December i, 1891.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
389' 
It will thus bo soon that Mr. Armstrong’s result 
for hand prepared tea was 34 cents per lb. With 
the use o( machinery the figure was reduoed by 
4 cents in October ISll, the cost of plucking and 
manufacturing by machinery showing a saving per 
lb. of tea of 6-34 cants, as againat band rolling 
and charcoal firing. Mr. Armstrong's estimate was 
then for macbiue mads tea 30 cents per lb f.o.b. 
at Colombo, ani our correspondent states that 
his figure has been since reduoed to 2fi cents. 
We suppose that is the fact in many, per- 
haps the majority of cases (?) and in the faoa of 
low prices already prevailing and the prospects of 
ovur-produotion and its results, no legitimate effort 
should be spared still further to economize, In 
that direction and in the pushing of our 
teas in open markets and introducing them 
into others praotioally closed or only par- 
tially open, our hope of continued success as tea 
producers lies. The limits of production with our 
favourable conditions of soil and olimate, have ex- 
panded and are expanding wonderfully. 
NOTES FEOM PEERMAAD. 
Oot., 1891. — In the "good old days," September was 
always the pleasantest and brigbost month of the year, 
but of late years we have been rather unfortunate in 
having a sucocssiun of wet Septembers ; this year, 
however, wo have been favoured with the most lovely 
weather, bright hot days as a rule, with ]aat an oc- 
casional shower, every now and again, towards evening. 
But the sun was what was wanted for the coffee, and 
we got it, and are happy. Leaf disease, which had 
shown itself a bit hero and there, and of which I 
wrote somewhat doubtfully in my last, has almost 
entirely disappeared, and although the crop has 
suffered slightly on one or two estates, there is now 
no cause ot anxiety, and estimates will be realised. 
Picking has already ooinmenced in the Petiar Valley, 
and will bo in full swing by the end of the mouth; 
crop.s genctnlly on the higher estates being not so 
forward. 
The rapid fall in the Coffee Market is, on tho face 
of it, somewhat disheartening, but it is satisfac- 
tory to note that fiue plantation is in good demaud, 
and I shall bo much surprised if there is not a good 
recovery in prices long before this season's crop is 
shipped. By tho way, what a ghastly tale of disap- 
pointed hopes is told by Messrs. Alston Low & Co.'s 
Annual Statement of Exports of Coffee from tho 
Malabar Coast during last soason ! The three ports. 
Cochin, Quilou and Alleppy, which ship by far the 
greater [icrtion of tho coffee grown in Travaneore 
and Oochin, show only 1,230 owt. as having been ex- 
ported. Verily a ghastly record. I am sorry I have 
not in band a statement of the export of tea from tho 
same llireo ports for the same period, as it would 
have been satisfactory to have had this as a “ set off.” 
I most endeavour to send you this with my next 
budget. 
The weather for the past six weeks has been simply 
perfect for tea, and the flushes have been remarkably 
fine. The fact that, during September, over 6,000 lb. 
of tea wore made from 40 acres on ono estate f. c., 
150 lb. ot made tea per acre for the month, speaks for 
itself. A friend who has lately returned from a visit 
to some of the tea estates in the Periar Valley, reports 
tho tea as looking “simply maguificeut," and the 
Manager of one of the largest properties there, anti- 
cipates a yield in the near future of 1,000 Ib. per acre. 
1 hope next week to take a run down to tho valley aud 
shall be able to send you full accounts of what hius— alas 
that I should have to write it in tho past tense — 
the coffee district of Travaneore, and that now pro- 
mises to become one of tho finest tea districts in 
the country. Nor is this to bo wondered at, pos- 
sessing as it does, a most forcing climate and u 
soil that is just about perfect. Coffee used to 
yield 10 to 15 ewts per note iu “ tho Seventies,” and 
if only shade treos bad been grown theri', lent 
disease would undoubtedly have been less disas- 
trous, and but little would, 1 fancy, now bo heard of 
tea in the Periar, which, iu my bumble opinion is 
par txcdleace the beau ideal of a coffee distriot. The 
only estate that has attempted anything in the w.ay 
of shade is still very much to the fore, aud though 
unfortunate iu losing its final blossom iu February 
last, has a very nice crop ou now aud is, I am glad 
to h 'Br, looking parlicularly well aud capable of giving 
a still heavier crop in the coming year. As another 
instance o( tho productiveness of the soil, I may 
mention that I once sowed four acres of land with 
paddy, aud reaped 280 bushels, or an average outturn 
of 70 bushels per acre, a yield wbioh will I fancy 
bear favourable comparison with the yields of some 
of tho finest corn-producing districts iu the world, I 
must here mention, to avoid miscouoeption, that apart 
from tho natural regard — nay ntfootion — that tho 
pioneer of a district may fairly retain for his "first 
love," this praiso of the Periar is perfeotly disinteres- 
ted; for the writer has long ago parted with the manpr 
broad acres he once possessed in the valley, aud mi- 
grated to a healthier, if somewhat less productive, 
part of the district. 
A forest laud in the near neighbourhood of Pesr- 
maad has became scarce, and as the demand for land 
for Tea oultivation is iucreasing, applications have 
lately been made for certain blocks of selected grass 
laud, aud during the past monsoon, oue new grass- 
land clearing has been planted up, the result of which 
will be watched with oouaidcrable interest, as should 
the experiment turn out the success that there is 
every reason to anticipate for it.tbcco will undoubtedly 
be B large demand fur laud of this description, of 
wliioh there ate thousands of aorea available. 
Apropos of this, I am reminded of a remark made by 
the late Kajah Sir T. Madava Kew, when Dewan of 
Travaiioore, in reply to an application for a grant of 2 
acres of grass-laud for every acre of forest held by 
planters in the Peermaad District, which I had been 
deputed to make peraoiially. It was urged that it was 
absolutely neeossary for us to secure lor each estate 
a certain amount ot grass-land for grazing purposes, as 
wo were alive to the fret that manuring would have to be 
resorted to nt an early date, that there were thoa.saudi 
of acres uvaiiablo, and that tho giass-Uud was utterly 
valueless except for grazing, and that we paid a heavy 
tax on our forest laud aud so ua. After a patient 
besting, aud cxpieaeing his pleasure at fiudiog tliat we 
were, at that early stage of tho tloffee enterprise iu the 
country, turuiug our attention to the matter of high 
cultivation, tho Dewan, after assigning various reasons 
for refusing to grant out request, concluded by saying, 
" And boBides thi", how are we to know Mr. that 
the planters of, say, five end twenty years hence, may 
not, so far Irom characterising your grass-land as 
‘utterly valaolosa ' fled it highly suitable for some 
other cultivation ? Tea lor tnstanct.” 
Piophetio words, that may ere long be fulfilled. 
That the Boil of live genn'alify of grass-laud will 
hardly bear comparison with that of virgin forests, 
gets without saying, but, with our great faoilities for 
cheap manuring, and iu oonsideration of tho difforonoo 
iu initial cost of laud, this need not be regarded in 
the light of a drawback. 
That wo are fortunate as regards cheap manuring 
may be gathered from what follows. 
Large herds of cattle are brought up every year 
from the L'umbnm Valley (whioli literally swarms 
with cattle aud perodically suffers from a fodder 
famiue), to graze, aud tho Travaneore Government 
levies a sinall grazing fee of 3 aunas per head for the 
soason, usually about four months, from February to 
June. Every estate, however, of 109 aorea and upward, 
is allowed 500 head of cattle /res aud by paymont 
of the above montionod fee of 3 aunas per bead, as 
many more cattle as may be requited can be obtained, 
without any diflioulty, by merely making the ueoessary 
arraugeinouts with the cattlo^ owners. Any quantity 
of maunre is thus easily obtained and, as may be seeq 
at a glnuoo, at a ridioulouely low cost, 
