Oct. ), 1898.] 
THE TliOPiCAL AGRICULTURIST. 
245 
TEA AND COFFEE IN THE 
NILGIKIS DISTRICT- 
A CEYLON PLANTER INVESTING IN TEA. 
AND CINCHONA PROPERTY AT 
6,500 FEET. 
SPLENDID COFFEB AT 3,000 FEET. 
Mr. T. C. Andekson of Maskeliya has just 
returned after a prolonged tour of inspection 
through the Nilgitis, where he was on a pre- 
■ liminary visit some months ago. The result 
of the present trip is that Mr. Anderson has 
purchased from, or through, Messrs. Arbuthnot 
& Co., the Glen Morgan Tea and Cincliona 
property of 400 acres at an elevation of 6,500 
feet on the Nilgiiis. The rea is Assam Hybrid 
and promises well, although hitherto neglected 
—according to Ceylon notions— while the pre- 
paration with a hand roller and no proper 
Factory, has been a farce. In fact, though 
there have been tea gardens for many years 
in the Nilgiris District, tea "preparation" is 
1" infancy. A sample of the leaf prepared 
by Mr. Anderson witii primitive appliances, 
ha.s been valued very hiirhly for flavour and 
liquor by Messrs. Somerville & Co. Tiiat Messis. 
Arbuthnot & Co. have not lost faith in Nilgiris 
tea— though, for some (perhaps family) reasons, 
they had to sell Glen Morgan— is shown by 
their now arranging to open 1,000 acres in tea 
adjoining Mr. Anderson. We have no doubt 
the advent of Ceylon-trained planters will work 
a change ; for, though labour is fairly abundant, 
the coolies do not understand plucking, pruning 
and other work as done in Ceylon. They simply 
would not believe that coolies in Ceylon could 
get through so many trees a day, and as for 
Factorjr work, they know little or nothing 
about it. Mr. Anderson's Superintendent— Mr. 
i Tri'igham, late of Deltota— greatly admires 
the Nilgiris tea, and when a proper Factory is 
equipped and some Ceylon coolies got to sliow' the 
way, he has no doubt of fine tea being turned out. 
Besides tea, Mr. Anderson includes in 
his purchase nearly 100,000 well-grown cinchona 
trees, most of them ready for barking whenever the 
market suits, and samples sent home lately realized 
up to 7d a lb. We have not learned the price paid 
for the property by Mr. Anderson; but evidently 
he IS well-satisfied with his bargain, though no 
doubt he will have a good deal of factory and other 
outlay at the commencement. 
Coming down from Glen Morgan to Pykara, 
Mr. Anderson passed through a renovated coffee 
property which astonished him : 200 acres •f our 
old staple (at about 3,000 feet elevation) were 
laden with a splendid crop, the bushes all look- 
ing healthy and vigorous, with little or no signs 
of hemileia vastatrix. The renovation consisted 
or liberal manuring and irrigation and planiinri 
■with shack trees. There can be no doubt of the 
good effect of shade; for, where not available, 
the disease takes hold. Several descriptions of 
trees— dadap, ' potatoe ' trees, &c.— are used for 
shade and all seem to do well. Is it too late for 
of the owners of coffee fields in \J va to try 
of a quick growing shade tree? 
Mr. Anderson is delighted with the climate and 
scenery of the Nilgiris at the present time, 
though the season has been an unhealthy one, 
owing to an outbreak of typhoid, due to bad 
wa-ier. The dwarf nilloo (strohUanthcs) is in 
nower on the rolling patenas around Utacamund, 
and the flowers give a lavender-coloured tin^e 
to the downs and the general outlook. Gaine 
leiDg preserved, the luiuiljei- of deer atid other 
ammals encountered in travelling is very lar-e 
A\ hen the railway IS open to Coonoor. the iournev 
m'"a^7'°" '''''}\^^ shortened. For tbe JrosenT 
Mr. Anderson left Ooty on 15th AvimZ U^a \ 
at Colombo within 48 hours, via Tuticodn.' ^ 
TEA, AND C00LIEs7 AND PREPAR ATrnv 
ON THE NILGIRIS :-IN CORRECT™^ 
T»^. '-'Oloni^o. Aug. 17, isoB 
Dear Mr. Editor, -Just a lin^ to explain that 
noL.hT"'^' Coolies 'knowin. 
nothing of tea manufacture, referred only to G en 
Morgan. There are several Ceylon planters o er 
theie ana some estates turn out very fair teas-see 
the London reports. In your remarks, it reads as 
f planters and coolies on the Nilgiris -eneranv 
knew httle of manufacture. I spoke onfy of the 
one estate "Glen Morgan. "-Yours truly 
rw . , , T. C. ANDERSON 
[We Stan, corrected and give pronunenee to Mr. 
Anderson s letter. --Ed. 2'. J.] ^ i^o lui. 
THE INDIAN TEA ASSOCIATION 
(LONDON.) 
m ■ u. , ANNUAL MEETING. 
Ihe eighteenth annual meeting was held af fho 
ces.St, Mary's Chambers, 14, St. Marv 4xe on Tn! f^' 
last. Mr. W H Verner the senior vfce chair J^n '^ 
called upon to preside. enairman, was 
convtiSThtmLtSJ- ^^^^'•-^ 'he notice 
mu • MPOKT AND ACCOUNTS. 
The Chairman moved the adoption of thp ^ 
and accounts, and observed that one or f 
mentioned therein were in an inr-W ™a,ttera 
having been finally dTaU with%nd °o tblftt 
L"?.P°/^^"'..?'^,^^5'°" ofl^-^iau Currency ExchLge?The^ 
Slwaitbe'fte WV^^^Td 'rtTo^'Cd*"^"- 
definite views as to"^ that, ^tha result o7 7.'^ 
examination now being made into ti, 
by the Currency Committee Th^ ^ 
inland river freights was also still °^ 
sideration This "was a"mat£\/'S,/"St?j?- 
portance to the Assam tea industrv pnF 
hoped that the very able sub-co Jmfuee whidi ITa 
been appointed would be able to meet f 
sentatives of the shippin.' comDan.vT . ^ "P'^^" 
the matter placed on ^ a° satkfEv ^° 
planters lie might Mof ^fe t'hadV* 
approached privately, not as a member of thio 
cation, to consider the possibility of form^^'iZ' 
new river shippinij aeenoy in the interest^f ^* ™° 
tea planters, but he and others who con idlr^d?)f 
subject with him thought that existin™' *; '^^ 
sufficient, as there was no reason fn^ agenci.a were 
the steamship companies wouTd not be vZ°'', f"-' 
meet the planters half-way It „L J ^i ^'f^ '° 
fore, that the committee would be ah?/''; 
satisfactory arrangements. The one iL«t° T^""^" 
which the report brought home to evlry one"o? 
them was the necessity for new markets ^T)„^f k 
day it was being brought home t?^ them that ^fV,^^ 
must not sit still. They must try to extend ^u^^ 
.aarketa not only across the water W '^^"^ 
Sid, of the water" OP^-tions^l'^^^-.^^'e^i^^^-^^'hiB 
private enterprise with a view to exlMdinl tlo i J 
but hitherto the great and povverfaf ^nSion of 
John Mmr and Messrs. Finlay and ComnVnVho^ u 
the only producers who had bLn also enS'^f'p 
ing heir teas as ordinary merchantsiu ior^t^ 
countries. lor that, he thought thn f»l ■ ^/^'g"! 
was very much indebted to "fe^L. '^^f 'co'ir'se'fh^i 
were proceeding on a business basis and ^^R^l^.n ?^ 
make a profit, aad were not doing U ,1^^ f'^! 
benevolent reasons, but that made theu chancL of 
success all the greater. With regard t-> ti,i \ ■ 
Hon itself, he had had the priX.e of be.nf 
nectedwith it for ten years' ^nd^^ho. gh'ife Tsi 
aociatigu had uot done all that it might ha vc don^ 
