July 1, 1903.] THE TROPICAL 
ontstretclieJ arms and uplifted eyes of supplica- 
tion, tlie blessings of all -induli^erU heaven — that 
is, praying for less and les-s carbonic acid and even 
nioie and niore oxygen— a perfect obiecb les?on in 
sanitation, art and re'if io i. When the Victoria 
Gardens and Albyrt Museum werd established in 
Bombay the men eniployed on these works were 
at first so pestered by mosquitoes and sulTered so 
machfroni in.ilarious fever, tliaton the recouiniend- 
acion of liie Hindu ^«2'6aj'i ('manager'), the wliole 
boundary of the gardens (vas planted with lioly 
basil and any other basil at hand on which the 
plagiije of mosquitoes was at once abated and fever 
altogether disapp'iared from among the resident 
gardeners and temporarily resident masons. The 
site of the gardens had before been one of the 
worst malaria-stricken spots on the island of 
Bombay. No one in those days knew anything of 
' the mosquito. malaria theory ' of today. I myself 
used myrrh as a protection against mosquitoes. 
They never came near any bed in which a little 
myrrh was burnt or a little tincture of myrrh 
sprinkled when retiring for the night. I never 
kqew natives who used much cinnamon or cloves, 
&c., in their daily diet ever take malarial fever 
or die of cholera. — I have the honour to be, Sir, 
your most obedient servant, 
April 29. GEORGE BIKDWOOD. 
— London Times, May 2. 
TEA CULTIVATION IN THE TEANS- 
UAUCASUS. 
ITS PRESENT AND FUTURE. 
Data as to the present opinions as to the 
future of the tea cultivation of the Caucasus vary 
considerably. H. B, M. Consul at Batoum in 
Novem'oer, 1901, reported at length and unfavour- 
ably as to the importance or the future of tea 
gra.ving there, stating that the "periodically pub- 
lished •ptimistic views have been much exagger- 
ated, and, if anytkiag, are mi.sleading as to the 
state of afl'iirs. " "From the foregoing it i« clear 
that tea planting in the Caucasus may at soma 
remote period become sufficiently advantageous to 
warrant its being generally adopted, but for tho 
present the industry has not issumed any com- 
mercial significance, and it is, therefore, not likely to 
play an important part in ctmpebing with Chinese, 
Indian and Ceylon tea, not only in the markets 
of the world, but even at the Rusiian and Central 
Asian tea trade centre. " A year later, in Novem- 
ber, 1902, his report is much more favourable and 
his conclusirltis altogether different, as the follow- 
ing copy shows : — 
(See Agricultural Report ot H. M. Consul at 
Batoum, November, 1902 ("Agriculture in the 
Trans-Caucasus for the year 1902") publishers 
Eyre Spottiswoode, E Harding Srteet, Fleet Street, 
E C price Id. Aho for previous year, price Id.) 
The same report thus eoncluies: " Under ths 
conditions set forth above, the theory that tea 
growing in this country would n«t be generally 
adopted on account of the unfuvoura-ble climatic 
conditions and other difficulties which have to 
be encountered including the high rate of wages 
paid for labour, or that the tea industry and trade 
tor the Caucasus could not pessibly expand to a 
stage which would render it, even at the remote 
date, of commercial importance, is apparently an 
exploded idea. The results obtained during this 
season show thH,t quite the contrary is likely to 
AGRiCULTUmS'l. 2? 
be the case, and that there is every reason to 
believe that the cultivation and manuf loturo of 
tea promises to be one of the most prosperous 
and prohtable agricultural pursuits in the Trans- 
Cauca.su?." (See published reports of MrCousu. 
Stevens of Bitoiim of December, 1901, and 
November, 1902. Pos. 2729 and 2918 respectively, 
on the agriculture of the Trans-Carxasus.) 
I quote the Consul's opinion first as he is 
resident on the spot, and lias therefore the best 
opportunities of judging. 
The United States Consul at St Petersburg in 
a recent report states: "The experiments in tea 
culture in the Caucasus during recent years have 
proved eminently successful, and the Minister of 
Agricultural and Imperial Domains is now taking 
steps to establish the industry on sound working 
basis. The climate and other conditions are all in 
favour of the new enterprise." 
First efforts in Tea Planting.— The first 
efforts in tea planting in the Trans-Caucasus were 
made in the forties by Prince Vorontzjff. He 
was followed by various others, amonc them by 
Mr. Solovatzoff in 1885, and then Mr. Constantine 
S. Popoff took it up. The Imperial Domains 
Department startel in 1895. These two are now 
the only planters on any large scale. 
Mr Popoff s Plantations.— Mr. Popoff s 
estates are situated near Batoum, viz., at Chavka, 
Salibauri, and Kapreshnm, which have since re- 
ceived Russian names, Otradnoe, Frevolnoe, and 
Zavietnoe respectively. The area under cultiva- 
tion on the three estates is 312 acres. Mr. Popofi 
himself, replying in a lengthy article of several 
columna in the St. Petersburg Viedomosti of 
Oetober 22, 1901 to a depreciation of his work 
by a correspondent of the said paper, states th-at 
after visiting China, India and Ceylon, and 
spending years theoretically and practically study- 
ing the question of tea culture, he began with 
three different plots, differing from each other 
in important particulars, in the neighbourhood o^ 
Batoum. He ordered tea seeds and plants frpm 
China, and still continues ©rdering seeds. Ha 
imported Chinese hands, not coolies, accustomed 
to tea planting, &c. The machinery, &c., was 
ordered from England. In reply to "the accusa- 
tion that tea planting in the Caucasus is a failure 
and that it is quite discredited, he gives the 
following data with respect to the position of 
thi* work : — 
Frivolnoe estate (or Saliba/ari). Plants from im 
ported Chinese seed: Planted in 1893 11,181, 1896 
6,028 1897 18,655, 1898 20,313, 1899 210,455.— 
Total 266 627. 
Zavietno* estate (or Kipreshum). Piaata from im- 
proved Chinese seed : Planted in 1893 7,226, 1897 
8,319 189S, 56,600, 1899 50,052.— Total 131,199. 
Plants from imported Assam Beed : Planted in 1897 
2,464, Himalaya 1898 78, Caylon 1898 4,103.— Total 
6,644. 
Otradone estate (or Chakva) ; Plants from imported 
Chinese seed ; Planted iu 1898 19,302, 1897 35,141, 
1898 84,018.— Total 88,464. 
In this estate experiments hare also been made in 
sowing from seed collected from his own •statea 
Planted in 1893, 345. 1900. 284.— Total 629, 
Besid* which, pUnts imported in 1893 from Chineae 
proTincea : Mankong 401, Niachau 447, Yau-lou- 
tung 409— Total 1,257. 
Also imported plants from : Japan 67, Ceylon iO, 
Java 7, Himalaya 16. Assrim 22. — Total 155. 
In 1894 he tried culii^tiag aattings from plants 
imported from Guinft, Xbe experiment suoceoie jl and 
