692 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST [April 1, 1901. 
prove the quality of our tea. At any rate I am at 
present working on these lines, not so much to in- 
crease the quantity per acre as to improve the 
qualityfrom the same garden. The questions sueli 
as peats, blights, the manufacture of tea etc., I 
hope to ileal with later. But at the pre-ent time 
the question of the improvement of tea in quality 
by methods of plucking, pruning, and manuring 
seems to be the most important, and to that I am 
devoting my chief atteation. (Apulause.) 
TEA IN THE ANDAMAN AND 
NIOOBAR ISLANDS. 
The Government Tea Plantation in the 
Andaman Islands has been doing well. The 
latest i-cport issued states that 80,000 lb. of 
tea were made during the year and sold at 
a net profit of R13,000. The labour employed 
on the gardens is all convict labour, and 
as sufficient of it cannot be spared to work 
them efficiently their out turn has suffered. 
The manager ' states that he could hp.ve 
made more tea, had he had the labour. 
Owing to the extensive building operations 
on the Islands, that were in progress at the 
time, it was not found possible to detail 
more than a small portion of the labour 
force for the work of the tea gardens. Now, 
however, that the tea gardens have passed 
the experimental stage, and have proved 
themselves a paying sjieculatioo, it is prob- 
able the Administration will arrange to amply 
-supply the manager's requirements. There 
is a good demand for the tea produced, so 
much so that the supply is not equal to it. 
An attempt has been made to create a 
taste for tea amongst the natives of the 
Nicobar Islands, who are very partial to the 
fermented beverage known under the name 
of Tari, or in truth of any descrption of 
ardent spirits they can get hold of. Under 
the influence of arrack, and other vile con- 
coctions surreptitiously introduced, the other- 
wise peaceable aborigines have been giving 
the officials responsible for their welfare a 
considerable amount of trouble. To supplant 
the place of the various alcholic drinks, the 
Andaman Island officials have introduced 
into the Nicobar Islands packets of Fort 
Blair tea together with teapots. The tea 
and the pots have been distributed amongst 
the influential inhabitants of the islands, 
and they have been instructed in the art 
of brewing tea. It is hoped that by these 
means the islanders will mend their ways 
and ultimately give preference to the cup 
which cheers but does not inebriate. The 
experiment is certainly a step in the right 
direction, and is an example the Indian Gov- 
ernment might well follow. In connection 
with this subject we would suggest that 
prisoners in Indian jails should be supplied 
with tea and be moreover taught the proper 
way to brew it. As prisoners do not get 
liquor in jail, were tea supplied a taste would 
be created for the beverage, and on their 
release the prisoners would purchase tea, 
having once got accustomed to it. Every 
little helps a little, so we put forward the 
suggestion for what it is wovth —I. P.G., 
March 'Jth. 
GAME AND FISH PRESERVATION ON 
THE NILGIRIS. 
A perusal of the last annual report of the 
Nilgiri Game and Fish Preservation Association, 
wliile satisfact< ry in respect to the efforts of that 
body to preserve the indigenous game of tlie district, 
is disappointing in .-^o far as it shows that nothing 
wasdoneby way of impoi ting e.xotic birds and beasts, 
which at one time formed no inconsiderable part 
of the Association's operations and rendered the 
district an attraction to the sportsman. That 
was tf;n or eleven years ago, when chikore were 
imported, plieasants reared in captivity and sub- 
sequently let loose in the .sliolas tliat abound on 
the Nilgiris, and rabbits, partridges and peafowl 
introduced. In 1892, for instance, 39 chikore 
were turned out, and in that year two were seen 
in a state of liberty and in the next a covey 
of 1.5, but nothing aftervv.ards. The obvious in- 
ference is that the birds either failed to breed or 
were shot down, and no subsequent attempt to 
introduce them appears to have been made. Several 
members of tlie Game Association tried to in- 
troduce pheasants to the hills, but their efforts 
proved unsuccessful. Mr. Hodgson on one occa- 
sion brought 12 birds with him from home the 
previous year. They were under the personal 
care of the importer tor some time, and are said 
to have laid eggs ; but at that stage the progress 
of the experiment terminated, so far as anybody 
knows. Mr. G Oakes spent over a thousand rupees 
in importing pliea-ants from England at his own 
expense, but he saems to have arrived at the same 
conclusion as Mr. Hodgson did, namely, that there 
was something inimical in the climate. The last 
batch of his pheasants, however, did not prove 
this, for they fell a prey to a marauding jackal 
which gained entrance into the pen where the 
birds were kept during the night Rabbits appear 
to have been thought of in consequence of a re- 
porte I scarcity of hares : liut doubt \vas expressed 
whether the hares were really being killed off, 
and so no very great interest was taken in watch- 
ing this part of the Association's efforts. The 
EXPERIENCE OF CEYLON AND OF AU.STRALIA, 
too, in regard to rabbits, rather alarmed the mem- 
bers, and the first or second importation was not 
repeated. Patridges and peafowl were tried, birds 
were procured and distributed, but these efforts 
were afterwards relaxed, except by Mr. Hodgson 
who successfully reared them at Kartairy. Guinea- 
fowl also were tried, but abandoned before much 
success attendeil the experiment. It is a curious fact 
that, in the fii st years of the existence of the Game 
Association of the Nilgiris, many sportsmen spent 
considerable sums in introducing game birds, such as 
guinea-fowl, partridges, pea-fowl, Himalayan pheas- 
ants, and the like, at a time when the law gave 
no protection to these exotic birds, but now that 
the Game Act has been so amended as to do so 
efieCually, nobody has enterprise enough to ca'-ry 
on the experiment. The Association, in order 
to develop this part of its work, is anxious to 
raise the annual gun license from 30 to 50 rupees, 
but there is little hope of success for this proposal, 
as a large number of licensees are protesting 
against the enhancement, and it is very probable 
their remonstrances may influence the Madras 
Government, especially as the principal argument 
relied upon is the necessity for the destruction of 
wild pig and porcupine, which cause much damage 
to growing crops. — Pioneer, March 11th. 
