es IHE Tropical 
he has^ At Provolaoe 2,509 ciifctiugs, Zivietnoe 1 350, 
Otraanoe 2,120.. Total 5,979. 
Indepencleut of the above, he obtained sowings from 
Chinese seed in 1899 : At Zavietnoe 452,377, Otradnoe 
7,492, Proivolnoe 1067,028.— Total 1 816 897—1,816,897 
Also nlanted ont in nursericG ; la 190O at Privolnoe 
ndOtradnoe 3092,492,1901 1,068,115.— Total 6,807,504. 
Yield of his tea factory :— Bohea tea ; by Chinese 
method:— In 1895 20 fuuts, 1896 37 funta, (funt-14^ 
ez.) 1897 120 J funts. 
By hand and machine method :— Iul898 2,900 funts, 
1899 3,610 funts, 19130 816 funts. 
By machine oaly in 1901— to Sept. 15, 9,072 fonts. 
Tablet Tea :— In 1898 10,000 funts. 
His lea, he adds, hss been on sale since 1895 
under the name '•First Russian tea of Constantine 
Popoff." His Majesty's Cortsul at Batoum, in his 
report of 1901, says there are four qualities of 
tea on the Popoff estates, the first sold at RP60 
per funt (about Ss 8d per lb), the second at Kl "20 
per funt (about 2* lOd per )b), the third at Kl 
per fuHt (about 2s 4d per lb), and the fourth 
(dust) is made into tabloids and sold for the use 
of soldiers at 20 copecks per funt (about 6d per 16). 
Impfeial DOMAiNi? ' ESTATES,— The Imperial 
Domanis had, in 1898, 102 acres under cultivation, 
in 1900 the ar«a under cultivation was 4?5 acres, 
and in 1901 the same. The estate is at Chakva, 
some few miles from Batoum. In 1900 the crop 
was gathered from 102 acres and amounted to 
5,444 lb. In 1901 the crop gathered from the same 
number of acres was 21,600 lb- The quality is 
pi-incipally Kaugra Valley. The tea is classified 
lnt« three qualities. In 1900 first and second 
were stfld at El 50 (3s 2Jd) per lb, and third at 
Rl-20 (2s 6'^d) per lb. For the 1901 crop a bid 
was made bj/ a Moscow firm at tlie all round 
rate of Rl (2s l^d) per lb for the whole crop, 
but was declined . (See Report of H B M Consul 
at Batoum, Nov. 1901.) According to a letter 
report of the same, Nov. 1902, tlie area under 
cultivation on the Imperial Domains estate amounts 
now to 600 — 600 acres. To some extent the Imperial 
Domains' estate at Chakva is in the nature of 
au experimental p'ot for trying Japanese and 
Chinese plants, including tea, Mr Klinwen, the 
agronome of the Imperial Domains, and initiator 
of the Domains' Caucasian tea plantations, states 
the Department had in view other plants as well, 
as tea alone would be impossible, only a given 
percentage of the anountainous region being favor- 
able to tea grooving. The Imperial Domains for 
the further expolitation of tlie tea industry in 
Caucasus, will let small plots to the peasant 
classes. As most suitable sites, beside the Batoinn 
eoast disfcriet from the Turkish frontier to the 
northern limits of the Batoum province, the 
Ozurgetski and perhaps the Zugdidski districts 
are Mientioned for the furthei" expansion ef plan- 
tations. Possibly, too, the Sukhum district may 
offer suitable opportunities. Supposing the avail- 
able area to be only 25,000 dessiatiues (67,500 acres) 
and the average crop per dessiatine (2.7 acres) 20 
pounds (720 lb), the yield of Caucasian tea might 
reach 510,000 pounds, 1,800,000 lb valued at 15 to 
30 million rotbles. The total tea yield of all tiie 
Caucasian plantations in 1901 was only 13i tons, 
say 30,250 lb. 
Climate.— HM Consul at Butoum says tliat 
** the cli-njate of Batoum and its environs is all 
that can be desired for the succes-'Jul culture of 
tea.'' U S Consul at St I'eter.'sburg reports that 
the climate is in favour of the new enterprise. Mr. 
Popofi' alludes to "places lik-e Batoum where rains 
AGHICULTURlST. [July i, 1903. 
are so often almost tropical in their continuation 
and force" aud to the necessity, therefore, of 
terraces. 
GAME PRESERVATION IN INDIA. 
AN ALL INDIA PROTECTION SOCIETY. 
It is high time that Government initiated soma 
enaotiiienc whereby the destruction of herbivorous 
gameiniglic be controlled. Complaints are eman- 
ating from al! over India, says the Englishman, 
as to the ruthless denudation of forests of game 
and unless Government is prepared to do some- 
thing to prevent this denudation we might very 
easily and safely predict the annihilation of every 
species of iisrbivora in the very near future. 
AVhat could be simpler than the insertion of a 
clause in all licenses whereby the licensee 
could be punishable lor the wilful destruction ef 
animals other than those which are a menace to 
human life. Of course, the Government would 
have to make provision to see that the enactment 
is enforced and complied with, but this might 
very easily ije overcome by entrusting forest 
rangers with the power to apprehend and prosecute 
olFenders, However, that there is something in 
this way wanted and wanted soon there can be no 
doubt, and the sooner it is done the better. 
Ceylon again has the upper hand of us in 
this matter as she has in the servant problem. 
If Gjvernment cannot help the next best thing 
would be to start an all India Game Protection 
Society with branches in different Districts. It 
i? :iut of the use of guns and rifles by the native 
that we would complain, but rather of the 
mis-use of them. It is a well known fact that 
the ryot is not averse to turning over a 
penny by catering to the demand for heads, 
skins and horns which seems to be on the increase, 
and instances are not v.'anting to show that a 
wholesale slaughter of birds and harmless animals 
obtains in India to a very large extent and that 
this slaughter is becoming a serious menace to the 
existence of game is a fact that cannot be gainsaid. 
A trade in the young of deer and antelope is 
carried on to a very large extent and the manner 
iu which these little animals are caught is cruel 
in the extreme. The mother is first shot, and 
not with one bullet at that, then the young 
are chased by mobs of villagers armed with 
stones and lathis with which frightful injuries 
are inflicted on the animal before it is finally 
captured. Cases have occurred where animals 
have been brought round for sale in a grievous- 
ly maimed condition with very little of life in 
their attenuated bodies. This is simply one of 
the many ways of the ryot shikari to earn a 
few pice at the expense of the harmless denizens 
of the forest, but it is not the least by which 
game is being depleted and wai\tonIy slaugh- 
tered.— iW. Mail, May 19. 
4^ 
TIIE VANILLA INDUSTRY IN MAURITIUS. 
A document has just been communicated by the 
Government to the local press which is of very 
considerable importance to tho.se persons who are 
engaged in the cultivation of vanilla ; a pursuit 
which at one time was of much greater importance 
to the Colony than it is at present and which, in 
the opinion of all those who are competent to 
form one, might with reasonable intelligence ami 
