39^ 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec.  i,  iSg2 
leotively  get  a better  average,  and  yet  the  Travancore 
tea  is  equally  good,  and  certainly  has  as  much  attention 
paid  to  its  manufacture  but  the  big  companies  in 
Ceylop  have  got  the  name  and  (all  credit  to  them) 
have  advertised  themselves  so  much,  that  many  people 
have  been  forced  to  believe  that  there  is  but  one  tea 
and  that  Ceylon.  Choppy. 
— Madras  Times,  Nov.  12. 
BADULLA  PLANTING  REPORT. 
Nov.  12th. 
After  a fortnight’s  fine  weather,  which  has  been 
rather  a trial  to  those  who  planted  with  the  first 
rains  in  October,  we  are  having  true  north-east 
rains.  The  11th  was  the  heaviest  rains  we  have 
had  for  years  at  this  part  of  the  district,  the 
raingauge  showing  6'60  as  the  result  of  some  three 
hours’  rain.  Several  coolies  have  been  killed,  and 
the  wash  has  been  something  dreadful.  I have 
never  known  streams  so  high,  and  the  damage 
done  by  slips  and  wash  has  been  very  great.  On 
the  8th  there  was  a very  distinct  shock  of  earth- 
quake felt  in  the  district  and  it  seemed  to  be 
moving  from  south  to  north.  We  had  a very 
successful  breakfast  to  Mr.  Fisher  on  the 
4th,  almost  the  whole  district  being  present. 
The  oompliment  lo  Mr.  Fisher  was  well  deserved,  for  he 
has  done  a great  deal  to  the  district  during  the  past 
few  years,  both  for  planting  and  native  interests  1 and 
the  province  now  is  in  a very  different  condition  from 
what  it  was  when  be  took  it  over.  We  shall  all  miss 
him  both  in  his  official  and  private  capacities.  T a is 
flushing  very  well  indeed,  and  prices  are  so  good  at 
present  that  we  should  all  do  well  this  year.  The 
higher  coffee  in  Ihe  district  is  looking  well,  but 
there  is  very  little  crop  set  for  the  com- 
ing spring  crop ; and  they  are  commencing  to 
show  up  in  hollows.  Autumn  crops  are  coming  in 
well,  and  the  quality  is  excellent,  there  being  prac- 
tically no  light  at  ail.  Prices  for  this  product  are 
most  remunerative,  and  the  pity  is  there  is  so  little 
left.  The  prices  realized  for  Uva  teas  are  very  notice- 
able. there  is  hardly  a factory  in  the  district  that  does 
not  rank  with  the  best  marks,  and  in  the  las t sale 
to  hand  every  break  was  well  over  the  shilling,  two 
or  three  being  much  higher.  Uva  teas  will  run  Boga- 
wantalawa  very  close  this  year  for  firet  place.  Yields 
also  th;s  season  promise  very  well,  and  we  are  all  ahead 
of  last  year. 
<g> 
GOLD  PROSPECTING  IN  MYSORE. 
Mysore,  having  an  area  of  some  27,000  square  miles, 
and  there  being  little  known  of  the  geology  of  the 
greater  part  of  the  country,  and  less  still  of  its  gold- 
yielding  capabilities,  the  prospector  has  pretty  well 
to  trust  to  his  own  intelligence  as  to  the  most  likely 
ground  on  which  to  begin  operations.  The  Gazetteer 
of  the  province  has  a brief  allusion  to  gold  in  the 
Bettamangala  Taluq,  Kolar  district ; the  low  flat 
hills  near  Ooscottah  are  said  by  Dr.  Hevne  to  be 
gold  bearing;  Huliyur  Durga,  according  to  the  Ga- 
zetteer yields  a little  gold ; while  from  the  Administra- 
tion Reports  of  the  Province  the  gold-prospector  will 
find  that  in  the  Shimoga  district  a certain  amount  of 
revenue  was  derived  by  the  State  from  the  farming- 
out  of  the  right  to  wash  for  gold  in  certain  streams 
of  that  district.  An  inspection  of  the  localities  would 
reveal  to  him  certain  well-marked  and  similar  features 
in  all  of  them ; low  hills  showing  little  signs  of  vege- 
tation, an  absence  of  boulders  and  tors  which  are  con- 
spicuouson  other  hills  in  Mysore,  the  taluqs  on  the  hill- 
sides consisting  of  angular  fragments  of  slatey  rock 
of  a dark  green  of  inky  blue  colour.  In  the  water- 
courses below  the  alluvium  he  will  find  the  bed-rock, 
where  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  weather,  soft  and 
of  light  yellow  colour,  showing  a schistose  structure 
(splitting  into  layers)  and  having  a greasy  feel ; below 
the  action  of  the  weather,  this  schistose  rock  is  harder 
and  tougher  and  of  a distinct  green  or  dark  blue 
^nge.  Later  on  he  -will  learn  to  identify  this  rock  as 
a chlorite  or  talcose-schist — the  great  gold-bearing 
rock  of  Mysore.  The  eye  can  recognise  the  schistose 
hills  of  Mysore  with  unfailing  accuracy,  and  once 
familiar  with  their  general  characteristics,  a close 
inspection  is  unnecessary ; they  can  be  distinguished 
by  sight  from  long  distances.  Mysore  is  traversed 
from  end  to  end  in  every  direction  by  good  roads, 
and  the  Government  bungalows,  maintained  at  State 
expense,  are  S'tuated,  at  convenient  distances  from 
each  other  throughout  the  Province  so  that,  provided 
with  a good  bullock  coach  one  can  traverse  the 
country  in  any  direction  in  comparative  comfort. 
Draught-bullocks  are  not  necessary,  every  village 
having  a supply  which  can  be  had  at  three  annas 
per  mile  per  pair.  An  acquaintance  with  colloquial 
Canarese  is  essential;  if  not  a servant  that  speaks 
English  and  Canarese  to  act  as  interpreter  is  indis- 
pensable, as  scattered  all  over  the  country  and  within 
a mile  or  two  of  each  other  are  villages  of  cultivators 
who  are  acquainted  with  the  features  of  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  from  whom  by  judicious  questioning  much 
information  can  be  derived  and  much  unnecessary 
tramping  saved. 
A steel  crow-bar,  small  pestle  and  mortar  for 
pounding  specimens,  a hammer  and  a gold  washing 
dish  make  up  the  stock-in-trade  of  the  gold  pros- 
pector. The  washing  dish  should  be  of  wood  and 
can  be  readily  made  by  any  carpenter,  a pattern 
dish  being  procurable  from  the  village  jeweller,  as 
they  are  commonly  used  for  washing  the  “ sweeping  ” 
of  the  goldsmith’s  shop  for  the  recovery  of  the 
waste  gold  in  the  manufacture  of  jewellery.  The 
gold-washing  dish  u=ed  by  the  natives  of  Mysore  is 
called  halayay,  i.e  , plank— in  fact,  it  is  a circular 
piece  of  wood,  fifteen  inches  in  diameter  and  three 
inches  thick,  scoped  out  to  resemble  a shallow  dish. 
This  makes  a capital  “panning  off"  dish,  quite 
equal  to  the  Australian  miners,  “ tin  dish  " for  ordi- 
nary purpose-i  and  superior  to  it  for  testing  purposes, 
as  the  graining  of  the  wood  detains  particles  of  gold 
which  could  not  be  recovered  in  the  tin  dish.  With 
a small  supp'y  of  tinned  stores  packed  away  in  his 
bullock  coach  and  the  prospecting  plant  above  enumer- 
ated, the  gold-seeker  is  sufficiently  equipped  for  his  un- 
dertaking. Having  settled  on  the  tract  of  country 
to  be  examined,  he  sends  to  the  a mildar  (revenue 
official)  of  the  railway  station  from  whence  he 
means  to  make  his  start,  to  have  bullocks  stationed 
along  the  route  he  means  to  travel,  giving  the  probable 
date  of  his  departure  from  the  railway  station.  A 
rhadaree  or  tariff  is  sent  him,  showing  the  inter- 
mediate stages  and  distances  of  posting-stations, 
with  sums  to  be  paid  at  each  for  hire  of  bollocks. 
Having  arrived  at  the  headquarters  of  the  district  he 
means  to  prospect  it,  is  as  well  to  call  on  the 
Deputy  Commissioner  to  state  the  object  of  the 
journey  and  obtain  all  the  information  available  as 
to  the  most  likely  localities.  There  is  always  an 
amount  of  unofficial  information  to  be  obtained  in 
this  way,  and  it  is  surprising  how  much  is  known 
of  old  mines  and  gold-washing  grounds,  and  yet  how 
little  of  this  information  finds  its  way  into  official 
records.  A letter  from  the  Deputy  Commissioner  to 
the  a mildar  of  the  taluq  or  revenue  division  in  which 
the  locality  to  be  examined  occurs,  smoothes  the 
way  wonderfully.  In  India  little  can  be  done  without 
the  aid  of  the  Government.  Let  it  be  known  that 
the  Sircar  has  given  permission,  and  all  things  are 
easy.  Arrived  at  the  scene  of  operations  the  first 
thing  to  be  done  is  to  obtain  the  confidence  of 
the  village  sonnar  (goldsmith).  Most  Indian  villages, 
however  small,  have  their  gold  or  silversmith.  If 
there  is  none  in  the  village  visited,  be  sure  the  next 
will  have,  and  a word  to  the  a mildar  will  quickly 
bring  him  to  your  presence.  Judicious  questioning  with 
a small  present  for  his  trouble  and  he  will  conduct 
you  to  the  best  gold-washing  streams  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. If  it  is  old  mines  you  are  in  search  of, 
take  with  you  the -village  goldsmith,  the  thotu  (village 
watchman)  and  make  for  the  nearest  hills.  When 
there  ask  if  any  goonees  (pits,  shafts)  or  yuvees  (caves, 
drives)  are  to  be  found,  and  examine  all  such ; little 
seems  to  be  known  by  the  natives  of  the  nature  of 
these  workings.  In  low  or  flat  ground  a slight  de- 
pression in  the  surface,  with  perhaps  a more  vigorous 
