thR  tropical  agriculturist. 
[Nov.  t,  1892. 
362 
I am  not  aware  what  the  prioe  of  Indian  oorn 
is  at  present,  but  when  I used  it  I found  that  a 
measure  of  Indian  corn  goes  much  further  than 
a measure  of  paddy,  besides  being  in  every  way 
muoh  better  and  more  nourishing  food  for  poultry, 
so  that  even  if  the  price  of  Indian  corn  is  the 
same  as  paddy  it  is  still  nevertheless  more  eco- 
nomical than  paddy,  or,  in  other  words,  a handful 
of  Indian  corn  is  more  filling  than  one  of  paddy. 
For  chiokens  it  should  be  ground. 
Lewis  Wright,  a great  auobority  on  poultry,  says  : — 
“Cheap  as  it  is,  we  would  warn  everyone  that 
it  never  pays  to  use  rice  as  the  food  of  laying 
birds.” 
He  goes  on  to  say : “ Eioe  contains  less  than 
half  the  flesh,  or  egg-making  material  of  se- 
veral other  grains  and  is  useless,  exoept  when 
mixed  with  milk  for  fattening  fowls.” 
Attached  is  a table,  ehowing  the  various  foods 
in  the  order  of  their  riohness  in  the  nitrogenous 
or  flesh  forming  substanoes.  L,  T. 
Warmth  & 
Fattening. 
there  is  in  every  100 
Parts. 
tuD 
11 
O 
h 
O 
J3 
m J2 
t-  ri 
© <X>  W 
0 CO 
u • 
0 £ 
u 
0) 
"c5 
F-S  *4 
Laj  O 
a 
Cm 
os 
ffl  a a 
s 
n 
* 
Beans  and  Peas 
25 
2 
48 
2 
8 
15 
Oatmeal  ... 
Meddlings,  thirds  of  fine 
18 
0 
6 
63 
2 
2 
9 
Sharps  ... 
18 
63 
5 
4 
14 
Oats  ... 
15 
6 
47 
2 
20 
10 
Wheat  ... 
19 
3 
70 
2 
1 
21 
Buckwheat  ... 
12 
0 
58 
H 
11 
1H 
Barley 
11 
2 
60 
2 
14 
11 
Indian  Corn 
11 
8 
65 
l 
5 
10 
Bice 
7 
— 
80 
— 
— 
13 
NOTES  FROM  SOUTH-EAST  WYNAAD. 
Considerable  progress  has  been  made  in  tea  culti' 
vation  this  year.  Forty  maunds  of  seed  have  been 
purchased  for  different  plantations  in  Wynaad  from’ 
the  owners  of  the  old  Surrey  Eitate  Tea  Seed  Bearers, 
and  with  the  nurseries  planted  by  themselves  there  will 
be  quite  a million  tea  plants  ready  for  the  field  next 
year,  which  is  a fair  beginning,  and  the  amount  of 
Seed  that  will  be  available  next  year  will  be  largely 
Sncreated.  The  advantage  of  pure  Assam  seed  is  not 
universally  admitted.  A considerable  admixture  of 
China  hybrid  is  still  stated  to  improve  fltvonr,  but 
although  this  strong  Assam  has  an  astringent  taste  that 
may  not  be  lilted  by  itself,  as  far  as  the  grower  is  con- 
cerned, the  blending  should  be  done  by  the  buyer,  end 
the  long  price  obtainable  for  strength  secured.  The  ques- 
tion of  quantity  is  also  a consideration.  The  large  leaf 
and  much  more  vigorous  growth  of  the  Assam  variety 
must  tell  favourably  in  this  respect  notwithstanding 
the  very  large  crops  that  have  been  gathered  in 
Wynaad,  which  were  lately  quoted  by  11  St.  Louis,” 
the  older  fields  on  one  estate  in  Wynaad  haviog  given 
over  1,700  lb.  to  the  acre,  and  this  from  by  no  means 
good  hybrids.  The  plucking  is  rather  coarse,  princi- 
pally because  flashings  are  not  got  in  quick  enough, 
and  the  price  this  tea  has  hitherto  fetched  has  not 
been  encouraging.  The  experiment  was  made,  by 
running  some  leaf  through,  a distance  of  56  miles, 
to  a well  known  Factory  on  the  Nilgiris,  to  try  what 
the  best  machinery,  and  latest  knowledge  of  manufac- 
ture might  have  on  the  quality.  The  result  has  been 
most  satisfactory  for  the  character  of  Wynaad  Tea, 
for  in  spite  of  poor  jnt,  very  coarse  leaf  and  long 
transport,  the  tea  has  turned  out  better  by  2\d. 
than  the  previous  average,  showing  how  much 
good  manufacture  has  to  do  with  price.  Tea  mak- 
ing has  now  commenced  on  a small  scale  on 
the  Pandalur  field  of  tea  of  Assam  jat,  which  is 
now  three  years  old.  These  trees  were  left  to  grow 
as  they  would  until  July  of  this  year,  when  they 
were  cut  down  to  the  three  feet,  and  notwithstanding  ' 
this  waste  of  growth,  (hey  have  now  a very  respect 
able  spread.  Many  of  them  measured  over  four  feet 
across.  The  first  flush  was  taken  in  towards  the  end 
of  September,  and  there  is  a great  show  of  the 
delieate  light  new  leaves  over  the  fit  Id  now,  which  is 
already  rearly  covering  tho  ground,  arid  is  a most 
refreshing  sight,  as  a promise  ot  what  Wynaad  may 
be  a few  years  hence.  I have  lately  turned  up  a list 
of  the  Coffee  Estates  in  the  Devalah  and  Pundalur 
Districts  of  S.-E.  WyDaad  in  1875.  There  were  at  that 
time  20  Coffee  E tatea  in  Devalah,  with  an  area  of 
2,174  acreB  under  coffee  cultivation,  in  the  Pundalnr 
District  10  Estates  with  en  area  of  1,080  aores  under 
coffee,  these  two  districts  now  entirely  belong  to  the 
different  gold  mining  companies,  and  there  is  not  200 
Ecres  in  all  under  tea  and  coffee  and  cinchona  that 
is  cultivated. 
Two  of  the  Devalah  Cold  Mining  Companies  are  still 
doing  thoroughly  good  mining  work.  The  Indian  Gold 
mines  are  still  keeping  its  mill  at  work,  obtaining  some- 
thing under  100  ounoes  of  gold  per  mouth,  from  all 
the  upper  stopes,  while  a deep  exploration  tunnel 
is  being  carried  below.  This  tunnel  cuts  the  reef 
from  an  adit  near  the  Mill  House,  at  a perpendicular 
depth  from  the  outcrop  of  the  reef  on  the  Hill  above 
of  over  400  feet,  and  giving  a depth  of  backing  on 
the  reef  itself  of  over  1,700  feet  for  sloping.  The 
tnnnel  has  now  been  carried  on  the  reef  itself  for 
a distance  of  over  700  feet,  proving  the  existence  of 
a continuous  lole  running  up  to  25  feet  in  thick- 
ness. The  facilities  for  mining  &Dd  crushing  are 
almost  unparalleled.  The  mine  is  selfdrained,  the 
atone  being  taken  to  the  mill  in  tramcars  by  gravit- 
ation, the  only  labour  is  bringing  back  the  empty 
cars.  The  mill  is  worked  by  Turbines  with  constant 
water-supply,  but  unfortunately  the  ore  is  very  poor 
and  though  2 dwt.  to  the  ton  covers  all  cost  of 
mining  and  milling;  even  this  poor  value  cannot  yet 
be  depended  od.  One  day  a decent  face  is  exposed 
and  then  comes  almost  barren  quartz,  the  stone  is 
so  patchy, 
Ou  the  Devalah  Moyar,  exploratory  work  alone  is 
being  carried  out,  the  mill  is  not  being  worked.  Tho 
mine  is  roost  inters  sting.  From  the  outcrop  on  the 
top  of  the  Hill,  where  extensive  natives’  works  were 
found,  the  reef  was  followed  by  a winze,  about  300 
feet  down  the  hill,  and  a tunnel  was  driven  to  cut  the 
reef  along  whioh  it  has  been  followed  for  several  hun- 
dred feet,  while  at  the  same  time  the  winze  is  being 
continued  in  depth  on  the  reef,  so  that  the  size  and 
continuance  of  the  lode  may  be  thoroughly  proved,  both 
the  tunnels  heading  and  the  wirze  are  being  driven  by 
compressed  air  with  Kook  drills  of  which  there  are 
now  three  at  wok.  The  wroze  ib  dow  some  three 
hundred  feet  below  the  tunnel  level.  The  descent 
is  by  ladders,  the  winze  following  the  reef,  and  was 
more  than  I could  face.  The  engine  for  compressing 
the  air,  and  the  workshops  where  all  the  work  required 
in  the  mines  is  carried  cut,  were  in  admirable  order. 
But  the  most  interesting  of  all  the  mines  at  the  present 
time  is  one  that  has  just  been  taken  up  by  two  Planters 
who  have  leased  the  mice  aDd  plant,  from  a Company 
that  has  spent  its  capital  ; and  with  their  own 
money,  the  experience  and  knowledge  acquired  from 
watching  the  work  done  in  the  district  during  the 
past  fifteen  years,  and  with  British  grit  to  back 
them  up,  they  have  put  the  deserted  mill  into  good 
order,  added  the  saving  apparatus,  that  they  think 
has  been  the  most  successful,  and  have  opened  up  a 
new  mine  to  the  reef,  and  if  sucoesfful  will  re-as- 
citate  the  industry.  Their  doings  are  being  watched 
with  the  greatest  interest.  A little  work  is  also  still 
being  carried  on  by  the  Perseverance  Company,  and 
I saw  a nice  little  lump  of  gold,  the  result  of  their 
last  trial  crushing.  But  Devalah  and  Pundalur 
bazaars  and  villagts  are  but  remnants  of  the  past. 
There  are  still  fine  public  buildings — Post  Offloe, 
Telegraph,  Publifc  Bungalow  and  the  road  is  worthy  of 
Ceylon.  I taw  sweepers  feraprog  up  the  leaves  and 
dirt  among  the  shanties,  but  behind  the  houses  is  a 
sea  of  cattle  dung,  which  was  formerly  so  va'ned. 
There  is  now  no  cultivation  in  the  neighbourhood 
where  it  oas  be  utilised,— M.  Times,  Oct,  21, 
