Oct. 1, 19C0.J THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
249 
TEA PLANTING AND EXTENSIONS IN 
NORTHERN INDIA. 
Some weeks back a Ceylon Visiting Agent 
expressed the opinion that only the visit 
of a pvactical man to the Assam and other- 
Tea Districts in the North could give \is 
reliable information as to the actual con- 
dition and prospects of the Tea Industry as 
a whole. We sup|)lemented this opinion by 
expressing surprise that some of the plant- 
ing Journals in Calcutta or elsewhere did not 
take the trouble to get exact and full infor- 
mation. On this, our contemporary of the 
'•Indian Planters' Gazette'' thinks we have not 
been reading his columns, inasmuch as they 
have contained full reports of the working of 
the principal Indian Tea Companies and re- 
views of the Government Blue Books. But we 
have to tell our contemporary that, all these 
we have read and yet we are not satisfied. We 
get all the Official Reports direct and treat 
them only as affording approximate infor- 
mation, jiist as the reports of the •principal " 
Tea Companies can only amount to " ap- 
proximate " and not complete information. Is 
there not room for an enterprising young 
journalist in Calcutta to do what we 
"did in Ceylon when we laid the foundation 
of exact planting statistics, namely to visit 
each of the tea districts in person and 
compile information on the spot which could 
then be maintained by means of circulars at 
intervals. In a few months, we hope to be 
able to tell the world not only the exact 
acreage planted with tea in (Jeylon ; but the 
area planted under 6, 4 and 2 years old — 
the extent of fields (if any) Just cleared and 
the prospect as to any farther extensions, 
it is no doubt a big order to ask all this 
for India with its -180,000 or more acres of 
tea ; but then Ceylon counts up to not far 
short of 41)0,000 acres. We are aware that 
Messrs. Thacicer, Spink & Co. 's Directory gives 
the cultivated acreage of each estate ; but 
there is nothing to shew how much is 
young tea or newly planted and still less 
what extensions are in prospect. The Tea 
Association in its annual estimate deals 
with young and old tea; but there is surely 
room for a Calcutta journalist or a iilantin.e; 
(correspondent to run round the districts and 
compile a very valuable statement, mean- 
time writing letters by che way which, we 
think, would give our contemporary of the 
Indian Planters' Gazette great prestige and 
advantage if they appeai'ed in his columns. 
so much is put under the heading of " other 
manures." Taking the totals of value, the 
comparison for the six month periods is as 
follows :—.Tanuary . Tune 1899:— Ro2(),703 ; Jan- 
uary-June 1900:— R701, 516 -showing a big rise. 
1899. 
Imports : Quantity. Value, 
Tons cwt. qr. lb. R c. 
Mrt!iure, Bone ... 3,635 19 0 0 ... 235,223 7 
Patent Manure ... — .. — 
Rape Cake Manure 100 0 0 0.. 4,498 0 
I'efuse of Saltpetre 304 13 1 19... 68,480 27 
Castor Seed Poonao 6,476 15 0 0 . . 378,269 51 
FishManm-e .. -18 5 1 0.. 3,174 0 
Manure, Chemical 3,054 16 1 3.. 305,566 94 
Manure of Potash 343 0 2 0 . .. 41,872 27 
Sulphate of Ammonia 145 9 3 24... 30,968 15 
Linseed Manure ... 45 18 0 0... 1,. 339 50 
Guano ... — ■■• — 
Sulphate of Pota.sh 124 5 0 0... 22,910 14 
Sulpliateof Iron ... 3 15 0 0 ... 240 0 
IMPORTS OF MANURES INTO CEYLON. 
We have been asked to obtain for plant- 
ing inlormation the figures showing the 
importation of Manures for 1899 (the whole 
vear) and for the first six months each of 
1899 and of 1900; and while we give the 
former from the Annual Report, for the 
latter we are indebted to the courtesy of 
the Principal Collector of Customs. It will 
be seen that the past half-year shows no 
increase as regards saltpetre refuse or sul- 
phate of potash, but sulphate of ammonia 
shows a rise of 109 tons. In bone dust there 
is a comparative decrease ; but it is difficult 
to compare other items seeing that this year 
Total 
.. 14,282 17 1 18 ... 1,092,533 85 
(According to the classification in for 
. 1st September, 1892. ) 
.January to June, 1899. 
Tons cwt. qr. lb. 
Manure, Bone .. 2,648 17 0 0 ... 
Manure, Chemical 1,188 0 2 10 ... 
Sulphate of Ammonia 04 18 3 13 . . 
Sulphate of Potash 249 0 1 10 
and 18 barrels ... 
Refuse of Saltpetre cwt. 2,603 0 13... 
Castor Seed Poonac tons 2,90.5i 
Fish Manure cwt. 14" 0 0 ... 
ce from 
Value. 
R c. 
127,549 84 
136,282 6 
12,028 91 
47,354 79 
30,111 65 
173,460 17 
16 . 0 
(According to new classification in force from 
January, 1900.) 
First half year of 1900. 
Bcnv Materials Tons cwt. 
Chemical Manure. 
Refuse of Saltpetre 376 4 
Muriate of Potash tons 10 0 
Basic Slag .. ^ 696 0 
Mi-'fcellaneova Manure. 
Bone ...cwt. 49,152 
Fish ...cwt. 96 
Others (not Chemi- 
cal) ...cwt. 8,835 
Manufactured A rticles 
Other Manure. 
Bone Meal ...tons 18 15 
Other ...cwt. 130,341 
qr. lb. 
R c. 
1 
22 
82,034 3 
0 
24 
33,0.39 7 
0 
0 
30,629 58 
0 
0 ... 
1,656 25 
0 
0 ... 
32,892 82 
2 
19 ... 
120,9,37 96 
0 
0 .. 
222 0 
0 
16 ... 
32,747 84 
2 
0 .. 
3,194 12 
1 
0 .. 
334;272 31 
A NEW GUTTAPERCHA. 
INTKRESTING DISCOVKRY AT ZANZIBAR. 
An interesting discovery has recently been 
made in Zanzibar. According to our consul 
there, the fruit of a tree which grows princi- 
pally at Dunga will, on being tapped with 
a knife, produce a, white fluid which when 
placed in boiling water, co-agulates into .a 
substance closely resembling gutta-percha ; 
this in the process of Cooling becomes hard, 
but can on its previous soft state be moulded 
into any required shape. The friiit some- 
what resembles a ijeach in shape, but is of the 
size of a small melon. It is not improbable, 
he adds, that it will prove to be an inferior 
order of Guttapercha.— (r^o6e, Aug. 31. - 
