THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
Oct. f, 181^7.] 
TEA PLUCKING AND IKKEGULARI- 
TIES IN TEA. 
We must tell Mr. John Hamilton that the 
General consensus of opinion both in planting 
anil mercantile circles in leference- to his letter 
is that to abandon “retiring” would be a great 
mistake. In the iiioist climate of Ceylon, it is 
simply indispensable; but it is evident tliac moie 
care niust be taken in regard to both bulking 
and “packing” in not a few factories in our 
tea districts. At the same time when Mr. 
Hamilton speaks of “all the selling broker.s em- 
FFloyin" a liighiy-paid expert to inspect the teas 
plaeed°in their hands,” exception is taken and 
one p'entleman here who knows “all .aliout t.ea 
in London” declares the inspection is left to 
quite a junior— an assistant in his second year 
" No'w ' as regards the need of special care in 
estate factories, we have had evidence put before 
us of very recent experience of irregularity in 
regard to the teas of well-known Ceylon estates 
which never sell in Colombo. In all, four case.s are 
adduced as occurring within a few days 
tellinc against “Ceylon’s.” lor, it is alleged that 
in re” ard to Indian teas, there is no trouble : 
on the catalogues of the latter “ bulked in 
London” is now being printed. We fear it must 
come to this in respect of “Ceylons, unless 
each proprietor, who wants to sell in Loudon, 
in.sists that special care is taken in his factory 
as to bulking and packing, due supervision being 
provided for the same. It is impos.sible that a 
Superintendent by himself can see to all the lyork 
in the field as well as in the factory. There 
ouQ'ht to be a run therefore on careful Factory 
Assistants, who should be made to understand 
the penalty attaching to irregularity in bulking, 
to bad packing, difference in gross tares, or above 
all to using “cheesy” or bad bo.xes ! 
LAND ON THE ANAMALAI HILLS. 
lo the Editor, Madras Mail. 
I see that Government Notices appear 
in the Madras Mail and in District Gazettes 
that “ about 80 square miles of land on the Ana- 
malai Hill-', in the Coimbatore Distiict, aie 
available lor application for planting purposes 
under the subjoined rules.” Tins would be say 
50 000 acres. There is, no doubt this quantity 
“available,” but I say wichout hesitation that 
the quantity suitaMe for tea or coffee cultivation 
i.s represented by a far smaller area. As I am 
the only one of the original applicants as yet 
who has begun to open out those hills, I may 
claim to be interested in their future welfare 
and development, and neither of these will be 
served if unsuitable land is taken up and money 
spent upon it. A new District has to make its 
reputation and a bad start takes a long time to 
get over ; I trust therefore that any who think 
of taking up land there will use the utmost 
care in its selection. As I may now claim co 
have some little experience of the )dace, tlie fol- 
lowing facts may be intei'esting. Health is very 
apod, contrary to the alarmist ideas freely ex- 
pressed. Fever is practically absent (and I am 
speaking of the worst time, from beginning of 
February to breaking of monsoon) both with 
Enropea'iis .and natives; I should .say that, _ man 
for man, there is less fever than on an oidinaiy 
healthy hill estate, though it was not in other 
places' a healthy season this year. The climate 
is very remarkably even, owing no doubt to the 
29 
231 
mass of evergreen forest. Wind, before and dur- 
ing the monsoon, is absent on well-selected land, 
though I should be sorry to have much of the 
80 square miles, on this account. I have been 
there also during the N,-E. monsoon and should 
say that no on-; selecting land carefully need 
get wind at any time of the year. The rainfall 
is probably abnormal this year, judging from the 
facts that Cochin and Calicut are many inches 
over their average to date, and that S.-W. i-ain 
at these places h.as, on every occasion this year, 
meant rain on the Anamalais, though in lar less 
quantity at the latter place. As 1 have only 
had a l ain gauge in position .since f he beginning 
of l'’ebruary f cannot yet say for cert.ain what 
the I'csult will bo, hut from results to date and 
what I hai'e observed when there in September 
and November, I am inclined to forecast an 
average rainfall of something under 100 inches, 
heaviest in June and July but ivith .a good N.-E. 
fall and enough in earlier months to en.snre 
setting blossom (this year the fall from Febr'i.'iry 
to June was If inclies LS cents). Labour, of 
course, has all to be im|)orted, and 1 may men- 
tion tliat the greater distance it is brought the 
better ; labour from the small villages round the 
foot of the hills is of little use. Felling costs 
far more than in most districts, the forest being 
very heavy ; pitting would be easy, but for 
roots, the soil being a sandy loam of great depth, 
with perfect drainage. I should mention that 
my remaiks on health refer to an elevation 
of 4,000 feet, where I have my buildings, the 
clearings being a couple of hundred feet lower. 
I have no doubt of the future of the Anamalais 
as a planting District if care is taken at the 
outset, and it is to that end that I would speak 
a word of warning against indiscriminate selec- 
tion of land while tliero is yet thne. Every 
district has suffered from it. Experienced plant- 
ers are the men first wanted in a new District, 
and I hope that is the only class which will 
attempt to settle there to begin with. A good 
bridle path is now open into the forest, passes 
my door, in fact, but I do not think the line 
of the bandy road jiromised by Government is 
settled as yet. 
Kotagiri, 30th July. E. G. WiNDf.E. 
NOTES FROM MAHE, SEYCHELLES. 
VANILLA 
The beans resulting from hast year’s flower- 
ing have nearly all been gathered, and are 
in course of preparation. Although much smaller 
than the previous year the crop generally will 
be a fairish one so far as is yet known. In the 
lower parts of the island the first flowers of this 
season are commencing to appear. 
Apart however from Vanilla and its attendant 
uncertainties as to crop and price, there is an 
increasing source of productiveness herein Liberian 
Coffee. A good deal has been done in planting- 
out of late years, and althouo-h slow of growth 
at first, tlie trees once established are flourishing 
well, and many can be seen here now of 4 and 5 
years’ growth, pictures of he.slth and beaFity and 
in full bearing. H. T. 
The Kelani Mills. — The mills were opened recent- 
ly, an 1 desaioating works is in full swing now. 
Besides this w'ork, the mills are ni aiut’actiuing cocouot 
fibre for various purp^3.->s. As a result of the opening 
of the mills a large number of villagers have found 
work to keep them from idleness. — for. 
