686 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
L April 1, 1902. 
TOBACCO. 
In Trincomalee, it is mostly grown in open lands 
about the Town from No 1 Division northwards, 
up as far as " Nillavelly " village, which is 9 miles 
away and where large tracts of Crown lands have 
been recently purchased of Government for culti- 
vation. The soil of gardens in Town is loamy or 
marly earth, but towards Nillavelly it is sandy, 
and better adapted I fancy for coconut plautina;, 
but yet Tobacco is extensively grown. The ferti- 
lizer used by cultivators is compost from dung- 
hills, or native manure. The seeds are raispu in 
nurseries near wells, during the months of Octo- 
ber and November, and the native cultivator who 
has no scientific knowledge pertaining to soil, 
chooses the most convenient spot which is dug 
and manured with dry, powdered cattle dung, and 
encloses the spot wiih a temporary fence, and 
thence sows his seed. When the seedlings sprout 
and shoot forth three or four tender leaves, they 
are considered fit to be transplanted. 
Meanwhile the land is turned over by a mamoty, 
an adjunct for a spade or shovel, and this is 
great manual labour. The earth throvvfu up is 
levelled, and the area squared and lined parallel 
with each side, and thus each lineintersectsthe other 
and the plants are set 4 feet apart, and well 
shaded. They are watered by earthen pots for a 
week 3 times a day, and afterwards for a week 
both mornings and evenings only, and in 22 days 
the shades are removed. The ground is then weeded 
and water let in to irrigate the plants every other 
day for 8 or 9 days. Afterwards the whole ground 
is tilled and 4 to 6 plants are banked in one bed and 
left for two or three days to bask in the sun — water 
is afterwards irrigated daily until maturity. 
Watchful search of destructive worms is un- 
ceasingly made at this time as otherwise the 
leaves will be perforated by these pests. 
After 15 or 20 days the main stalk is nipped off 
and the shoots after every eighth day pinched off. 
It is now that good and well-grown trees are 
spotted, and the top shoots are allowed to throw 
additionally a couple or three leaves, and then 
lopped. These leaves are said to be superfine 
or very best ; those below, on the parent stalk, 
irom two to five in number, according to the 
fertility of the soil, are said to be of best quality; 
those beneath, of second quality, and underneath 
ones, as inferior. 
It takes a little over six weeks before the plants 
are well-matured with narcotic propensities, and 
altogether five months before the crops are able to 
be gathered for manufacture. Abundant rain 
about this time is considered unpropitious and 
tendine to wash away the principles of the leaves, 
seasonable showers and drizzles are much looked 
tor. The plants are cut during the afternoon at 
about .3 o'clock so as not to expose tliem to too 
severe sun-rays. They are hung up for airing in 
cadjan sheds, well secured from the sunbeams with 
plantain leaves, &c. for 20 days, and are then 
unloosed and laid on the ground in stacked heaps 
for a week. Then the leaves are pared of thick 
veins and bundled according to qualities and left 
on the ground for four days ; afterwards untied 
and re-hung up for four days ; finally, piled again 
for a week, wlien the gaseous change takes place, 
and resorted, superfine, and leaves of 
let quality 20 to a bundle 
and do ao do 
Common — picked up haphazard and made 
into bundles of about 50, more or loss. 
The cultivation of tobacco is considered very 
paying. I should like to hear from any corres- 
pondent in your columns of the modes adopted 
at Jaffna which I hear are quite different. 
J. B. C. 
ACTUAL OUTTURN OF THE INDIAN 
CROP-AND THE PROBABLE CROP 
OF 1902. 
Indian Tea Association, Calcutta, Feb. 18. 
Dear Sir,— I am directed by the General 
Committee to annex the following com- 
parative statements of the actual outturn 
of the crop, so far as returns have been 
received for the two seasons 1900 and 1901 
respectively : — 
1900. 
1901. 
Assam 
68,708,916 
65,203,402 
Cachar 
27,299,2.30 
23,806,587 
Sylhet 
, .34,038,023 
29,699,728 
Darjeeling 
7,738,018 
7,323,542 
Tera 
3,637,680 
3,.374,985 
Dooars 
30,220,001 
30,542,037 
Chittagong 
1,065,300 
831,020 
Chota Nagpur. . 
185,089 
248,187 
Kangra Valley 
3,000,000 
2,435,405 
Dehra Dun 
1,785,000 
1,798,560 
Total 
177,677,257 
165,263,453 
2. I am to draw your attention to the 
fact that the particulars given in these 
two statements are derived from identical 
sources. So far as Assam, Cachar, Sylhet, 
Darjeeling, the Terai, the Dooars, Chitta- 
gong and Chota Nagpur are concerned, the 
figures for each year represent the totals 
of returns submitted by 28 agency houses ; 
■while for Kangra Valley and Dehra Dun 
the figures have been furnished by the local 
Planters' Associations. — Yours faithfully. 
W. PARSONS, Secretary. 
[The exports from Southern India have to 
be added to the above. In respect of the 
present year's crop, the General Committee 
in Calcutta have published the follow- 
ing :— 
(a) The Probable Extent of the Ceop fob 
1902.— With the iecter dated 17th January, Mr, 
Tye forwarded copies of a circular, drawing atten- 
tion to the following resolution which had been 
adopted by theLondon Committee, namely: — "That 
ihis committee, viewing with grave concern the dis- 
astrous results that would follow a large crop of tea 
in 1902, strongly urge upon producers the necessity 
of restricting outturn as much as possible by a 
system of more careful plucking than otherwise, 
and to avoid more especially the production of 
coarse tea, wliich did so much harm to the industry 
in season 1900," The circular had been issued to 
all the members of the London Association ; and 
it contained a statement of the reasons which had 
induced the London Committee to pass this resolu- 
tion. An appeal was also made in it to producers 
to abstain from the coarse plucking which had been 
restored to in 1900. A circular on similar lines had 
been issued by the Tea and Produce Committee of 
the Ceylon Association in London. After considera- 
tion, the General Committee decided to reprint 
the circular, and to issue it to tea producers in 
India, with a covering letter supporting its chief 
proposition. 
—Ed, T.A.I 
