254 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Oct.  I,  1895 
To  8uin  up,  I attribute  the  poor  influx  of  Tamil 
labour  into  this  country  to  the  following  caiise= 
(1)  Want  of  advertisement— the  vast  majority  01  the 
coolies  I spoke  to  only  knew  the  Straits  by  name 
as  “ Singapore  ” and  had  not  heard  of  Selangor  at 
all ; (2)  The  heavy  and  steady  drain  upon  the 
villages  from  the  tea  and  coffee  estates  in  India 
and  emigraition  to  other  and  better-known  countries. 
In  connection  with  which  it  may  here  be  stated 
that  the  “ congestion  ” cry  appears  to  be  much 
exaggerated  ; (3)  The  prevalence  of  the  truck 
system,  by  which  the  labourer  is  practically  kept 
always  in  debt  to  the  “ Jemindar  ” or  heidman, 
leasee  of  the  land  on  which  he  lives,  where  he 
works,  and  from  which  he  consequently  often  ''’■>eri- 
ences  great  difficulty  in  getting  away  ; (4)  The  sys- 
tem of  recruiting  as  adopted  by  the  agents  of  in- 
dentured immigration — vtz.,  R16  per  head  paid  to 
native  recruiters  for  every  coolie  brought  to  the  depot 
at  Negapatam  and  passed  by  the  Medical  Officer. 
The  recruits  may  not  have  had  a rupee  spent  upon 
them,  but  the  recruiter  gets  his  money  all  the  same, 
and  these  men  are  naturally  strongly  opposed  to 
free  labour  operations  where  strict  accounts  of  ex- 
penditure have  to  be  kept.  They  are  also  practi- 
cally the  only  i-ecruiters  the  coolies  in  the  villages 
have  any  experience  of,  and  I should  say  the  large 
majority  of  them  are  men  who  as  long  as  they 
secure  recruits,  care  little  how  they  get  them  ; and 
consequently  command  neither  the  respect  nor  the 
confidence  of  the  inhabitants. 
Although  I saw  many  gaudy  posters  in  the  offices 
of  the  Negapatam  houses  which  were  supposed  to  be 
distributed  as  labour  advertisements  through  the 
villages,  I never  came  across  one  of  them  there  my- 
self, nor  did  I meet  a single  coolie  who  had  seen  one 
Indentuued  Immiguation. — So  much  has  been  said 
of  the  unsuitability  and  poor  physique  of  the  coolies 
sent  over  through  the  agency  of  Messrs.  Adamson, 
Mactoggart  & Co.,  and  other  firms  in  Negapatam 
and  elsewhere,  that  I took  the  opportunity  of  visit- 
ing the  depot,  which  is  situated  in  a rather  out-of- 
the-way  quarter  of  Negapatam,  whilst  several  batches 
of  these  coolies  were  being  examined  by  the  Medical 
Officer  prior  to  despatch  to  the  Straits.  The 
depot  was  a large  airy  building  kept  scrupulously 
clean,  and  the  accepted  recruits  were  as  fine  look- 
ing a lot  of  men  and  women  as  one  could  wish  to 
see — indeed.  Dr.  Hardaker  turned  away  several  as 
unsuitable  whom  as  far  as  physique  went  I would 
have  been  uncommonly  glad  of  myself, — on  the  ground 
that  their  hands  were  not  hardened  by  manual  labour, 
or  that  they  belonged  to  other  than  an  agricultural 
caste.  Each  man  was  made  to  use  the  mammotty 
or  chaugkoi  in  the  presence  of  Dr.  Hardaker 
until  the  sweat  ran  off  his  back,  in  order  that 
his  knowledge  of  the  use  of  this  instrument,  which 
is  more  commonly  used  than  any  other  for  digging 
purposes,  might  be  thoroughly  tested.  I also  learnt 
that,  in  the  case  of  Messrs.  Adamson,  Mactaggart 
& Co.,  a member  of  that  firm  almost  invariably  ins- 
pected their  new  recruits,  after  his  Government  ex- 
amination, in  order  that  there  might  be  no  doubt  as 
to  their  fitness  for  exportation  as  agricultural 
l.ibourers.  I went  over  to  India  prepared  to  find  the 
whole  system  of  indentured  immigration  rotten,  as  I 
bclievetl  it,  and  as  I know  numbers  of  planters  believe 
it,  to  be.  Hut  I soon  saw  for  myself  that  it  had  a 
great  deal  to  recommend  it  and  that  in  many  res- 
pects it  was  excellently  worked,  especially  in  every 
jjarticular  connected  with  the  depot  at  Nagapatam. 
It  is  the  more  to  beregrctted  therefore  that  the  many 
diawbacks  which  the  system  possesses,  and  which  I 
do  not  propose  to  touch  upon  now',  render  it  so  un- 
acceptable to  planters  who  have  been  accustomed  to 
free  labour,  that  they  do  not  care  to  avail  them- 
selves of  its  provisions  and  assistance. _ 
The  solution  to  the  whole  labour  difficulty  is  to 
devise  some  means  by  which  a sufficiency  of  labour 
may  be  attracted  to  the  country,  and  not  to  com- 
pete for  what  we  already  have. 
Genrual. — I strongly  recommend  that  the  Asso- 
ciation should  have  a native  agent  travelling  by  every 
steamer  to  and  from  Negapatam  to  look  after  and 
assist  all  coolies  whose  passages  have  been  paid  for 
them  by  our  Negapatam  agents,  and  who  unless  in 
charge  of  some  responsible  and  recognised  guffie, 
might  easily  get  adrift  in  Penang. — E.  V.  CAHEY. 
New  Amherst  Estate.  27th  July,  1895, 
AN  IDKA  FOR  C A ITT  A LISTS. 
Mr.  (lambier  Holton,  F.Z.S. , who  ought  to 
know,  say.s  that  there  is  money  in  wihl-heast  rais- 
ing. Ile.saj's  tliat  an  extremely  lar^e  hn.siness  is 
only  waiting  to  he  worked  up  in  this  line.  Its  aim 
would  he  to  supply  specimens  to  the  ever-increa-sing 
numher  of  private  and  pnhlic  collections.  A i>ieco 
of  laml  on  the  south  coast,  well  sheltered  from 
north  and  east  winds,  and  with  a sandy  soil,  is  re- 
commended hy  Mr.  Holton  as  the  most  suitahlo 
site  for  this  novel  farm.  How'  to  stock  it  ! “ A 
small  ex[)cdition,  alreatly  seriously  talked  about, 
would  produce  the  African  m.ammals,  such  ,as  lions, 
zebras,  hii)popotamus,  the  r.arer  antelopes,  ami 
eventually  giraffes  and  elephants  ; while  a skilleil 
buyer  sent  to  Singapore  could  obtain  tigers,  Mala- 
y.an  t.apirs,  and  other  Asi.atic  mammals  ; and  bi.sou, 
wapti,  and  pronghorn  anteh)pes  can  still  be  pur- 
chased in  Can.ada  and  America.”  Mr.  Holton  has 
no  fears  of  the  result  of  a well-managed  enterprise 
on  these  lines. — New  Budget^  Aug.  15. 
LIHEUIAN  COFFEE  IN  ^YYNAAD.  - 
To  Editor,  M.  Mail. 
Sir, — Your  issue  of  the  22nd  instant  contains  a let- 
ter on  Liberian  coffee,  w'ritten  by  Mr.  II.  H.  Winter- 
botham,  of  Vayitri,  to  the  Agri-Horticultural  Society, 
Madras.  As  this  gentleman  has,  I believe,  a longer 
experience  of  Liberian  coffee  in  Wynaid  than  any 
other  planter,  his  opinions  are  valuable  and  should 
carry  weight  ; but,  in  the  course  of  the  above  let- 
ter, he  makes  two  statements  to  which  excep- 
tion must  be  taken.  He  says: — “The  fylberiau 
we  find  will  grow  from  .500  feet  to  3,000  feet." 
Again : — “ It  seems  to  bear  very  satisfactoi-ily 
from  2,0n0  feet  to  2, .500  feet.”  This  would  mean, 
by  implii-ation,  that  3,000  feet  is  the  highest 
elevation  at  which  the  cultivation  of  Liberian  coffee 
could  be  successfully  undertaken  in  Wynaad.  This 
is  a mistake;  for  in  Nellacotta  (S.E.  Wynnad)  we 
have  very  fine  specimens  which  yield  large  crops,  at 
an  elevation  of  some  .5,000  feet.  I have  some  GO 
trees,  two  of  which  wore  planted,  as  far  as  I can 
learn,  about  18  years  ago.  These  later  are  .30  feet 
in  height,  and  bear  he.avily  every  year.  They  are 
now  cov('red  with  immature  fruit,  the  April  blossom 
having  been  a fine  one.  The  other  trees,  planted 
many  ye  rs  later,  are  from  12  to  1,5  loot  in 
height,  and  also  bear  well.  Avondale  Estate  con- 
tains two  fine  Ijiberian  trees;  while  on  Devera 
Shola  Estati'  there  are  quite  a number,  3(X)  per- 
haps at  a rough  guess,  all  of  which  crop  heavily. 
No  Nellakotta  planter  has  gone  in  for  Liberian  on 
anything  like  a large  scale;  but  from  the  specimens 
extant  it  is  quite  evident  tliat  this  species  of  coffee 
would  do  well.  The  limit  of  its  successful  cultiva- 
tion can  therefore  be  safely  increased  in  Wynaad 
to  5,000  feet. 
Mr.  Winterbotham  says ; — “The  sample  of  this 
giant  kind  ....  has  lately  been  valued  at 
85s.  to  90s.  in  London,  or  say  10s.  per  cwt. 
less  than  ‘Arabica.’”  Tlie  proof  of  the  pudding 
is  in  the  eating,  and  Messrs.  Patry  and  Pasteur's 
Market  Hepovt  for  the  week  ending  the  24th  July 
contains  the  sale  )irice  at  auction  of  a consignment 
of  Wynaad  Liberian  (from  S.  Wynaad  1 take  it. 
and  the  first  consignment  I think  ever  sent  Ilonu'i, 
“3  bags  Wynaad  Liberian  " arc  there  stated  to  have 
realised  71s  )>er  cwl..  " .3  bags  Travanenre  liiborian  '' 
brought  1 (i  ]ier  cwt.  less  : and  1 gre.itly  doubt  wbetlu  r 
it  would  be  sale  ('Vev  to  reckon  on  higher  jiriees 
tli.in  these.  78  bag-i  .loboiv  Ll.ierian  fetched  tl.e 
high  price  of  8(is  (id  per  cwt.  It  would  bo  inUacst- 
ing  to  know  the  reason  for  this  largo  difference. 
Probably  the  latter  is  a bettor  variety  with  a finer 
beau.  Toda. 
