824 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  [June  t,  1896, 
look  as  if  in  their  for  northern  and  insular  backward- 
ness the  Shetlanders  were  strangers  to  the  Indian 
brand.  Perhaps,  after  all,  it  is  the  ‘ Chinese  rubbish,’ 
stewed  in  British  fusion,  that  is  ruining  their  race, 
and  that  even  the  anti-tea  Crusader  of  Shetluid  medi- 
cal science  would  be  converted  to  its  excellence  if  he 
could  know  it  aright  Times,  Apnl  21. 
WOES  UE  NORTH  INDIAN  PLANTERS. 
‘‘Me  Misemnr’  gi\’es  the  following  “Tea 
Agonies”  to  the  Calcutta  Flanto 
There  is  the  excessive  rain  that  makes  the  leaf 
“ bhangy”  and  produces  bad  tea,  with  a,  consequent 
slashing  from  tlie  brokers.  Then  the  want  of  rain, 
which  prevents  the  bushes  from  Hushing,  followed,  of 
course,  by  short  outturn  and  another  slashing,  only 
mo  e so,  from  agents  and  proprietors.  After  this  tho 
clerk  of  the  weatuer  to  satisfy  the  craving  of  mankind 
for  novelty  and  change,  thinks  ho  must  treat  us  to 
something  different;  so  down  comes  a hail-stoim  tear- 
ing the  bark  from  the  bushes,  destroying  the  leaves, 
and  causing  the  unfortunate  manager  to  swear  solemn 
but  emphatic  oaths. 
Now  the  weather  becomes  glorious  (for  tea).  Tho  leaf 
comes  away,  and  we  v/rite  cheerfully  to  the  aforesaid 
agents  and  proprietors  about  first-class  prospects  for  the 
coming  mouth,  and  so  on.  Just  as  wo  have  started 
a complicated  calculation  as  to  what  the  manager's 
commission  on  profits  is  likely  to  amount  to,  and  are 
meditating  on  the  best  way  of  spending  it,  hi 
stalks  blight  in  every  form  and  shape — rod 
spider,  mosquito,  etc.  etc,,  ad  infinitum.  Dr.  Watt 
tells  us  there  are  some  hundred  and  odd  types 
of  blight.  I would  guarantee  a fortune  to  the 
man  who  discovers  a really  cheap  and  effec- 
tive way  of  destroying  the  pest.  There  is  no 
sight  more  depressing  to  a planter  than  to  see  three- 
fourths  of  liis  garoen  shut  up  with  blight,  with  no 
earthly  prospect  of  getting  any  more  ieaf  from  it 
during  that  season.  Indeed,  an  absolute  stranger 
looking  at  the  bushes  would  imagine  that  the  very 
life  of  the  bushes  must  be  extinct. 
Probably  the  next  bit  of  excitement  will  be  a Hood 
and  a river  that  has  hitherto  been  wont  to  • flow 
some  miles  away  from  the  garden  takes  it  into  its 
head  to  run  through  the  middle  of  our  best  indigenous. 
Verily,  the  planter’s  life  is  not  a happy  one!  Tho 
ten  plagues  of  Egypt  sink  into  insignificance  when 
placed  in  comparison  with  our  daily  worries. 
Last,  but  not  least,  comes  the  cooly,  who  is  the 
very  reverse  of  blight  in  every  respect  except  that  ho 
likewise  does  his  best  to  drive  one  to  an  early  grave. 
He  is  very  hard  and  very  expensive  to  get  hold  of — 
it  is  very  hard  to  keep  him  when  you  do  get  hold  of 
him.  If  he  does  not  abscond,  you  probably  find  he 
has  no  constitution,  lingers  on  in  the  hospital  and 
finally  dies,  having  cost  you  a lot  of  money 
and  never  done  a stroke  of  work.  When  two 
or  three  coolies  begin  to  die,  the  prospect  of  a 
commission  to  enquire  into  the  causes  for  tho  exces- 
sive death-rate  stares  you  in  the  face.  Scarcity  of 
labour  is,  after  all,  the  greatest  difficulty  with  which 
the  planter  has  to  cope,  and  until  something  is  done 
to  put  the  cooly  recruiting  systeni  on  a sounder  basis, 
this  trouble  will  not  only  remain  but  increase  year 
by  year.  The  lack  of  eombiiiatiou  among  planters 
accounts  chiefly  for  the  unsatisfactory  slate  of  things 
that  exists. 
Add  to  all  this  that  wo  have  a climate  in  which 
malarial  fever  is  all  but  a certainty,  in  some  form 
or  shape,  to  all  except  those  whose  internal  machin- 
ery more  resembles  cast-iron  than  common  flesh  and 
blood.  I often  wonder  how  many  Duars  and  Terai 
planters  would  have  come  out  to  India  had  they 
knowm  what  sort  of  a climate  awaited  them.  Luckily 
for  the  tea  industry,  planters  arc  caught  young,  at 
a time  when  they  refuse  to  believe  that  any  vagaries 
of  climate  can  effect  their  health. 
Tho  above  are  but  a few  of  our  troubles,  but  your 
correspondent  will  now  probably  understand  that 
our  life  is  no  more  composed  of  beer  and  skitles  than 
liis  own. — riantimj  Ui'iuwn,  Apiil  II. 
CUEEEE  RLANTlNt;  IN  B.  C.  AFRICA. 
Ml!.  .SI.MI’SON’S  VIKW.S. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Central  African  Planter. 
Dear  Sir, — As  a young  planter,  it  w.as  simply  with 
disgust  and  pity,  I read  Mr.  Simpson’s  letter  in  the 
present  issue  of  the  Planter.  I'T'om  its  tone  one 
would  certainly  th  nk  that  the  said  gentleman  had  an 
intimate  and  personal  knowledge  of  every  coffee 
jilantation  in  the  Shire  Highlands.  Has  he I,  and 
many  others,  with  me,  will  say  : No!  Now!  I would 
like  to  ask  Mr.  Simpson ; When,  or  how  often 
lately,  has  ho  visited  any  of  tho  coffee  districts,  rh: 
Zomba,  Blantyro  or  Cholo  ? — (I  leave  out  Mlanje, 
Sir,  as  it  seems  to  have  struck  terror  into  the  manly 
breast  of  IMr.  S.)  and  I would  also  ask  him,  who 
gave  him,  or  where  did  he  get,  the  statistics  ho  quotes  ? 
From  my  own  enquiries,  amongst  those  who  are  able 
to  speak  with  authority,  seeing  they  have  certainly  had 
experience  in  coffee  plautimj,  and  als'j  from  my  own  obser- 
vations in  certain  p.rrts,  I can  assuredly  inform 
Mr.  Simpson  that  his  severe  condemnations  are  quite 
out  of  place,  and  grievously  in  error. 
I am  afraid  that  our  would  be  prophet  has  climbed 
the  mountain.s  too  far,  and,  consequently,  owing  to 
the  stormy  winds  that  blew,  they  have  carried  the 
good  seed  sown,  (I  have  no  doubt,  in  good  faith), 
A’WA  ! ! ! and  so  we  have  the  sower,  surely  deve- 
loping into  a crusty  old  pessimist.  Charity  thinketh 
no  evil  ! 
I do  trust  that  all  of  us  who  are  engaged  in 
coffee  culture,  and  are  determined  to  make  it  pay, 
will  rather  take  courage  from  such  senseless  and 
unjustifiable  criticisms  as  quoted  in  Mr.  Simpson’s 
letter,  and  pity,  rather  than  blame,  him,  for,  I am 
afraid,  his  lot,  or  rather  plot,  hath  not  been  found 
in  pleasant  places. 
When  wo  road  of  our  first  pioneers,  Messrs. 
Buohan-an,  Duncan  and  others,  still  steadily 
and  cheerily  piloting  ahead  and  speaking  so 
hopefully  of  the  future  success  of  GolTee  (ric/e 
papers  recently  published) — not  to  speak  of  many 
others  who  are  proving  coffee  culture  not  a failure, 
it’s  surely  great  encouragement  for  us  all  to  go  on 
working  to  reach  the  goal  “ Success.”  Nothing  i»  to 
be  gained  without  hard  work  and  the  person  w'ho 
wants  to  achieve  success  or  make  coffee  culture  a 
financial  success  in  this  country,  m ist  work,  and 
that  hard  too  ; if  ho  does,  there  is  not  the  slightest 
doubt,  he  shall  reap  a big  crop,  and  so  gain  his 
reward. 
I think.  Sir,  and  many  will  the  same,  that  you 
deserve  great  credit  for  your  timely  and  straight- 
forward opinion  of  air.  S’s  letter.  It  would  have 
been  a pity,  and  would  h ive  done  us  no  good,  whatever 
harm,  if  it  had  gone  out  to  the  world  unchallenged. 
Apologising  for  troubling  you  and  thanking  you  in 
anticipation. — I am,  etc.  W.  K.  Kkillek. 
Namalango  Estate,  Blantyre,  iJ:  2:  90. 
CEYLON  AND  INDIA  TEA. 
The  tea  trade  were  surprised  at  the  remarkable 
growth  in  the  imports  of  Ceylon  and  Indian  tea 
into  America,  as  set  forth  in  ^recently  published 
figures,  viz.,  from  0, 208  055  p'ounds  in  1892,  to 
9,283,141  pounds  in  18',)5.  This  growth  of  demand, 
in  connection  with  the  displacement  of  China  by 
Indian  and  Ceylon  tea  in  the  United  Kingdom, 
must  bo  accepted  as  evidence  that  the  change  is 
on  account  of  the  merit  resident  in  British  grown 
teas. 
From  the  date  of  their  first  introduction  in  this 
country,  our  pemjlo  have  been  averse  to  Ceylon 
and  India  tea.  Upon  studying  the  situation  one 
cannot  fail  to  arrive  at  tho  conclusion  that  this 
discrimination  against  Ceylon  and  Indian  teas 
arises  from  ignorance  as  to  the  proper  method  of 
brewing  these  hoavy-bodieJ  teas.  They  are  very 
much  stronger  than  China  or  Japan  tea,  a given 
quantity  making  double,  aye,  treble  the  quantity  of 
infusion,  and  liencc  those  who  first  try  them  becoms 
prejudiced  because  of  the  heavy  swootish-ilavorcd 
liquor. 
