372 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec.  i,  1892. 
Nilgiris;  The  fact  is  that  both  the  soil  and  climate 
which  are  so  favourable  to  cinchona  militate  strongly 
against  tea : the  rainfall  is  insufficient,  and  the  soil 
much  too  dry  and  friable.  For  six  months  the  bushes 
are  nipped  down  by  frost  and  the  bitterly  cold 
nights,  and  for  a like  period  are  unable  to  flush  owing 
to  stroDg  wind  and  cold  rain ; hence  the  yield  is 
insignificant,  and  the  only  way  it  can  possibly  be 
made  to  pay  is  when  worked  as  an  adjunct  to  Coffee 
or  Cinchona  ; and  also  by  getting  a local  sale  for  the 
produce  through  the  Madras  Presidency. 
From  all  I could  learn  tea  is  also  likely  to  be  more  or 
less  a failure  in  the  Wynaad,  where  it  has  to  contend 
against  drought  as  well  as  the  unhealthy  season, 
which  extends  from  Maroh  till  June  the  best,  flushing 
months — when  not  even  a oooly  oan  stand  the  climate. 
Mr.  Lawson  took  me  for  a cbarmiog  walk  of  about 
three  miles  over  the  hill  at  the  back  of  his  house, 
where  we  had  a splendid  view  of  the  far  famed 
“ Ouohtorlony  Valley,”  which  lay  at  our  feet 
bathed  in  sunshine.  Both  in  coutour  and  size 
it  remicded  me  greatly  of  Kelebokka;  being  a long 
narrow  basin  backed  by  high  hills  on  either  side, 
with  a cart  road  down  the  middle.  The  two  valleys 
are  also  very  similar  in  altitude,  and  lay  of  land, 
and  each  contains  abont  a dozen  different  properties, 
“ Ouohterlony  Valley  ” was  originally  a magnificent 
sheet  of  coffee,  and  I believe  gate  wonderfnl  yields 
in  the  palmy  times,  but  a good  portion  of  it  is  now 
planted  up  with  cincbona  which  thrives  well,  not 
only  here  but  all  over  this  country. 
I was  not  able  to  get  down  to  the  ooffee  fields, 
but  in  the  distance  they  looked  thin  and  poor,  and 
have  no  doubt  here  as  elsewhere  suffered  from  the 
scourage  of  leaf  disease.  I was  told  the  yield  is  not 
nearly  so  great  as  it  was  in  the  lime  previous  to 
leaf  disease,  and  the  cultivation  is  now  giving  way,  in 
a great  measure,  to  that  of  tea  and  oinohona. 
One  of  the  great  drawbacks  to  the  Sanatorium  is 
the  scarcity  and  costliness  of  public  conveyances. 
The  common  Tonga  and  pair  is  the  only  vehicle  to 
be  had  on  hire;  and  indeed  I was  informed  that  on 
occasions  of  publio  gatherings  and  social  festivities, 
it  was  often  impossible  to  get  a carriage  for  love 
or  money. 
I expressed  surprise  to  several  of  the  residents 
that  the  machine  called  a jinriokshaw  had  never 
been  introduced  into  Ooty. 
THE  INDIAN  TEA  CHOP  OF  1892. 
The  clearances  of  this  season’s  tea  crop  to  30th 
September  total  up  584,523  packages  weighing 
50,936,063  lb.,  and  of  the  declared  value  of  R2, 66, 32, 158, 
giving  an  average  of  about  annas  8’4i  per  lb.,  which 
must  be  satisfactory  to  the  proprietors  as  compared 
with  last  season.  Had,  however,  the  Currency  Bill 
been  in  operation  and  the  rate  of  exchange  fixed  at 
Is.  6d.  there  would  have  been  a difference  on  the  wrong 
side  to  those  parties  interested  in  tea  gardens  of 
about  37  lakhs  of  rupees,  and  which  by  the  end  of  the 
season  would  possibly  be  doubled.  It  looks  as  if  one- 
half  of  the  tea  crop  had  been  exported  up  to  30th 
September,  as  the  total  crop  is  not  likely  to  turn  out 
as  large  as  the  latest  revised  estimate  of  the  Tea 
Association,  the  weather  in  the  Tea  Districts 
having  continued  unfavourable. 
It  appears  strange  that  out  of  the  584,523  packages 
whieh  have  already  been  exported,  only  232,944  pack- 
ages have  been  sold  at  the  public  sales,  and  that 
351,579  packages  have  been  on  account  of  the  pro- 
prietors. What  is  the  cause  of  this  ? There  are  six 
large  firms  of  tea  brokers  in  Calcutta,  all  of  whom 
look  well  after  their  business,  and  who,  during  the 
reason,  are  tasting  tea  samples  from  early  morn  until 
late  in  the  evening.  At  the  commencement  of  the 
season,  before  the  tea  soles  begrn,  oil  the  brokers  are 
inundated  with  garden  samples  for  report  and  valua- 
tion, and  after  all  their  labour — and  it  must  not 
be  overlooked  that  tea  tasting  is  more  injurious  to 
the  health  than  B.  and  S.— they  only  get  40  per 
cent  of  the  teas  for  their  sales.  Proprietors  or 
Vjieir  Agents  may  assert  that  the  prices  obtained 
in  the  looal  market  are  not  to  be  compared 
with  the  rates  realised  in  the  London  market, 
but  against  this  assertion  it  is  very  difficult 
to  fiud  many  regular  shippers  who  purchase  their 
teas  in  the  local  market  that  have  realised  any 
large  profits  on  their  shipments.  Generally  it  is  all 
the  other  way,  and  it  is  only  when  an  unexpected 
spurt  takes  place  in  the  London  market  that  ship- 
pers who  have  teas  near  arrival,  make  a good  profit, 
but,  subsequent  shipments  made  after  the  news  of 
the  rise  in  London  has  reached  here  generally  leave 
very  unsatisfactory  results. 
Perhaps  it  may  be  that  there  are  not  bnyers  in 
the  maket  (notwithstanding  the  operations  of  the 
largest  tea  dealer  in  England,  who  has  lately  com- 
menced to  make  his  purchases  in  this  market)  to  take 
off  a larger  quantity  of  the  crop,  but  it  is  not  at 
all  improbable  that  Agents’  commissions  have  a good 
deal  to  answer  for.  Ceylon  teas  appear  to  have 
caused  a falling  off  in  the  demand  for  our  teas  in 
both  the  Australian  markets  and  in  Bombay  and 
Persian  ports. — Capital. 
THE  WOODS  OP  ENGLAND  ; TENDENCY 
TOWARDS  RE-AFEORESTATION. 
Will  the  England  of  half  a century  hence  look 
much  more  like  the  E gland  of  E izabeth’s  time 
than  toes  that  of  these  days,  and  is  the  appear- 
ance of  the  oountry  going  back  in  any  way  to  that 
which  it  presented  in  primitive  ages  ? These  questions 
will  be  sure  to  be  asked  by  those  who  study  the  pur- 
port of  a recent  return  procured  by  the  Board  of 
Agriculture  respecting  the  extension  of  woodlands  in 
England  and  Scotland.  Many  shrewd  observers  have 
long  maintained  that  the  plough  has  been  going 
where  it  had  no  business  to  be,  and  that  ambitious 
agricultural  improvements  upon  which  thousands  have 
been  spent  to  little  purpose  would  have  proved  re- 
munerative had  they  taken  the  form  of  planting  young 
forest  trees  at  a trifling  original  oost.  It  would 
seem  that  th’s  opinion  is  gaining  ground.  The  in- 
crease in  the  acreage  under  wood,  though  not  rapid, 
is  unmistakable.  It  has  been  steadily  going  od  ; at  all 
events,  since  1872,  when  the  first  trustworthy  returns 
on  the  subject  were  published.  Between  1888  and 
1891  it  had  increased  irom  2,561,000  to  2,695,000 
aorrs;  and  there  are  signs  that  it  may  go  on  at  still 
greater  speed.  Iu  a reoent  contribution  to  the  small 
native  literature  of  forestry,  Mr.  Nairne  has  pointed 
out  that  some  discouragements  to  afforesting  are 
coming  to  an  end.  In  the  northern  parts  of  Scotland, 
where  is  so  much  waste  land  growing  barely  herbage 
enough  for  sheep,  landowners  did  not  care  to  plant 
much  while  the  crofters’  agitation  was  at  full  flood, 
though  it  must  be  mentioned  that  two-fifths  of  the 
entire  surface  planted  in  the  last  decade  is  in  that 
country.  It  was  not  to  be  expeoted  that,  with 
very  bid  times  and  falling  rents,  they  would  care  to 
make  profuse  outlays,  the  return  for  which  would 
not  begin  to  come  in  until  after  40  or  50  years, 
and  we  are  told  of  nurserymen  who  grew  tired  ot 
cultivating  year  after  year  young  forests  trees,  which 
they  burnt  to  make  room  for  a younger  stock,  and 
who  sold  what  little  they  did  sell  at  insignificant 
prices.  In  the  districts  to  which  Mr.  Nairne  refers 
it  has  generally  been  deemed  preferable  to  turn 
tracts  available  for  planting  into  sheep-farms  or  deer 
forests,  and  the  preference  is  likely  to  survive.  Those 
who  are  offered  handsome  rents  for  high  moorlands 
or  mountain  wistes,  where  fir  or  larch  would  have  a 
hard  strife  for  life,  are  not  likely  to  hesitate;  they 
will  take  what  comes  in  their  way,  and  bid  posterity 
look  after  itself.  Between  1888  and  1S91  there  has 
been  an  addition  of  31,000  acres  to  the  wood  and 
area  of  Scotlind,- which  is  not  indicative  of  any  great 
changes  going  on  in  the  ruial  ecouomy  of  tbe  country, 
but  which  doss  speak  of  a removal  of  some  cf  the  form-  r 
obstacles  to  afioreBting.  In  England  an  inoreaser  of 
about  96,000  acres  in  the  abovo-named  period  is 
recorded.  But  it  is  curious  to  note  the  conserva- 
tive ways  of  the  country.  The  ooun ties  which  were 
