past  three 
years.  In  Ceylon  as  well  as  India,  planters  will  do 
well,  we  should  say,  to  hold  their  hands,  for  a time 
at  least,  in  regard  to  extended  cultivation. 

TEA  CULTURE  IN  ASSAM. 
The  Assam  Government  has  issued  its  report  on  tea 
culture  for  1891.  Following  the  practice  of  previous 
years  figures  are  given  separately  for  each  subdivision 
in  addition  to  the  totals  for  each  district.  Cachar 
sadr  still  heads  the  list  with  the  largest  number  of 
gardens  (138),  Lakhimpore  sadr  comes  next  (130),  the 
former  also  shows  the  largest  area  under  tea  aDd  the 
largest  outturn.  In  the  Brahmaputra  Valley,  North 
Lakhimpore  shows  the  highest  proportional  yield  of  572 
pounds  per  acre,  while  in  the  Surma  Valley  Habigunge 
heads  tbe  list  with  449  pounds  per  noro. 
The  total  number  of  gardens  borne  on  the  registers 
at  the  close  of  1891  was  828,  against  867  at  the  close  of 
1890,  and  thus  showed  a net  decrease  of  39.  There 
whs  a decrease  of  43  in  Kamrup,  as  against  an  increase 
of  ten  in  Sibsagar,  and  tourleen  in  the  other  districts. 
Tbe  apparent  increase  of  ten  gardens  in  Sibsagar  is 
due  to  the  inclusion,  in  this  report*  of  nine  small  gar- 
dens in  Jorhat,  which  were  excluded  from  the  pre- 
vious year’s  reports,  owing  to  the  managers  not  having 
supplied  the  necessary  statistics  in  those  years.  The  de- 
crease is  largest  in  Kamrup  where  28  abandoned  gardens 
have  been  struck  off  the  register  this  year.  Besides  tbe6e 
13  gardens  in  this  district  which  were  rot  worked 
owing  to  depression  of  trade  and  were  hitherto  shown 
under  head  • Estimate!  ’ have  been  excluded  from  the 
present  report  in  accordance  with  a suggestion  made 
by  the  Commiss  oner  of  the  Assam  Valley  Districts. 
Assuming  that  the  above  13  gardens  were  included 
among  the  22  shown  as  unworked  in  parragruph  5 
of  the  preceding  year’s  report,  and  excluding  the 
nine  gardens  in  Sibsagar  iucludod  for  the  first  time 
in  the  report  and  referred  to  above,  the  actual  re- 
duclim  in  the  number  of  gardens  in  the  whole  pro- 
vince would  amount  to  35. 
The  large  increase  in  Oachar  is  attributed  by  the 
Deputy  Commissioner  to  an  attempt  made  to  include 
in  the  tea  register  the  areas  that  have  been  newly  taken 
up  annually  by  tea  planters.  In  the  Brahmaputra 
Val  ey,  Kamrup  shows  a considerable  decrease  in  the 
area  held  by  tea  planters,  which  is  due  to  41  gardens 
having  been  removed  from  the  register  dur'ng  the  year 
(13  unworked  and  28  abandoned).  The  de- 
crease in  Darraug  is  accounted  for  by  the  four  gardens 
closed,  and  that  in  Nowgong  is  due  to  the 
re-adjustment  of  the  boundaries  of  the  waste  land 
grants  by  the  cadastral  survey,  no  new  laud  having 
been  taken  up  during  the  year.  The  increase  in 
Sibsgar  has  not  been  explained,  while  that  in  Lakhim- 
pore is  attributed  to  the  new  gardens  opened  during 
tbe  year. 
It  is  satisfactory  to  notice  that  there  has  been  con- 
siderable improvement  in  the  furnishing  of  informa- 
tion by  the  agents  or  managers  during  the  year  under 
report.  Tbe  figures  for  752  gardens  have  been 
furnished  by  the  agents  or  managers,  and  for  76 
(against  126  in  the  previous  year)  estimates  have 
been  framed  based  on  the  p-eceding  year’s  returns. 
Tbe  gardens  for  which  the  figures  had  to  he  estimated 
are  distributed  as  follows  : Oachar  36,  Nowgong  5, 
Kamrup  3,  Sibsagar  15,  Sylhet  6,  and  Darrang  11. 
It  is  unfortunate  that  in  tbe  case  of  Cachar,  the  most 
important  tea  district  in  the  province,  estimates  bad 
to  be  made  for  36  gardens  (19  in  the  sadar  and  17 
