}VNE I, iSgz.J 
THP TROPtCAL AQRI6ULtURI8T. 
919 
the Coast curers, and the cash tor the taila and refase 
counted out by the looal native merchant. January 
will be often on the wane when this consaminatinn is 
arrived at, and then there will be another two or three 
week’s work, olearinK up. pruning the old coffee, 
manuring the fields shaken by overbearing, &c., Ike. 
So the year wears away. In the but weather there 
is usually an exodus for six weeks or two months, lor 
a good ‘ writer ’ is capable of superintending new 
clearings up tu a certain point, more 1 specially if a 
stay-at-home friend can be found who will ride over 
once or twice a week and see everything is going on 
all right. The Shsvaroys in the Salem District 
and the Pulaeys in Madura get but little of 
the south-west mouecou, the north-east being the 
one on which they depend, and so the foregoing 
hardly applies to them. 
As regards the climate which the coffee planter of 
Southi-rn lodia enjoys, it is varied but good, except 
that at some seasons and in some distric's malarial 
fever is prevalent. As the elevation of coffee cultiva- 
tion v.irles from 2,000 feet to 6,500 feet, the temper- 
ature is, of conrss, different: but Wynaad, where the 
estates are on an average iit just under 3,000 feet may 
be taken as a fair average. The soutb-weat monsoon 
usually begius in the first or second week of June. 
Then the Hood-gates of heaven are opened, and the 
rain beats down in t irrents, and the Zephyrs rage and 
blaster : but it is in July when the heaviest and long- 
est burst takes place. This climate is not nioe, for, 
eqnally with nature out of doors, your books, your 
boots and your bread assume a verdure, wbiob is dis- 
piriting. However, oraokliug wood Urea and h it toddy 
can be indulged in in oomlon, and there are many 
things more unpleasant than of evening to sit in front of 
the one and with tbe other leside you while ou'sidetbe 
stormy wiudsdo roar and the rain cornea dowiim torrents. 
Presently there will come a break nnd a few days 
of the most glorions weather that ever gladdens this dear 
old “ vale of tears ilays snob as that one must have 
been at the dawn of which ** tbe stars of the morning 
came toge h-r and all tbe tons of God shouted for 
joy.” August is sometimes beautiful and fine, some- 
times dom'd moist and unpleasant, and so September : 
in fact these months take it in turns to be one or 
the other. Uotobrr is a month of lovely mornings and 
wet afternoons, the north-east monsoon being abont to 
deelare itself, wherefore thnnder.storms are rife and 
heavy downpours frequent, in which an inch or more 
of rain will fall in less than an boar, much to the 
annoyance of the p anter whose land is stoop. The 
mornings in Hovembpr grow criip and cold, wisps 
of snipe are in the swamp, the bell of the t-am- 
bhur is heard on the mountain side, and life 
is as full of sport as work allows and very much 
worth living. December and January are glorious 
mouths with a climate that would make the fortune 
of the , distriot many times aver if it could only 
be transposed to Kurope or the St ites. Fires blaae 
in tbe hearth at nights and in the moruings the 
planter bUzes in the swamps, which are frequent 
and hold many snipe, and while tramping thrungh 
them an occasional shot at a jungle sheep or 
spotted deer may be got and no little excitement 
worked up over khubher of bear, panther or tiger in 
an adjacent thola, Februarv is rendered unpleasan 
by a raging and tearing N.-E. land-wind, which dries 
up everything, curls up the backs of your editiciu de 
/ucrc, and converts your cheroots iuto tinder. At nights 
beacon fires flare on all the hills, a glorions sight 
to gaze on from alar, but not so pleasant sbonlii the 
Are come tearing down tbe hill above tbe stables, tbe 
flames leaping and rusliing and frolicking tbrongh tbe 
tall jungle grass and sornb like a her 1 nf wild horses at 
play. Tbe whole country side becomes black and bnrni 
np, and a heavy mist of smoke lies over the land. Before 
March comes in tbunderis beard remote, and each night 
the lightnings blaze and flash and qniver along tbe dis- 
tant horizon. The mornings are hot and sultry and every 
afternoon black masses of olopd, big with the rain 
that means fortune or disaster for the planter, roll 
heavily acro*s the sky. At length the rain falls in 
bliading sheets, and from the grounds there goes up 
that strange fragrance all know so well, like a song 
of tbanktulness from a thirsty land. In a very few 
days everything is green again, save tbe fields of coffee 
which are covered with the sweet white petals of the blos- 
som for which tbe planter has been waiting so anxionsly. 
April is mneh the same as March — snltrlness foIlowM 
by heavy thunder-storms, then a few days of refresh- 
it g coolness. In May tbe weather continues broken, 
aud the middle of the day very hot, but tbs morn- 
ings and evenings are delioionsly cool and fresh ; 
and so on till the mousuon again breaks. This is tbe 
climate of tbe tVynaad, and it is very similar in other 
districts. No little rain interspersed amongst days of 
tbe most glorions and perfect weather. 
The present Government of Madras bee 
at length realized that the planting industry 
of Soutberu ludia which brings into the coivi- 
try a orure or two of rupees per annum, 
and is a very present help in time of famine and 
distress to the ryots and labourirg olasisa of Southern 
India, deserves enooursgemont, and the planter is 
begiuuing to fool that he has but to repreeent his 
case to receive consideration at the bauds of Lord 
Weu'nck and his advisers. Slowly and by degree! 
that enrioua delineation of the brutal planter, is fad- 
ing from the walls of tbe Counoil Chamber where il 
has figured for so many years, and be is ceasing 
to be looked on ss that strange speeimeo of 
obsoh'te feudal barbarity, who when not wallowing 
in whiikey and wanionui-ss was danoieg a wardanoe 
on the spleens and tbe domestio virtues of hia coolies. 
The wi nkness of Ihe planting oommauity of Southern 
India concists in its being under the rule of so many 
different Governments ; for while tVynaad, the Nil- 
girls and the Shevaroys are under the Madras Go- 
vernment, Ooorg is under the Government of India, 
the Mysore and Traviincore planting distriots we 
within the boiindaiies of these native states, while 
tbeNi Iliampthies tietoug to Goohin. Here we will draw 
to a close and reserve our description of tbe district! 
themselves tor another week . — Indian Planters 'Oasette. 
« 
THE PIONEERS OF NORTH TRAVAN- 
CORE. 
{From One of Them.) 
From time to time you have admitted to your 
columns fugitive oommuDiostions from tbe planters, 
or to speak more correotly, from tbe pioneers, who 
have (or the last ten years been engaged in opening 
out tbe northern portion of tbe Travanoore State to 
planting enterprise. It will be romombered that 
tbe main obstaole in the way of settling the ex- 
tensive and salubrious range of mouotains and 
valleys which are known by tbe name of the 
Eannan Devan Hills lies in the difficulty of aooess. 
While tbe estates were in a state of ohildbood, not 
yet having teached tbe prodootive stage, the 
absence of roads did not muob affect tbe formation 
of estates. Forests have been felled, nurseries for- 
med, plants have been set out and even bungalows 
built (though at great ooat) while all the tools, rice, 
Stores, roofs, and building materials neoessary (or 
tbe above objects have been carried up (tom the 
plains on pack cattle, ponies, donkeys and on men*! 
beads. Time bas meanwhile been rolling along, 
and the plant has developed into a bush, the cin- 
chona seedling into a tree. The years have at 
length rewarded the settlers, and they pride them* 
selves with tbousands ol pounds ot bark, tons of 
ooflee. and ohesU ol tea But now has some into 
play tbe question of cost of oarriage, and the delay 
and expense of pack animals gerionsly bandioap the 
exporters when oompeting for markets with produce 
(tom other planting Distriots where oarts take tbe 
crop from the planters, then to the railway 
station or port without break ol bulk. However 
these planters are a seli-ieliant body. Xbey 
