Aug.  I,  1896.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
93 
inannriiif'  arc  want  of  an  aclcqnalo  raipply,  costlincfS 
of  transit,  liability  to  evaporation  and  waste,  and 
tea  being  a deep-rooted  plant  the  dilticnlty  of  apply- 
ing the  inannre  eo  as  not  to  increase  the  growUi  of 
the  weeds  rather  than  leaf  in  the  first  instance,  it 
has  not  been  proved  even  how  manure  may  affect 
quality,  which  is  an  important  consideration  and 
must  depend  upon  the  nature  of  the  manure  used. 
By  all  means  let  every  available  manure,  solid  and 
liquid,  be  preserved  from  waste  through  exposure— 
the  danger  of  which  is  very  great  in  a tropical  cli- 
mate— and  be  applied  to  the  best  possible  advantage. 
But  of  all  that  is  practicable  in  this  line,  I 
attach  most  importance  to  “green  manuri.ng’’  by 
meairs  of  tuririug  into  aard  birrying  in  the  soil  in 
airtumn  the  greatest  possible  amount  of  fresh  and  de- 
caying growth.  Let  this  work  be  pushed  forward  with 
the  utmost  vigour  with  all  available  labour.  Nothing 
else  in  the  way  of  mairnriug  I know  of  can  give  so  good 
a return.  Top-dressing  with  leaf  mould  or  other  rich 
mould  is  also  of  immense  benefit,  and  even  when  soil  of 
only  the  poorest  quality  is  procurable  a thick  dressing 
with  that  on  thin  dry  parts  has  shown  markedly  good 
results.  Manuring,  and  more  so  top-dressing,  is  com- 
paratively unavailing — simply  outlay  and  labour  in 
vain — unless  the  application  be  a liberal  one— tbroeto 
five  inches  deep  in  the  case  of  the  latter  according  to 
quality  of  mould. 
Transport  by  means  of  wheeled  vehicles,  in  the  or- 
dinary sense  of  the  term,  is  quite  impracticable  on 
any  D.njeeling  hill  road,  except  the  main  military 
one,  where  cart  traltic  has  been  superseded  by  the 
wonderful  Darjeeling  Himalayan  Bnilway,  and  on  one 
or  two  other  pieces  in  or  near  the  station.  Tliere 
are  no  lakes  or  navigable  rivers  as  in  Kashmir,  and 
previous  to  the  torrents  being  permanently  bridged 
ferries  even  were  not  practicable  except  at  one  or 
two  points  in  or  near  the  Tevai  and  they  were  always 
attended  with  some  danger 
All  carriages  including  that  of  ordinary  building 
materials,  fuel,  provisions,  is  performed  upon  men’s 
backs,  and  journeys  are  performed  by  pony,  on  foot, 
or,  in  the  case  of  ladies,  children,  and  invalids,  in 
chairs  or  a form  of  hammock  called  a “ IXmtly,’’ 
suspended  on  poles  and,  carried  by  coolies. 
Heavy  loads,  such  as  boilers,  tea,  lead,  and  some- 
times lighter  packages,  are  conveyed  from  the 
nearest  station  to  the  gardens  by  trucks  or  trol- 
lies mounted  on  low  broadrimmed  wheels.  The 
bringing  down  of  a 20  or  even  10  horse-power 
boiler  of  several  tons  weight  is  one  of  those  lit- 
tle incidents  that  break  the  monotony  of  g.irdeu 
labour.  Some  skilful  steering  is  needed  in  turning 
the  acute  corners  of  the  zigzags,  and  in  guiding  the 
passage  safely  over  many  precipitous  parts  of  those 
steep,  narrow  mountain  paths.  As  many  as  100  of 
the  strongest  men  may  be  employed  with  a truck 
so  freighted,  chiefly  strung  upon  ropc^  -some  pull- 
ing before  and  others  behind  as  oco!i;,:on  requires, 
the  latter  to  prevent  the  truck  getting  beyond  con- 
trol by  acquiring  too  much  down  hill  velocity; 
others  using  crowbars,  planks,  or  other  appliances  as 
need  arises.  In  Assam  and  other  plains  districts  of 
India  and  Ceylon,  elephants  are  employed  for  the 
dragging  of  boilers,  presenting  scenes  hardly  if  at  all 
less  picturesque. 
In  regard  to  buildings,  time  will  not  admit  of  my 
entering  into  detail.  In  the  past  the  planter  has 
been  his  own  architect  and  clerk  of  works,  planning, 
estimating  for,  and  vigilantly  superintending  every 
operation  from  the  sawing  of  the  timber  in  the 
forest,  the  making  and  burning  of  the  bricks,  to  the 
completion  and  full  equipment  of  the  edifice.  The 
more  modern  and  doubtless  the  most  extensive 
buildings  are  in  the  jplains  districts  of  India  and 
Ceylon,  where  extensions  on  an  enlarged  scale  have 
been  more  recent  ; there  in  addition  to  the  most 
modern  mechanical  appliances  elpttiic  lighting  has 
been  introduced.  In  Darjeeling  thc-ie  has  not  been 
the  same  scope,  the  buildings  had  generally  to  bo  de- 
signed to  suit  the  sites  after  eo.stly  excavation  on  the 
steep  hill  sides,  and  in  the  case  of  amnlgama- 
tiou  of  factories,  for  instance,  ingenuity  had  to 
be  exercised  in  the  erection  of  a main  central 
building  to  connect  two  others  at  different  elevations. 
the  ground  floor  of  the  one  being  near,  but  not  on 
the  identical  level  with  the  first  floor  of  the  other. 
The  whole  had  to  be  designed  for  convenience,  to 
deal  with  iiici’eased  crops,  and  meet  modern  require- 
ments. The  mauagci's’  bungalows  are  gcnei’ally  char- 
mingly situated,  little  being  required,  in  the  shape 
of  landscape  gardening,  to  make  the  surroundings 
altogether  beautiful.  These  buildings,  with  their  white- 
washed walls  and  shining  roofs,  studded  over  the  hill- 
sides surrounded  by  the  green  tea  gardens,  present 
to  the  traveller  at  all  points  a striking  and  pleasant 
feature  of  the  landscape.  Many  of  the  dwellings  of 
the  garden  labourers  are  substantially  built  with  brick 
walls,  oomigated  iron  roofs  at  the  higher,  and  thatch 
for  coolness  at  the  lower  elevations,  and  verandahs 
in  front.  The  floors  are  well  raised,  and  space, 
convenience,  comfort,  and  sanitation  are  pro- 
vided up  to  and  in  most  instances  in  advance 
of  the  tastes  and  wishes  of  the  occupants.  Few  of 
them  would  tolerate  fire-places,  or  the  exit  of  the 
smoke  by  chimneys  in  the  walls  ; but  on  account  of 
warmth,  or  other  reasons  best  known  to  themselves, 
prefer  it  finding  its  way  from  the  centre  of  the  floor 
through  the  ventilators  in  the  roof,  as  in  Scotland, 
w'ithin  my  own  recollection,  and  I daresay  in  other 
civilised  countries.  Many  darken  or  block  up  entirely 
the  windows  provided  for  them.  However  the  modern 
coolie  dwellings  are  a very  great  improvement  upon 
the  huts  once  universal,  and  in  most  cases  all  is  being 
done  for  the  coolies’  comfort  that  is  practicable  or, 
at  present  wise.  In  the  centre  of  the  village  there  is 
generally  a level  plot  reserved,  though  difficult  to 
obtain,  as  a recreation-ground. 
The  view  now  x^i'esented  includes  a group  of  build- 
ings comprising  sub-manager’s  bungalow,  factory  with 
coolie  lines  in  the  background,  to  all  of  which  pure 
water  is  convoyed  from  a stream  on  the  opposite 
spur  of  the  mountain  two  miles  distant,  by  means 
of  galvanised  iron  pipes  passing  through  a deep 
ravine,  where  there  is  a pre^33lu■e  of  1,175  feet  head 
of  water  at  the  lowest  point.  The  company  to  which 
this  small  estate  belongs  has  water  laid  on  in  pipes 
to  all  their  coolie  lines,  where  needful,  factories  and 
bungalows,  having  in  operation  for  this  purpose,  as 
near  a.s  may  be,  seven  miles  of  galvanised  pqoes  of 
various  boros,  fed  from  filtering  beds  and  fountain 
head  tanks,  and  discharged  into  numerous  large 
cisterns,  from  which  and  from  “standpipes”  con- 
venient to  all,  including  the  coolies,  are  constantly 
supplied.  Besides,  this  company  lias  a sn-ip’.y  of  fire- 
hose fitted  to  discharge  water  with  force  at  the  highest 
point  of  the  factories,  and,  in  one  case,  at  least  out 
of  three,  with  x^r'essure  sufficient  to  eject  it  over  the 
roof  of  a three  and  a half  storey  house,  the  hose 
meanwhile  being  held  in  the  hand  on  the  ground. 
And,  to  convey  some  idea  of  the  extent  corrugated 
iron  is  iii  use  on  tea  gardens,  I may  mention  that 
the  company  referred  to,  though  by  no  means  the 
largest  in  the  district,  has  in  all  imported  41  acres 
to  that  material  for  roofing  its  own  buildings. 
The  operations  of  tea  manufacture  are  now  per- 
formed by  machinery  in  all  factories  of  any  im- 
portance. Steam  is  the  commonest  motor,  but  water- 
power (mainly  by  turbine)  is  also  in  rtse.  In  the 
case  of  the  Ihikvar  Company,  the  turbine  is  situated 
in  a ravine  about  two-thirds  of  a mile  from  and 
1,500  feet  below  the  level  of  the  factory,  the  power 
being  transmitted  to  the  machinery  there  by  means 
of  wire  rope,  travelling  upon  pulleys  supported  on 
standards  x^-aced  at  suitable  distances  apart.  The 
district  owe.s  the  conception  and  accomplishment  of 
this  bold  and  arluons  undertaking  to  the  ingenious, 
indefatigable,  and  praiseworthy  efforts  of  the  late  Mr. 
Thomas  B.  Curtis,  of  Tuckvar,  a well-known  and  most 
able  tea  planter.  On  another  hill  garden  elec- 
tricity has  for  some  time  been  employed,  the  tur- 
bine and  generating  apparatus  being  similarly 
placed  Iresidc  the  torrent  far  below  and  distant  from 
the  factoiy  and  inaohincry  to  be  driven.  For  this 
laudable  pioneer  object  lesson  in  regard  to  the  motor, 
which  I believe  to  be  specially  suited  and  destined 
to  be  the  irower  of  the  future  for  Darjeeling,  we  are 
much  indebted  to  the  late,  much-lamented  Mr.  Win. 
Lloyd,  who  has  besides  rendered  many  publio  ser- 
vices to  tlie  district  in  the  promotion  pf  her  mar- 
