June 1, 1900-1 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST^. 
821 
VVYNAAD NOTES. 
(From an ex-Ccylon Planter.) 
April 19. 
While you appear to be having, or to have 
had, a somewhat longish spell of dry weather, 
through much of Ceylon, the Wynaad has 
been favoured with a great deal of 
HEAVY RAIN, 
and more especially since the 1st instant. On 
Jan. 10th, a thunderstorm gave us from 'oO 
to 1'40 over some 250 square miles of the coun- 
try. On the 26th of the following month, we 
registered from "20 to '87 u]3on about the 
same extent, but south of the first downpour, 
while between the 18th ultimo, and the 31st 
idem, the rainfall varied between "20 and 1*50 
and several inches have been recorded this 
month, Good Pi'iday, being one of the 
wettest days the writer has ever known 
during pluvius April,— the rain scarcely 
ceasing between 2 and 10 p.m. 
This seasonable weather, has proved most 
beneficial to all growing vegetation, 
THE COFFEE BUSHES 
having been covered with several splendid 
blossoms, all of which appear to have set 
extremely well, while tea, old and young, 
has had a famous start— more particularly 
during the past fortnight. 
Though the Wynaad has been so highly 
favoured in the matter of these spring storms, 
other South Indian planting districts, such 
as Coorg and Mysoi'e, are reported to have 
experienced an uninterrupted drought from 
the first week in November to the end of 
March ; but as coffee seems to be exception- 
ally well-cared for in those regions, both in 
the matter of shade, and high cultivation, 
fine crops are likely to be the rule, provided 
a heavy plump of rain inaugxirates the 
insettins of the blossoming showers in these 
localities and no hail descends on the open 
flotoer. 
The Wynaad has been entirely depleted 
of lowcountry 
WEST COAST LABOUR, 
the whole of which left the plateau two weeks 
ago, to foregather at the first of the two 
great annual Malabar Feasts, known as the 
" Vishoo," the ceremonies in connection with 
which di-ew to. a close on Easter Monday, so 
that we shall have our Chermers, Kanacas, 
Tyens, Nairsand Moplahs trooping back in 
fdll force, in a few days, and in greater 
numbers than usual, as the failure of the 
wet crops, all over Malabar towards the close 
of 1899, has compelled, and will compel, a 
nmch larger proportion of these people to visit 
the district in search of employment, than 
under ordinary circumstances. 
For a similar reason, the Mysore Canarese 
are likely to return to estates this spring, 
many weeks earlier than is their usual prac- 
tice, for the distress now prevalent in the 
adjoining province — as the immediate conse- 
quence of failure of the Raggi harvest which 
forms the chief food staple of the whole of 
the labouring classes in Mysore— is likely to 
drive in the Canarese at an e.irly date. 
With two successive indifferent Raggi crops, 
the stocks of such grain held by all the 
poorer classes of ryots, have been almost 
entirely exhausted, and from advices just 
m 
received, from unimpeachable sources, I 
gather that in addition to losing their cattle 
wholesale, from a deficiency in pasture and 
water, these unlucky Mysoreans are com- 
pelled to eke out their scanty food supply, 
with jungle produce, such as edible roots 
and berries. With such a 
DEPLORABLE CRISIS 
widely ijrevalent— it seems extraordinary 
that the Mysore Durbar are unable to allot 
funds for relief works— though a sum of a 
lakhs of rupees has jiist been assigned to de 
fray the outlay incidental to the er'ection of 
a building, to be specially provided, on the 
occasion of the wedding ceremonials of the 
youthful Maharaja and of his younger sister 
on the 6th June next. 
The area already planted with 
TEA, 
in South and South East Wynaad, is to be 
largely increased during the ensuing South- 
West Monsoon ; and work on such extensions, 
is in a very advanced condition already, so 
that the whole of such tracts ought to be 
planted up by the end of June, if the mon- 
soon reaches the west coast on a normal date; 
and as, for the reasons already detailed, we 
are likely to suffer from a plethora of labour, 
there should be no difficulty in keeping 
every coffee and tea property in the acme 
of good order this year. • 
The improved tone of the home coffee mar- 
kets, consequent (it is assumed in well in- 
formed quarters) on consumption having over- 
taken supply, is also likely to stimulate 
farther extensions under coffee, especially in 
North Wynaad, where some really splendid 
Arabica has been developed, within the past 
quinquennium, under the auspices of pro- 
minent Coorg planters— in proximity to the 
Coorg and Mysore boundary lines. 
Another product, which is likely to be 
planted over a great deal of suitable land this 
year is 
PEPPER 
the market for which continues to be very 
firm. Where the best bearing variety of the 
pepper vine is cultivated, or rather grown — 
for no special cultivation is necessary — in 
conjunction with coffee, a nett profit on the 
sale of the spice of fully R250* per acre can 
be reasonably expected ; while pepper grown 
alone — where the vines have once been 
thox^oughly well started — can be well cared 
for on an outlay of ten rupees per acre annu- 
ally, and upon such tracts the nett profit 
should not fall below R500.t 
HYBRID COFFEE 
continues to promise extremely well, as all 
the best original trees are undoubtedly im- 
mune from leaf-disease,— though some are 
prone to occasional attacks of white bug— and 
by jndiciausly selecting the best strain, from 
the third generation, we are gradually cover- 
ing our hybrid coffee lands, with very fine 
trees of a highly product ive bearing capa- 
* "The poor Old Women "—a cryptic name for 
Ireland. Pronounced Shan Van Vo. 
t We should say these figures are far too high 
or apply only to small patches highly cared foy, 
-Ed, T.A, 
