Nov. 1, 190,?.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
331 
In order to undei'stand the phtce of tea in 
alimentary economy, we must study its 
analysis which is fully given and it is 
explained how tannin oxydises the lilood 
and by combining with the albuminous 
matter of the tissue of the body hinders 
their destruction. The theine is doubtless 
nerve tonic, say they, and acts in the same 
way as would alcohol. 
All this will appeal to Continental readers 
in their own languages. 
GARDENING ON TEA ESTATES. 
{For "Indian Gardenitiq and Planting ") 
In Indian Gardening and Planting of 17ch July 
1902, yon ask, under the heading of " Gardening on 
Tea Estates," " Why should not every tea planter in 
India turn his attention to the cultivaLioii of the 
beautiful in nature? . . . The tea planter has 
every facility for successful gardening ready to his 
hand." 
The answer to this question is not far to seek ; and 
it is this : Few men or women liave it in them to 
tako the trouble that successful gardening requires. 
A man who has it in him to do this, will teach himself 
gardening almost under any circumstances. There 
is no recognised institution in India to which a youth, 
who is intended for a planter, can bs sent to acquire 
a love of plants, and the rudiments of the way thfit 
they should be dealt with, in order to make them 
respond to one's wishes. Most children are fond of 
flowers — some are passionately so — and would intelli- 
gently learn a good deal about them, if they are 
taken early in hand by some one who knows how 
to deal with children's brains, and to put in 
them the best and lasting notions. Bat this natural 
love of plants is allowed to be frittered away by all 
Borts of distracting notions ; so that after a time the 
child begins to look upon the time and trouble of 
'attending to plants as a bore and is always wanting 
to do something else; as the child grows into a boy, 
with all manner of distracting thoughts, it is hopeless 
in most cases to try and win him Iriack to gardening. 
As men get old they begin to lose interest in this, 
thatand the other pursuit, but if in their childhood and 
youth they have had their love of plants fostered, and 
have acquired the rudiments of gardening, that pursuit 
they will never tire of. In their spare moments they 
will be always in some garden, or wild place prying 
into the ways of plants and flowers. It is doubtful 
whether a child or a bov will take to plants unless 
he haa it naturally in lam, and feel a pleasure in 
discovering their secrets, or at all events in learning 
something about their ways. Parents are a great deal 
responsible for not having children taught more about 
gardening than they do. For instance, what is the 
first thing a mother in London thinks of doing when 
her children return home for the Christmas holidays ? 
The first thing she thinks of is to take her boys 
and girls to the Pantomime, to see what ? — a regiment 
of pseudo-nude girls dancing in a ballet and a lot of 
imbecilities in the bargain. The boy probibly has 
awakened in his brain convolutions something very 
different from gardening, when he beholds those troops 
of girls rigged up in imitation nudity — something to 
dream of for mouths while he is trying to read hia 
books on returning to school. I once asked a little girl, 
who was with her mother for Christmas holidays, this 
question : How long does it take you to gather 
up your thoughts again for renewed school 
work, when the Christmas carnivals are over '? 
She replied about two months. The boy probably 
takes longer. Mothers are mostly ignorant, and 
do not understand the automatic action of the human 
brain; and that when she puts the exciting glamour 
of a pantomime into a child's head it is difficult to put 
it out again ; and most of these boys and girls are 
BQppoaedto be in training for making their owa way in 
the world later on. I do not suppose that mrtre than 
one per cent of mothers look upon the future lives of 
her children as a life of struggle for existence. Panto- 
mimes don't appear to help one much in that direction. 
It is only today in one of the papers I read that in a 
certain technical school they find a difficulty in getting 
students to come to be taught ! The youth's brains 
are stuffed with a craving for amusement. I know of 
an official in India who had a son in Loudon training 
for the Indian Civil Service. He failed. Then he was 
coached for the Army. He failed again, and finally he 
was turned into a tea-planter. Not improbably in his 
new function, whatever that may have beeu, after the 
day's work he wound up in some verandah with his 
legs on the long arms of those curious chairs, smoking 
and drinking whisky and soda. How could such a 
creature take to gardening, in spite of " every facility 
for successful gardening ready to hia hand." Probably 
he never knew even, or had the sense of observing that 
plants had sexea like himself I It is true that great 
efforts are now being made to bring boys and girls 
face to face with the realities of nature in what are 
called '■ nature studies." But with the dreams of a 
pantomime in his head what can a boy care abont 
Iseetles and nettles ? If the boy has it in him, and his 
father intends him to become a planter, there are faci- 
lities for training him in a knowledge of plants and 
their ways both in the Royal Gardens at Kew, and in 
the Horticultural Gardens of India. Bat do they, or 
will they take advantage of these institutions ? I was, 
cn one occasion, in the principal hotel in Kandy for a 
month. Periodically bachelor planters used to come 
down to the hotel, have a "blowout," and get tipsy, 
and make a row. The ennui of life with such creatures 
must ha^el been great, and they had no outlet for 
their energy beyond that of driving coolies. To such 
persons a love of gardening would have been a Godsend. 
London, Aug. 22nd, 1902. _ E. Bonavu, M.D. 
— Lulian Gardening and Planting, Sept, 18, 
CEYLON GAME PROTECTION SOCIETY. 
Copy of minutes of a general Committee Meeting 
of the Ceylon Game Protection Society, held at 
the Hill Club, Nuwara Eliya, on Saturday, 
September 20th. 
Present :— Hon. Mr. H Wace, Chairman, Messrs. 
C H Bagot, P R Shand, C C Wilson, J Wickwar. 
M J Kennaway and T Farr, Honorary Secretary. 
The minutes of last meeting were read and 
confirmed. 
Messrs. C C Wilson and M J Kennaway were 
proposed as members of Committee and duly 
elected. 
The Honorary Secretary submitted a letter 
from the Colonial Secretary (No, 09,092) of June 
13th, 1902, explaining circumstances and corres- 
pondence antecedent thereto with amended form 
of licence proposed by him. 
The amended form was approved by the Com- 
mittee and the Honorary Secretary was authorised 
to submit the same to Government. 
The Honorary Secretary submitted a question 
of retention of watchers on the Meda and Kadawata 
Korales, Sabaraganmwa. Resolved :—" That the 
G. A , Sabaragamuwa be requested to be good 
enoua:i> to inform the Secretary, how these watchefs 
are employed, and under whose immediate super- 
vision, and to give a return of all cases instituted 
under the Game Protection Ordinances with result 
of same." 
The Honorary Secretary brought to notice of the 
Committee, the question of the altering of the 
close season of the Eastern Province appearing 
in the Government Gazette No. 6,838— ot Mareii 
22nd, 1902. Resolved :— " That previous to the 
altering of close seasons in .any Province, the 
