296 
TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
[October i, 1890 . 
tion. But I believe a discouraging viow is hold generally 
of the future of Arabicai and this is suflQciently iiroved 
by the large and steadily increasing demand for 
Liberian seed. In fact, the time has evidently come for 
iVautera to depend no longer ou the old broken reed. 
Arivbica will give crops in perfectly new clearings, if 
heavily manured, for a few years, just long enough to 
allow its sturdier relative to come into bearing, 
but we can never hope to see those clearings 
healthy fields fifteen years hence, as we should 
have done in the good old times. The species is so 
thoroughly and hopelessly impregnated with leaf dis- 
ease, that it is impossible for it ever to be eradi- 
cated, so nothing apparently remains for us but lo 
bury our old frieud, and regard him only as a fragrant 
memory. It is thought that Liberiau has a fair chance, 
and this, as I said before, is being largely plauiea 
throughout our district. Pepper is the next hope. 
So far, this gives every promise of growing well, and 
we are assured that though at present, the prices are 
depressed, there is a prospect of a good rise before 
long. This year the vines do not appear to be fruit- 
ing as well as usual; this is probably due to the 
weather. But the plants themselves look exceedingly 
healthy, and are growing very fast. There can be no 
doubt about tlie suitability of our climate for tea. 
That which has already been planted grows splendidly, 
and at considerable profit. The great liifiioulty— and 
this a serious one, is the labour. A tea — unlike a 
coffee plantation, must have labour all the year round 
and it is especially needed during those months 
when our coolies are accustomed to return to their 
country. It is a decidedly unhealthy time in Wynaad 
and this being well known, makes another difficulty 
in procuring permanent labour. The labour question, 
even with regard to ordinary cultivation, is becoming 
a worrying one to us all. This year having no crops 
to pick, it will not so much affect us. But should 
next blossoming season be successful, and our 
labour be as failing as it has been this year, 
I don’t know what will have to be done. Oon- 
siderable losses have been incurred by the vile and 
apparently unalterable system of advances. The 
coolies do not now take the trouble to invent excuses 
for their absence ; and they even in some cases send 
out scouts to view the land, and if the report is, 
plenty of weeds, — bad crops and no chance of pre- 
sent at the end of the season,” they remain at home 
happy in their minds that they have secured a good 
advance, and need not fash themselves to work it off. 
Cinchona is f:!.o.‘b'‘r trouble. We know quite as well as 
anyone can tell us, that at this elevation, high culti- 
vation is absolutely necessary for the well-being of cin- 
chona. Where we have planted it with coffee thereby 
enabling it to benefit by the manure, our fields look 
healthy enough. The hitch is that it is impossible for 
us in these exceptionally hard times, to cultivate 
cinchona by itself, as it requires. A rise in the price of 
bark would enable us to go in for high cultivation, but 
at the present market rates, it is barely remunerative 
without any cultivation at aU. 
Verily, “ these be parlous times,” the planters’ bur- 
dens are pretty heavy all round. The rise in exchange 
which maues so many fathers of families rejoice, is to 
us a 8 dust and ashes, and means a woeful decrease iu 
our already attenuated incomes. And here, comes in 
another pinch. The subject being our taxation. 
By the old arrangement planters were called on to 
pay K 2 per acre ou all coffee or cinchona which was 
of age to give a return — i. e—3 years old ; and if at any 
time a field or coffee was found unremuuerative it could 
be abandoned; and Government claimed no more of it. 
Unfortunately, for all who have middle aged or old 
properties, tbe case is quite differeut ; since the 
settlement introduced by Mr. Castle Stuart, two 
years ago. Our assessment was then fixed, 
once and for all ; and whether the coffee 
io since dead or not our dues must be paid, or 
the wiiole property will be sold up. An owner of 800 
acres, let us say, of old coffee, may find now that 
only filty acres of lliis can pay its expenses, and let 
the other 2 o 0 go back into juuglo. Hut ho will have 
to pay itOUU, a year in tax on his 60 acres, or failing 
that lose his iittle all. Goverument will put his whole 
property up to auctiou, if he does not pay sharp, and 
probably buy it in itself for a few rupees. In fact, the 
greater part of Wynaad i» being so bought up by Goveu- 
nieut; on account of arrears of 'axes owed by natives and 
I am told on good authority, that bafclies of 60 and 70 
holdings, are sold off every month, Government in most 
cases buying them in. Needless to say, this is causing 
much suffering amongst the small cultivators, whose 
little all, and sole means of maiutenance depended upon 
their miuature estates. 
It is all very well gaining /cudos, for raising an 
enormous apparent revenue, out of a poor cmntry like 
this, but the end of it will be, that the cultivators, 
Europeau as well as native, will soon be driven forth, 
and Government itself will have no revenue ; let us 
hope that this will be compensated when it finds itself 
the proud possessor, as far as eye can reach, of limitless 
fieldsof lantana, andruined bungalows, once the pleasant 
homes of hard working Planters. It is a kind of 
vicarious Buffering, which amidst our other troubles 
we find it rather difficult to bear with equanimity. 
The best proof that coffee is not quite defunct and 
that some yet live who believe iu it, is that there have 
been some extensive robberies of nurseries, and in one 
case, an entire new clearing, just planted was systemati- 
cally cleared of every plant itcoutained . — Madras Times, 
♦ 
Adverting to the speedy growth of bamboos, which 
formed a subject of discussion some time ago in the 
papers, Mr, W. J. Addis, c.e., now in Burma, 
writes to say that he measured bamboos near the 
Western coast of India and in the Annamallay 
forest, and found them grow at the rate rate of 15 
to 16 inches in 24 hours, A great deal, he says, 
depends on the soil and species of bamboos ; and 
the growth is slower after they attain the height of 
10 or 12 feet, — S. F. Press, Aug. 26th. 
Substitute fob Coffee. — We hear that natives 
who have become accustomed to coffee from having 
served as domestic servants with Europeans, make 
use of the beans of the yellow wattle, called by the 
Tamil “ thumba chedi,” as a substitute for the 
coffee berries. Treated in the same way as coffee 
berries, the thumba bean makes a beverage closely 
resembling coffee in taste and smell— only slightly 
more bitter. The pariahs mix it with burnt rice and 
say it is quite as palatable as coffee . — Bangalore 
Spectator. 
Watee-Eaising Appliances. — In a Madras 
Government Resolution on a recent agricultural 
show in the district of Salem, occurs the following 
passage ; — 
The results of the water-lift trials in competition 
for the prize offered under G. O., No. 650, daiud 12th 
September 1888, were recorded in G. O., No. 2,263, 
dated 10th April 1890, and the present report confirms His 
Excellency the Governor in Oouncil in the opiuion that 
for moderate heights the superiority of later inven- 
tions over the common picottah has not been demons- 
trated. For greater lifts the leather bag worked by 
bullocks is very effective, and the practical difficulties 
involved in using iron, viz., its weight, expense, and 
the absence of facilities for its repair, detract from 
the utility of nearly all Western improvements. 
These objections apply with equal force to most im- 
plements of improved types, with the exception of 
sugar-cane mills: of these there was a fair show, and 
the Ooliector points out that the fact of a very large 
number of Massey’s mills having been sold proves 
that the ryot is fully alive to the advantages of using 
a modern machine. 
The “picottah” is the lever beam working between 
two uprights, the working of which is occasionally 
helped and accelerated by men or bojs running 
up and down the beam. Its use in raising water 
from wells is common in Ceylon, espeoially in 
Jaffna where hundreds may seen in operation raising 
the water impregnated with fertilizing salts, for 
the garden culture of onions, chillies, brinjals, 
tobacco, (Ste, 
