626 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. (March 1, 19G4. 
when the question of the formation of a General 
Recruiting Agejcy on the lines of the colonial 
system was under consideration. The reply of 
Government was no less emphatic then than I fancy 
it would be now if the inquiry was repeated. Al- 
though it is hardly reasonable to expect Govern 
ment to do this, it is certainly reasonable to look 
for every assistance from Government in the modi- 
fication of regulations under the Act which in 
practice are proved to interfere with recruting 
operations generally. A. good many of those diffi- 
culties have already, I am glad to say, on the 
representation of (his Association and the Tea 
iDistricts Labour Sr.pply Association, been removed, 
and with the linking up of the railway connection 
between Assam and Bengal by the extension of the 
lines from Dhubri to Ganhati now in progress, I 
am hopeful that ere long matters will to a con^ 
siderable extent right themselves. Before I propose 
theadoptionef the reportl shall be glad if someone 
else will address the meeting. 
Mr Harold Mann saiJ:— Mr Chairman and 
" Gentlemen, — My return from England is so recent 
that I have hardly had time as yet so to look round 
as to be able to grasp the present position of pro- 
blems which I left in a measure behind six months 
ago. But certain developments have taken place, 
nevertheless, which it would perhaps be advisable 
for me to refer to here today. You have all in 
the first place, no doubt copies of the latest report 
on my experiments in dealing with the Mosquito 
Blight of Tea, In one case in Assam at any rate, 
these experiments, conducted on a fairly large 
scale as I there show, have been success, 
ful beyond even what I was entitled to -hope. 
But the fact that other effoits, quite similar in 
design, have not attained anything like the same 
result in Cachar and the Terai lends extreme 
force to what 1 am about to say with regard to 
these methods. The successful efforts were con- 
ducted on a garden and on tea quite isolated from 
other seriously afl'eoted blocks, and were carried 
out with a devotion and attention which is beyond 
all praise. For I would insist on the matter 
that the methods I have suggested are by no means 
easy of application, demand a constant attention 
to every detail which is not always found on a 
tea garden, and are such that if this detailed 
and constant attention are omitted even for 
a week or two, the whole expense of the method — 
spraying, catching, etc,— may go for I ttle or 
nothing. I have referred to this becauseC do not 
want it to be imagined that all one has t do to 
deal with mosquito blight is to spray the tea with 
the solution I suggest, and then expect the blight) 
to disappear; such a method can only lead to 
disappointment and to useless expenditure of 
money. One other matter of tea estate work I 
would like to refer to. I was working, as you 
known on matters of manufacture during several 
ttiontbs of last season in Assam, and in continu- 
ation of my investigations of the 
FEEMENT OF THE TEA 
leaf, I have been able to obtain more results, 
and these on a larger scale than I was able to in my 
last published report. The report on these experi- 
ments will, I hope, be ready within the month. 
As the Chairman has indicated to you, during my 
Btay in England 1 have engaged on your behalf as 
asfcistant in my department, Mr Claude M Hut- 
chinson, whom I believe you will find a great 
ftcc^aUition to tbe industry. He is a Cambridge 
graduate, and has had large experience in scientific 
agriculture in England, having filled one or two 
injportant and responsible posts in connection with 
Agricultural Chemical work. It is designed that 
he should be stationed in the Assam Valley; the 
exact location is not ycj decided upon. Such an 
arrangement will, I hope, allow me ultimately to 
ilevote a larger portion of my time to other dis- 
tricts with my head quarters remaining, of 
course, in Calcutta, and the arrangement will, 
I hope, result in a more rapid and thorough 
development of the science of tea culture without 
which, I am convinced, little further progress either 
in the improvement of the quality of tea or in 
the methods for dealing with some of the enemies 
of the tea bush, can be hoped for. 
Mr Alex Tocher— seconded the resolution 
adopting the Annual Report. He said : — In read- 
ing over the Report there was only one remark 
which excitei a critical thought in my mind, and 
that was in the paragraph with reference to the 
increased duiy imposed on Indian Tea- entering 
European Russia. It is quite true, as the Report 
says, that the increase is a small one ; but I think 
that on principleit would be well to make aprotest. 
We do not know that Russia will not presently put 
on a shilling a pound of differential duty instead of 
a penny. I think the new Committee might consi- 
der whether we should not — especially now that 
the Dalny route is closed — point out that China 
and Java teas, going say to Odessa, ought not to 
have any advantage over Indian. We are, I believe, 
entitled to most-favoured nation treatment, and 
ought to have it. I beg to second the adoption of 
the report.'— Carried. 
Mr LocKHART Smith moved :— That the rate 
of subscription for the current year from each 
garden belong to the Association be lixed at one 
anna per acre under tea culiivaiion, Mr W WAR- 
EINGTON seconded. — Carried. The rest of the busi- 
ness was formal. — Indian Daily News- 
RAINBOW TROUT ACCLIMATISATION IN 
THE TRANSVAAL. 
Johannesburg, Jan, 31 (Reuter) — The Transvaal 
Trout Acclimatisation Society have progressed stea- 
dily, and have distributed a large number of trout- 
leis in promising rivers. Yesterday a thousand 
rainbow trout, which were hatched by artifical 
means, at the Society's headquarters, at Potchefst 
room, were distributed in the Klip river, at 
Witkop. — Natal Mercury. 
♦ 
THE STRAITS BORROWS THE CEYLON 
AGRICULTURAL EXPERT. 
We are authorised to state that an appli- 
cation has been received from the High 
Commissioner of the Federated Malay States 
for the services of Mr J C Willis, Director 
Royal Botanic Gardens to be lent to the 
Government of the Federated Malay States 
with a view to advising them with regard 
to the appointment of a Director of Agri- 
culture. Mr Willis expects to leave Colombo 
for Singapore about the end of March, and 
will be away for a period of two months, his 
expenses bemer borne by the Government of 
the Federated Malay States, 
