December 30, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
589 
well when seen under artificial light, when mixed among Isolepis and 
Panicum. If a pot is visible in any part of the group, a branch or two 
of shrub placed there will effectually hide it, and if plants are scarce a 
few larger bushes could be made up and arranged with them. With a 
given number of plants a much greater show can be made in this way, 
and the effect is very good indeed.— H. Dunkin. 
INDIAN EXPERIENCES. 
(Continued from page 476.) 
In continuation of my experiences as a planter. On my arrival, late 
in the afternoon, at the house or bungalow of the gentleman with the 
foreign name I found him in company with another reclining in a 
long-armed American chair with his feet at almost the same elevation as 
his head, and a look of supreme contempt on his face. I was duly intro¬ 
duced by his English assistant whom I had mst at the foot of the hill on 
which the bungalow was built, and without attempting to rise from his 
horizontal position Mr. Bassano—for such was the name of my future 
superintendent — greeted me with the words “ Oh, ah ! so you are the 
swell gardener they have sent me out from England ? Very well; you 
can stay with me here till such time as you can build yourself a house. 1 
will charge you at the rate of 45 rupees per month for your board and 
lodging. The estate I intend putting you in charge of is about two miles 
distant from here, but you can easily walk that distance night and morn¬ 
ing till I can get a pony for you.” Now, as it was distinctly expressed in 
one of the clauses of my agreement that, in addition to the salary named 
at the beginning of these papers, I was to have a free house on the estate 
and the use of a horse when required, I was not a little taken aback at 
finding that I had to build my own house and to do the work of a superin¬ 
tendent of a Coffee estate without the assistance of a horse,'at least for a 
time. I saw also at once from Mr. Bassano’s manner that I was, for some 
reason or other unknown to me, “ not wanted,” and the resolution to take 
advantage of the optional break in my agreement was again strengthened. 
I found out afterwards that the manner of my reception was caused by 
the owners of the plantation in England and Bombay having engaged me 
and arranged for putting me in charge of one of their plantations without 
the knowledge of Mr. Bassano, the manager on the spot. The discovery 
of this fact of course made my position rather an uncomfortable one, at 
the same time I did not hesitate for a moment to go to work with a will 
and trust to time and the course of events to alter my position. So far I 
was charmed with the country and felt, as it were, a new world opened up 
to me, aad was contented to take my chance as a Coffee planter for the 
period of three years at any rate. 
Before proceeding further with my experiences while resident in the 
Wynaad district, I may state that at the time of my arrival in the 
country Coffee planting in Malabar was in the heyday of its prosperity. 
A comparatively small area of land had as yet been brought into cultiva¬ 
tion, and a still smaller area into full bearing of Coffee ; but a consecu¬ 
tive run of favourable seasons and consequent abundant crops of Coffee, 
and also the briskness of trade in Bombay at that period, had the effect of 
inducing capitalists and speculators to invest large sums of money in the 
purchase of already existing plantations and uncleared jungle land for the 
purpose of Coffee cultivation. Old estates were bought and sold for sums 
generally far above their value, and so-called estates, with perhaps a score 
of acres or so newly planted, and perhaps 100 or 150 of jungle, fetched 
greatly more than their value, even if the whole area had been under 
Coffee in full bearing. The “ old hands ” of the district saw at once that 
their time had come, and did not hesitate to sell plantations of a fully 
matured or embryonic nature, and made all possible haste to open, or 
make a show of opening, others with which to tempt the Bombay specula¬ 
tors both European and native, in too many cases to their ruin. 
The young hands, myself included, being unable to grasp the exact 
meaning of all this dubious and rapid transfer of property, or not being 
in possession of consciences of such elasticity as their elder brethren, 
were content to labour on in the attempt to bring the plantations under 
their charge up to a high state of cultivation and productiveness, whilst 
looking on at their more knowing and experienced if more unscrupulous 
neighbours realising a maximum amount of money for a minimum amount 
of labour. But the crash came at last. The bubble companies of Bombay 
suddenly burst in the year 1866, and the supplies of money for the culti¬ 
vation of numerous estates were as suddenly stopped, bringing ruin and 
dismay into the district, from the effects of which it never afterwards 
fully recovered. 
The plantation of which I was made superintendent was cut out of a 
dense hardwood and Bamboo jungle on the high road leading from the 
western coast to the Mysore State, and within two and a half miles from 
the Mysore frontier, and situated further to the eastward than any plan¬ 
tation then opened in the ‘district. There were two typical districts in 
the Wynaad called the Bamboo and the forest districts respectively, and 
clearings for Coffee in these localities were called Bamboo or forest estates, 
as the case might be. The forest estates lay at the foot of the Ghaut 
range slopes facing eastwards, and were cut out of the dense black forest 
already described, and the Bamboo estates on the flat or undulating land 
more to the eastward, favouring a growth of deciduous hardwood trees 
and Bamboo jungle only, and with a much lighter rainfall and warmer 
climate. The Coffee plant on the forest estates was slow in coming to 
maturity of growth and full bearing of crops, whilst on the Bamboo 
estates the growth of the plants was extremely rapid, early maturity and 
heavy crops in favourable seasons being the usual result. The soil of the 
estate of which I took charge was of the usual description all over the 
Bamboo tract—black or dark coloured loam of a light nature, and with 
an average depth of about 15 inches, the under strata being generally of 
a gravelly or gritty nature impregnated with iron. 
Up to the second or third year after planting the Coffee made a rapid 
and luxuriant growth, and an estate of that age of from 100 to 200 acres 
in the Bamboo district was a truly beiutiful sight, either when simply 
covered with its glossy and shining evergreen foliage, or loaded with 
its pure white and deliciously scented blossoms, lasting in its beauty 
for only twenty-four hours, but beautiful in the extreme. The first Coffee 
blossom I saw was that produced by a few trees growing by the side of 
an artificial water channel, and appearing rather out of season in the 
middle of the hot weather. This was brought about, of course, by irriga¬ 
tion, a system of culture which, when applied to Coffee, was looked upon 
with extreme disfavour by all planters at the time of which I write, but 
a system which, before I left India, was held in universal favour, and in 
furtherance of which large sums of money was spent by estate proprietors 
wherever water was available, the uncertainty of the spring showers 
being the main cause of this revolution of opinion. But on the subject 
of irrigation I shall have more to say hereafter from notes made on the 
spot. 
The estate I took charge of had about 120 acres already planted ; 
some 40 acres would bear its first crop the following season, the remainder 
only having been planted some six months. The elder part of the estate 
looked very healthy and promising, with few, if any, vacancies or gaps 
in the field. This, however, was not the case with regard to the younger 
portion of the planting. Gaps occurred here in abundance, and an esti¬ 
mate made at the time went to show that nearly one-half of the plants 
put out six months before had perished, and this simply from careless 
planting, the result of frequent changes of estate superintendents, and 
other causes. I mention the fact of the^e failures advisedly, because all 
my subsequent planting experience went to prove that the planter had 
no more difficult task allotted to him than to fill up these vacancies 
successfully with growing plants. From a variety of causes it was found 
extremely difficult in all cases, and in some quite impossible, to replant 
successfully spaces where deaths had occurred even on openings of only a 
year’s standing, whilst it was sheer folly to attempt to close up gaps on 
old standing plantations by planting young seedlings. True, some might 
survive, but they never reached the height or dimensions of the first 
planted trees, and never yielded any crop, notwithstanding the exercise 
of the greatest care in cultivation. —Planter. 
(To be continued.) 
WQHK. F0I l THE WEEK..!v 
fflj 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Hotbeds. —The time has come when hotbeds may be worked to 
advantage. Where glass houses and hot-water pipes are scarce the hot¬ 
beds furnish excellent forcing quarters for Rhubarb, Seakale, and 
Asparagus ; but those now recommended to be formed will do more than 
this, as Carrots, Radishes, and other early spring vegetables may be 
sown on them, and it will be found that these succeed better over a hot 
manure heap than they do above hot-water pipes. The heat from a hot¬ 
bed is moi6t, mild, and in every way conducive to the germination of the 
seed and the healthy growth of the young plants, and every garden of 
any importance should have hotbeds in the early months of the year. 
Recently fallen leaves and manure from the stable are the best materials 
for making them, and they should be made very firm. This is the secret 
of successful hotbed making, but many fail with them, as they heat very 
violently for a week or two, then become quite cold, and this is the result of 
careless making. When built up and only pressed down with the fork they 
do not retain the heat long, but if every layer is trodden down as it is 
placed on, it will retain the heat for three months or more, and we would 
impress on all who wish to succeed with hotbeds to make them firm. 
Manure from Rubbish. —There are now many prunings from fruit 
trees and refuse everywhere, and the most profitable way of disposing of 
all such rubbish is to burn it. This not only disposes of all objectionable 
matter, but it converts it into first-rate manure, which is of the greatest 
value for all vegetable crops. Small prunings and rough leaves become 
greatly reduced when burned, but when once the fire is fairly set going 
a little clay or rough soil may be added, and if this be applied several 
times during the time the fire is burning the quality of the ashes will be 
greatly improved, as burned clay is a most valuable material in all 
gardens. We burn large quantities of rubbi«h every winter, and it is in 
frosty weather that we burn most, as the work is very suitable for 
weather of that kind, and advantage is taken to clear out every hole and 
earner containing rubbish. 
Early Radishes. —These are easily forced, and they gain maturity 
quicker than anything that can be sown at present. A hotbed is the best 
place for them. Soil to the depth of 6 inches should be placed inside the 
frame and trampled down very hard. The seed should then be sown 
broadcast and cover it over to the depth of 1 inch, when the surface must 
again be trodden as firmly as possible, and then make it smooth. 
