Aug.  I,  1896,] 
THK  TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
97 
may  say  tliat  all  Darjoeliii^  gaialon.s,  fiunous  for 
fiiiaiUy,  have  this.  I have  oxpcrimentcu  with  small 
iiolda  of  Assam  ami  Muiiipuii  mliffeiioii:;,  ami  have 
always  rovommoiulcd  (.■xtensioiiswitli  hyln-iO  of  variety 
to  suit  the  different  elevations  and  ether  conditions, 
and  would  do  so  still,  because  in  addition  to  other 
advantages,  leaf  is  gathered  from  such  n:ore 
economically.  There  aro,  however,  many  slightly 
different  shades  of  variety  of  the  China 
plant.  During  the  struggling  days  of  tea, 
iJO  years  ago,  it  used  to  strike  mo  that  much  alone 
would  have  been  gained  by  planting  only  a careful 
selection  of  the  best  strains,  capable  of  still  further 
iraprovainent  by  cultivation  ; aii'.l  I am  fully  con- 
vinced that— especially  on  high  elevations — the  best 
varieties  of  the  now  too-much-dospised  China  plant, 
or  a hybrid  nearly  allied  to  it,  will  yield  tea  of  the 
choicest  quality.  In  Darjeeling  plants  grown  from 
high-cl.ass  hybrid,  or  pure  indigenous  seed,  ineourse 
of  years  revert  towar.is — or,  more  correctly,  assi- 
milate— the  China  typo  ; and  further  plants  which, 
when  young,  appeared  perfectly  unifornr  in  variety, 
size,  and  shade  of  loaf,  as  they  get  older  hecomo 
miwd  and  unequal  in  those  rcs[iccts.  This,  as  well 
as  the  f let  tb.at  to.a  has  never  boon  found  iudi- 
genons  anywhere  in  China,  would  go  to  slio-v  that 
India  i.s  the  original  home  of  the  tea  plant  ; that 
there  is  b it  one  variety,  the  Indian  ; and  that  the 
compar.itivoly  tlw.irfed  growth  and  diminished  loaves 
of  the  China  variety  are  due  to  the  unfavourable 
conditions  of  soil,  climate,  and  treatment  for 
centuries. 
It  is  unnecessary  to  state  that  a tea  gardeir  is  not 
repeated  and  re-planted.annually  ; on  the  contrary,  a 
tea  estate  is  an  investment  from  which  a proprietor, 
after  the  expenditnro  of  much  ca^iital,  has  to  wait 
long  and  patiently  for  any  reiuie.  from  its  working. 
Even  under  a combination  of  favourable  conditions 
one  would  be  sanguine  to  expect  tea  to  be  self-sup- 
porting within  six  years  on  the  hills,  or  from  four  on 
the  Terai.  But  there  are  many  contingencies,  such 
as  scarcity  of  laboui',  sick  ness,  unfavourable  weather, 
pests,  and  last,  though  not  east,  depressed  markets, 
to  upset  what  would  seem  the  most  moderate  and 
reasonable  expectations.  Any  one  opening  out  a new 
garden  gradually— which,  in  most  circuinstances,  is 
the  only  way  to  do  so  ofiicioiitly — might  certainly  bo 
considered  over  .sanguine  if  ho  calculated  upon  a clear 
profit  on  its  working  within  seven  years  on  the  hills 
or  five  in  the  plains  there  is,  however,  his  set-off 
that  with  judicious  and  skilful  treatment,  the 
same  bushes,  with  parti.il  renewals,  where 
vacancies  arLse,  should  go  on  yielding  full 
crops  for  a period  to  whicli  it  would  be  difiioult 
to  assigm  any  limit — pos.sibly  not  less  than  100 
years  on  good  soil  on  the  higher  elevations  on  the 
Darjeeling  hills.  With  injudicious  cultiv.ition  and 
treatment,  and  upon  poor,  dry  soil,  it  is,  of  course, 
different.  It  is,  therefore,  difficult  iiilci'd  for  pro- 
])rietor.s  and  auditors  to  determine  what  to  write  off 
ammally  for  the  agoing  and  depreciation  of  the 
hushes.  But  investors  in  well-equipped  concerns  iiave, 
in  these  day.s  of  general  agricultiual  d,;pression, 
1 inde.'l  sscuriiy  of  really  the  very  safest  class,  from 
the'  fact  of  the  tea  harvest  being  sproid  over  eight 
months  annually.  This  secures  the  crop  against  the 
vicissitudes  of  seasons,  n tiio  form  of  a moutli  or 
even  two  of  adverse  weather  at  any  stage,  which  is 
certainly  not  the  case  in  this  country  where  the 
whole  crop  comes  to  maturity  or  ripens  in  a few 
day.s  or  even  weeks. 
On  the  hills  labour  may  bo  said  to  bo  solely  Nepa- 
lese, and  in  the  Terai,  Nepilcso  and  Nagpiuds. 
It  is  “free,”  that  it  is,  n jt  subject  to  ihe  regulation 
of  any  special  legislative  cnactm.mt.  Tlio  Nepalis 
immigrate  freely,  and  very  minyare  bom  ami  bred 
on  the  tea  gardens.  They  belong  to  the  s.imo  race 
as  the  (jroorkba  solciisr,  the  llowor  of  our  .iinvo 
Indian  army,  are  a cap.iblo,  ch  )ci  ful  people, 
of  svhom  much  can  bo  made.  Thoio  bred  cm 
high  elevations  are  stronger  an  i more  cap.ib.e 
than  those  re.ired  at  low,  hot  elevations,  but 
tho  former  generally  prefer  10  r"ii  du  u . >n  similar 
zones  to  ihoso  they  li  ive  bom  i - nm  . I to.  No 
class  can  pendorm  so  much  werk  ai  low  as  at  high 
13 
elevatioms.  The  rates  of  wages  in  Darjeeling,  as  in 
all  the  large  tea  disiricts,  is  high  compared  with  that 
elsewhere  in  India,  except  in  connection  with  Euro- 
pean enterprises.  But  in  addition  to  money  wages, 
liouses,  fuel,  water,  medical  attendance  and  medicine, 
and  a covering  for  protection  from  the  rain  when 
at  work  or  011  a journey  are  provideci  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  garden,  and  most  of  the  coolies  keep 
goats,  fowls,  pigs,  and  the  head  men  even  have  one 
or  mure  cows,  and  occasionally  a pony.  In  some 
instances  land  is  also  allowed  for  cultivation,  which 
has  alway.s  attractions,  but  this,  as  a rule,  benefits 
but  little  the  labourer  for  whom  it  is  intended,  and  is 
carried  out  at  a cost  to  the  concern  in  land  oc- 
cupied and  impoverished,  and  destruction  of  for- 
est that  would  seem  rarely  realised  or  even 
thought  of.  Though  the  wages  may  not  seem  high, 
generally  5 rupees  8 annas  to  fi  rupees  8 annas  a 
month  for  men,  4 rupees  8 annas  to  5 rupees  for 
women  and  strong  boys,  and  3 rupees  for  children, 
for  the  reasons  just  mentioned — necessaries  bein? 
cheap,  and  several  members  of  the  same  household 
woriving;  those  coolie.s  who  work  full  time  or  nearlv 
which  very  m.iny  will  not  do — contrive  to  save  a 
con.sidorablc  proportion  of  tlieir  earnings.  At  inarkot 
and  on  liolidays  the  garden  labourors  dross  bri<Thtlv. 
and  their  saving.s  are  con.spicuous  in  the  form  of 
Strings  of  rnpeo.s  or  otlu-r  coins  .around  their  necks 
and  the  costly  gold  and  silver  ornaments  worn! 
Native  assistants,  contractors,  overseers,  artisans 
engine-drivers,  machine  attendants,  teamen,  and  petty 
gaugers  earn  very  high  wages  for  the  East,  and  the 
coolie  class  have  often  the  opportunity  of  adding  to 
their  monthly  \vage.s  by  extra  tasks  performed— con- 
tracts, works  undertaken,  and  the  like.  Within  the 
last  25  years  much  has  been  done  for  the  coolies’ 
comfort  and  welfare,  and  as  their  tastes  expand 
iiioie  will  1)!'  done.  I'Vom  a somewhat  intimate 
knowledge  of  both  classo.s  I,  without  hesita- 
tion, assert  tiiat,  considering  the  nature  of  the  work 
and  ciimate,  those  coolies  in  their  own  sphere  are 
at  ieast  as  comfortable  as  the  agricultural  labourer 
at  home  was  thirty  years  ago,  and  certainly  more 
contented  than  he  is  now.  The  natives  have  many 
c.xcellent  opportunities  of  improving  their  position 
on  tea  gardens  they  otherwise  could  not  possibly 
have  had.  As  an  instance,  one  Nepali  from  infancy 
known  to  me,  whose  father  was  a garden  coolie  on 
the  ordinary  pay,  and  who  himself  worked  as  a boy 
at  3 rupees  for  a time,  and  i.s  self-cducatcd  in  Eng- 
lish, was  gradually,  but  most  deservedly,  promoted, 
till  fur  years  lie  iia.s  been  in  receipt  of  110  rupees 
a month,  and  in  addition  bonuses  on  the  profits  as 
a reward  for  valuable  services  rendered,  amounting 
to  from  one-third  to  tluoe-fifth.s  of  hi.s  salary  annu- 
ally. Numberless  other  instauce.s  could  be  given  of 
the  betterment  of  natives  on  tea  gardems,  to  which 
there  is  no  parallel  in  native  farming  or  other  p'lr- 
sui'.s.  No  one  could  be  .30  years  in  Darjeeling  without 
becoming  strongly  -attached  to  the  place,  but  I also  par- 
ted from  the  natives  with  no  little  regret.  And  this 
much  I feel  in  justice  bound  to  say,  that  whatever 
little  I may  have  been  enabled  to  achieve  in  the  way 
of  mocleru  tea  c.xteiisions,  under  some  considerable 
natural  di.sadvantages,  was  in  no  small  measure  due 
to  the  isyal  aid  I have  bad  from  natives,  and  that 
among  the  more  iuteiligent  of  those  who  worked 
with  me  for  long  periods  of  years  I have  found  some 
absolutely  truthful  and  honest,  and  not  only  compe- 
tent but  as  conscientious  and  diligent  workers 
as  could  bo  wished. 
In  regard  to  tea  nothing  is  of  greater  importance 
than  labour  In  this  respect  Darjeeling  is  compara- 
tively fortunately,  though  many  g.irdeus — especially 
those  :‘t  low  elevati.ms  or  without  special  attractions 
to  offer — arc  as  a rule  short  of  I'equirements  not 
only  for  liigh  but  fair  cultivation  daring  the 
jnamifacturing  season.  One  serious  drawback, 
however,  is  the  small  and  steadily  diminishing 
proportion  of  men  coolies  upon  the  gardens. 
In  the  c.ase  of  o ic  concern  employing  not  less 
thin  J,HD  coolies  daily  the  proportion  of  men  has 
f.i  Ion  '.vithm  th.j  la;t  twenty  year.s  ^iiot  to  go  further 
back)  frjin  Iff’il  per  cent,  to  I7'.">  per  cent  last 
year.  T h i .o  ,s.  • •ert-vin  -d  from  the  records, 
