]2 TEA CULTIVATION IN

Company on their own estates, and the produce is readily sold in the local

market.

14. I have now briefly noticed the principal tea plantations in tIle Kangra valley, including one in th~ Muntlee terri-

. Aggrfgllte Rrea 0' planta- t d one in the Koolloo valley 19 in aU. tlDn; groll produce. average ory an • produce per acre. Wh~le giving a brief description of aach plantation.

i have purposely avoided details, or the entering upon any compmison in regard to the merits of particular plantations, which would haTe been a rather invidious tasle, Rnd might also have been displeasing to some of those who so kindly gave me the particulars I applied for. The statement fur­nished from ench estate will be appended to this report, and will show fur­ther details that may be required. The aggregate area of the ) 9 estntes enumerated above comprises 8,708 acres, the area actually uneler tea culti­vation 2,635 acres, the gross aggregate produce in the seasun of 1868

amounted to 2,41,332 lbs of tea. The produce per acre and the price realised per lb by sale differs much in different plantations, but striking an average on the whole I find that the produco per acre is 91'6 Its of tea, and the average price realised by sale Rs. 1-1-3 per lli.· These igures must however be taken as presenting au approximate I\\'erage only, as the returns received {l'om some of the plantatioJls llreSellt such 'treat differences in regard to the extent of produce pel' acre that I cannot think all are fully

reliable.

15. In addition to the plantations described above, there are numerous smnll plantations, some 45 in number, covering areas from 2 to 50 acres. the properties of agricultural notables and of influential beads of villages in different parts of the valley. The aggregate area of these plantatioBi amounts to 351 acres, and the area actually under cultivation to 148 acres. On some of these estates the proprietors manufacture coarse teas for the nath'e market; on others, the smaller ones, the owners do not attempt t8 mlUlufacture tea, but sell the leaves to planters who hive factories in work.

16. The figures given in para )4 above may at first sight draw forth the remark that the area actually under tea

AdVllntage or comparativel,. cultivation is very small in this valley, but this Imalll'lllutiltious.

appears to me a healthy sign, and I see in it one

Digitized by Coogle

TBE KANGR! DISTRICT. 13

of the elements of sllccess. I t is the too rnpid formation of extensive unmanageable estates that has led in some measure to the disastrouB results of tea cultivation in parts of Assam. where quantity rather than quality appears to have been the aim; planters in their eagerness to extend cultivation, and to declare that a certain area had been planted out. over­looked the essentials of quality and degree of productiveness of the plants. leaving it to those to whom they would sell their estates to realize the truth that neglected tea bushes yield no profit. In Kangra. on the other hand. planters have wisely proceeded slowly. planting out carefully. cultivating highly. and coverin g only a manageable area. Moreover, I may observe that extensive as are the waste lands in the Kangra district. the available tmcts 1it for tea cultivation have always been very limited in extent i what is called the Kangra valley is a narrow tract olcountry. The po rtion olit fiUor teacultiva­tion is comprised within altitudes from 2,500 to 5,000 feet above the sea; this still further narrows the available area; and lastly, it must be borne in mind that this limited area was occupied before the planters came. and occupied by classes of native argiculturillts attached to their ancestral holdings, wedded to their time-honored system of agriculture. disliking change. and jealous to a degree of the approach of strangers within their boundaries. When these considerations are dwelt upon it seems matter for surprisq that so much has been achieved.

17. It is unnecessary for me to lengthen this report by a discussion of questions regarding the soil and climate best

Gen~ral remarks upon lOil suited for tea-the best mode of cultivation-sys­and elimate.

tem of manufacture-cost of production-returns, &C. These are all points for consideration at starting. when tea cultivation is an experiment. In the Kangra valley we have long passed the experimen­tal stage, and have secured results which afford ample proof of success. Moreover. I do not profess to have studied. the subject of tea cultivation so deeply as to be abh to give any decided opinion of my own upon the ques­tions alluded to. But upon those several points I would offer the following brief remarks.

18. While a rich loamy soil has been declared best suited for tea, experience has proved th at. granted the eB8ential

Boil bl!!lt adapted for tea. conditions of climate, the various soils in dif-Cerent parts of the valley found suitable for the cereals which ordinlU'iJy

Digitized by Coogle

14 TF!A CULTIVATION IN

come within the system of F0tation of erops or Dative communities are also suited for tea. Even when the soil is poor very much Of\n be done by proper cultivation to improve and enrich it, the gFeat point is to have a deep soil free from stones and rock. which prevellt the. tap roots from penetraliug to flo sufficient depth.

19. Climate appears to me a questio& req,mnng more considera-

ClimAte. tion, for m1lch can. be don.e to. improve and render-the soil adaptable. wbile the condition. or climnte cawlot be changed. A tolerably moist climate, such as is found in this valley at elevn.tions fl·Om.

2,500 to 5,000 feet above the Ie-vet of the sea, and in, IDealities sufficiently remote from the plains to be free fFom the infl.uen.ce of the hot winds in. summer, appears to be required. Tea. will thrive. in. beat when there ill some degree of moisture in the clim,"e, bitt heM eombined with excessive dl'yness in the atmosphere has a& injurious effect.

20. On most of the plantations in this valley flo system of what is

~'ystem 01 ooltivation. termed higs cultivation is adopted. The ground is well prepared by deep digging and manuring.

the seed carefully sown, and only healthy seedlings planted out; twice in the year the soil is tumed up with the hoe, grass and weeds rem~ed., and manure given; top pruning of the plnnts is attended to, buds and blossoms are pickell off, and DO seeds are allowed to ripen. Under a good system. of high cultivation an acre of tea bush~s might be made to produce 250 lOs of tea. Irrigation is not usually necessary, the rain--fall being generally heavy throughout the yeal"', and, as a rule, at such intervals as to prevent the absorption of all moisture ift the atmosphere. But it is advantageous to have the means of inigation, for som~times, though exceptionally, the months of May al!d June are particularly hot and dry, the plants are then apt to suffer. ana the fresh flushes become partially destroyed, m.ore particularly ia exposed situations.

21. The flushes or new sboots ()D plants come on four or five times

Mannfacture. between the months of A},ril and October. alld

the pickings tnke place wben these new shoots are 3 or 4: inches long. The system or withering the leaf, rolling, firing, roasting, drying and storing is much the same on all plantations, and scarcely needs description here; indeed, I may admit that I have not studied the

Digitized by Coogle

THE KANGRA DISTRICT. 15

system of manufacture sufficiently to give a very reliable description of the process.

22. N or do I feel myself in a position to offer any decided remarks

'COlt or production. upon the subject of cost of production, and returns by sale of manufactured teas. The cost of

production varies on different plantations according ~ their condition and the care and skill displayed in their management. I should suppose, however, that on a plantation \tbere tea is manufactured at the average of 190 or 200

lbs per acre, tbe cost of prodnction and manufacture may be set down at about, or a trifle under, 8 a/mas * per to.

23. In regard to returns, 1 believe that all the plantations in the valley

ReturlM. now pay well their working expenses, but a few only have as yet realize(l profits and return a

ilividend. With the exception of Holta, not a single plantation in the valley has been in existence more than 8 years, and it is said that a Himalayan tea garden cannot be considered in full bearing under 8 years. In this valley there is certainly the great advantage of cheap labour; but as a set-off there is tbe heavy cost of transport to the distant sea board when teas are export­ed for the home market. I am disposed to think also that in some jnstances planters began operations without due economy and sunk capital prematurely. Europeall assistants may have been engaged before their services could be required, and factories built before there was any tea to mo.nufactnre. Establishments too perhaps were entertained on too large a scale. The additional capital thus sunk prematurely may have retarded the realization of profits. But I feel satisfied that in regard to tea cultivation in tbe Kangra valley, the tide h~ now turned, and that with ordinary care and management every planter will find his uIHlertaking a success. Enormous profits must not be expected, but steady returns yielding from 5 to 10 or even 12 per cent interest 011 tbe capital employed may I tbink be fairly hoped foc.

24. Tbe disastrous results that have attended the working of s~ many

tea plantations in Assam, and in some instances in Plantation, in the Jrangrll I h

nIle, oWlleil . by individual t 10 ill districts in the N nrth-Western Provinces, proprieLora Or by emaIl UIIocilA- lIave 110t been without tbeir effect ill bringing about tiona.

a depreciation of the prospects of tea cultivation

• Uue shilling.

Digitized by Coogle /

16 'DA CUL'llVATION ·m .

in all parts of India. BIlt ~appily the conditions that led to di$aster in Assam and elsewhere do not prevail in Kangra. As I observed in a Cormer part oC this report, the .c~pl)l'atjvely small size of the plantations in this valley is a healthy sign, and the fact that all 91ll' plantations are either the property oC one or two individual planters, resident On their estates, or elae Qwned by a few Corming a small association, does to my mind bear an. element oC success.

25. If myself engnged in tea cultivation '-1 should never attempt to form a plantation above 200 acres in extent; and

. t.i!l'ited ~rea uuder tea cul- of this .area 1 would DOt briog' more than two­t.1't'atIQU deelrable.

·thirds at the most under tea, leaving fully one-

third available Cor tho growth of timber and grass and Cor pasturage. But I would try and secure all the land within a ring fence, and have my houSe and factory in the very centre oC the plantation. In an enterprize·like tca ~ultivation, where all operations are performed by .manuallabour, and where the laborers employed areas a rule slow and naturally idle, mors than may be supposed depends upon the compactness oC the estate, and the consequent faci~ities for supervision and economy of labour; also while selecting rather

undulating ground, I should avoid consider~ble slopes. The tea .plants should be well covered with soil round their roots, and when the cultivation is in slopes the soil is either washed away by the heavy raiDs 9r else there must be resort to terrace cultivation, which is costly.

26. In passing I may remark here that the increasing ,.alue of timber

and the comparativ~ scarcity of firewood, even in Growth of timber for tea this richlY wooded countrY renders the growth of 'box .. and ",ood (uIIL <I -<I'

timber on their e8tates a matter of considerable

importance and deserving the immediate attention of planters. experiments made for some years past, and which I have continued on a large scale, have proved that the Kelu or Himalaya Deodar, which gives such a valuable timber,. grows well on the lower slopes of the Dhoula. Dhar, and on tlu, plateaus below, where most of the plantations are situated. I should advise

every planter to set aside a small area, Bay 15 or 20 acres, for the grow~h ot timber, constantly renewing by fresh planting as the timber is cut down. If this matter does Dot receive timely attention, the cost of timber for tea

boxes, and of wood Cllel for the factories, will hereafter form a heavy item of

expenditure.

Digitized by Coogle

'1'BE KA.NaB!. DIRTBICT • 17

. 27. Another matter to which I may briefly allude is"the provision of l\

suitable paper for packing tea. I believe it is tcaV;!::7!~ parchment for admitted that all kinds of tea quickly deteriorate by

being packed in ordinary paper. It is said that vegetable parchment is of great value in packeting tea; that tea thus enveloped retains its aroma for an indefinite time, and the vegetable parchment does not communica.te any odour or flavour to the tea. This matter may appear to affect the retail sellers who make up teas into small parcels, rather than the planters who sell wholesale, with their te:l.8" packed in cases lined with lead; but when the quality of the tea is injuriously nft'ected by careless packing in bad paper the reputation of the planter 8uffers. It seems to me that planters might with advantage give their attention to the subject of the preparation of a good vegetable parchment or paper for packing tea.

28. Of much importance in regard to the success of tea cultiva.tion is Markets for tho sale of the provision of markets for the sale of produce.

Kllugra valley teas. It may be saiu that there are four markets a.vailable

for the sale of Kangra. Valley teas:-

I. The Home or London market.

II. The Local European Market.

III. The Local Native Market.

IV. The Central Asian Market.

29. Almost all the planters manufacture and ship teas f01· the London

The Londou Market. market, but as yet I believe that this has been found to be the least profitable market. The manipUlation

of teas highly ft:1.voured and suitable for the home market is costly, careful packing in lead and wood and labelling adds to the expense, and then transport to the sea board, shipping uues, freight, assurance, . dock dues and hl·okerage, Cor·m items that swell the charges greatly, and eat up profits." Assuming the cost of manufacture as stated above to amount to 8 ann as * per 10, the transit charges from ihe plantation to the J.ondon market are not less than 4, annas 6 pie t per Ib, making the total cost to the planter not less than 12 annllS 6 pie, or 1 shilling 6 pence 3 fartllings per lb. Then thero ~l·C other risks, and the uDcel'tainty in reg(wu to prices realizcu by auction

• Oue shUling. t 6 pence 3 fart1lin~.

Digitized by Coogle

18 . "l'EA CULTlV ATION IN·

sale. On some plantations it is said that actual loss is incurred by sending teas to the London market. An impressiou also prevails .that there is a combination on the part of tea brokel's in London to depreciate the value and keep down the prices of Indian teas. In order to test the truth of thi9 report I have it in contemplation to take with me to England in the ensuing winter some samples of the finest teas manufactu~ed on the best plantations in the valley, and to distribute these samples among some of the first of the London tea merchants. It is possible that in distributing these samples, the official position I have held in this district, the experience I have gained in my observation of tea cultivation, and the assurance that I have no per­Bonal concern in any undertaking in the district, may induce some of the London traders to avail themselves of the information I can aft'ord, and to turn their attention to the purchase of Xangra teas more largely and at

higher prices. 30. Xangra teas are year by year selling more largely and coming into

greater demand in the Local European market. Local European market.

These teas are almost universally used in messes and private families in the Punjab and Upper India, and I believe are purchased by the Commissariat Department for the use of troops. But while good teas readily secure remunerative prices in this mark et, the demand, considering· the comparatively small proportion of Europe8Jls in this country, can never absorb the supply available from the numerous plantations. For three or four years past I have always consumed a class of Kangra tea which] purchase from the plantation at the retail price of Rs. 1-8-0 * per lb. I find this tea more to my taste, and as far as my opinion goes of better quality than China tea that when last in England I purchased at 4 shillings and 9d. or 5 shillings per lb. from one of the best houses in London.

81. The local market is of considerable and increasing importance;

Local N .. tivo market. This market absorbs the coarser qualities of black teas, the tea dust, and the green teas, which are

manufactured at comparatively smaller cost and which are packed in clOU1S; these teas are frequently purchased by the native merchants direct from the factories. Now that these cheap teas are procurable, the custom of tea drinking is steadily increasing and spreading among all classes of natives, and year by year this local demand will become of steadily increasing im­portance. Anyone curious to ascertain whether natives are given to tea

.:3 shillings.

Digitized by Coogle

mE XANGRA DISTRICT. 19

drinking. need only leAve his teA hOl[ open and he will find how soon bis Benants will help him to consume its contents, But as yet the greater portion of the teas purcbased in the local native market al'e for exportation to the Central Asian market, regarding which mention will be made presently. Amritsur is and ever will be a great mart for the supply of teas for the native markets throughout Upper India. At Amritsur the Ladakh and Yarkund traders haye commenced and will continue to purchase teas for the ir own couiatrics, and for the Eastern Provinces of Central Asia; there also the Cabool traders will always purchase teas for Cabool, Herat, Khiva, Bokhara. Samurkand, and other centres of trade in Central Asia: and from Amritsur too there has set in the exportation of tea via Kurrachee for ports in the Persian Gulf.

32. The last, but to my mind the most important, market for the sale

Central Asian market. of Kangra teas is the Central Asian market, Trade returns that I furnished when Deputy Commissioner

of Goojrat in 1862 will show what very large quantities of China green teas, brought up from Bombay, were exported through Cashmere to Ladakh, Yarkund, .Khotlin~ and Kashgar. A perusal of Vambery's Travels in Central Asia will show how common is the use of green teas among all classes with whom that traveller communicated in his journey from the shores of the Caspian sea. througb the Turkoman deserts, to Khiva, Snmurkand, Bokhara and Herat. Tbe use of tea as a beverage, especially of green teas,will. increase in the cities and countl'ies of Central Asia that I have named, with increased facilities of supply. Our Kang..a valley planters would probably be able to command the whole of the Central Asian market, and it will be found the most profitable of all the markets.

38. It is hoped that Palumpoor, in ~his district, may become a local

Palnmpoor. market for the sale of teas for export. via Koolloo, Laboul and Ladakh to the Eastern" Provinces of·

Central Asia. Though hopeful, I see difficulties that make me·not entirely sanguine. Our mountain passes in Upper Koolloo aIid Lahoul are more difficult, and are closed by snow earlier in the season, than are the passes' through Cashmere and by the. Cbimurtee route. It sometimes happens· owing to the' early closing of the passes that Yal'kund and Ladakh traders who have started to come down via Lahoul and Koolloo through Kangra have had to retrace their steps and proceed by the Cashmere or Cbimurtee route; thus the coming of these traders is uncertain, when they do come their

,­Digitized by Coogle

20 ''tEA CULTIVATION IN

desire is to barter goods iu exchange for tea !"ather than pny in cash, but this system of barter would not suit our planters, who req uire cash. Lastly, if these traders can be induced to purchase teas for cash payment, they require the teas to be stored by the planters for some months until their return to their homes in the following spring. These are difficulties and uncertainties which in the interests of our planters it is only fair to mention and ,look in the face.

84. Amritsur is, and in my opinion always will be, tbe great mart to which our Kangra planters must forward their teas to fee,d the Cent,ral Asi;LQ market. From Amritsul' is the easiest route v';a Jumoo amI Casbmere to Ladakh aud the Eastern Provinces of Central Asia. From Amritsur t.>ia

Cabool the tide of trade flows to the great Central Asian m arts of Hernt, Khiva, Bokhara amI Samw·kund. From Aml'itsur there is a greatly increas­ing trade via Kurachce to the ports in the Persian Gulf. And lastly, I think it is not taking too sanguine a view, to anticipate the dny when Kangra teas forwarded by rail to Kurl'achee amI from thence shippe(l to Suez may be couveyed through the Suez canal and shipped to Russian ports in the Black sea at a smaller cost than teas can n,ow be conveJ'ed overland from China to Russia,

85. If myself engaged in tea cultivation I should manufacture teas for all the markets. I should supply quantities of tea for the London market., varying according to the results of previous sales; but I would continue to supply even without profits. in order that the qualities of the teas might

become more known to the public in England, and hence the value of the plantations in the Kangrn valley become the better appreciated. The same considerations would lead mo to supply teas for the heal European markets. The planter should not think only.of his annual profits, but, look to increas­iDg the marketable value of his estate, in view to eventualities, should he desire to dispose of a portion or the whole, and this he can best do by always selling a certaill quantity of good teas iu the London and local European markets. But the local native aOlI the Central Asian markets are those upon which I should depend for the most sure and easy profits, and for which therefore I should manufacture most largely.

86. Intimately connected with the success of tea cultivation are the J.nbOllr Ilnd communica. questions of the supply of laboul' and facilititls of

tiona. communication. Upon these subjects I should

therefore ofTer brief remarks.

Digitized by Coogle

TUE XANGRA DISTBIt'T. 21

87. Happily the supply of labour is abundant in the Kllngra v811('y, and will always remain so. Rece~t censns operations

Labour. , have shown that the populati on of Kangra proper

is remarkably dense for a mountaincus country, and the people are by no means migratory; on the contrary they are wedded to their homes, and as a rulo would work for small wages near their homes ra ther than be induced t~ take employment elsewhere. . Labour too is remarka bly cheap at present, Rs. 4- per mense~ :t representing the pay of an able- bodied labourer, on a p)antation. The services of women lUld children are also largely available during the picking season for picking and carrying the leaf to the factories. But here as elsewhere the price of labour must rise with the development of t~ade, the advancing prosperity or the country, and the consequent gradual rise in the range of prices of grain and or all articles of food and clothing. I think it highly probable that within 2 or 3 years planters win have to raise the rates of wages from Rs. 4- to 5 t per man and when this takes place it. will become a question whether machinery may not be introduced' into f~ctories with advantage. One planter has shown me a machine for rolling the tea leaf, which he informed me was worked with greater economy than by employing manual labour for the purpose. J have no fear on the score or deficiency of labou,·; indeed the abundance of labonr will always prove an element of success in this valley, and will give our planters a great advantage oyer those in some other provinces.

38. The new Kangra valley cart road now in course of construction" commencing at Noorpoor on the west, and running

Rnngra valley cart road. K 1 for a distance or 60 or 70 miles, through ote a, Shahpoor, Kangra, Nagrotah, Palumpoor to Baijnath, the eastern extremit.y of the disbict, will, wheu completed, afford all the facilities that could be desired for communication with the plains; and this difficult aud costly road, with its many cuttings, its heavy embankments and noble bridges, will be a lasting monument of the interest taken by the Government in the operations of the planters, and of its earnest desire to contribute all in its power to eusure theit· success. This road will too be a monument of the engineering skill of Captain T. Browne, of the Royal Engineers, who aligned the rond throughout, partially completed a considerable portion of it, and who on this

~ 8 shilling.. t 8 to 10 sbilling..

Digitized by Coogle

22 TEA CULnVATION IN

line built two of the largest brick arch bridges in the world, having each tI span of 140 feet.

39. While fully alive to the immense advantages that will result from this road on its completion, 1 think it matter for regret that the work was , . not divided into two sections, oue from Kangra to Baijnath, and one froni Kangra to Noorpoor, the second section not to have been commenced uutil the completion of the first; had this plan of operation been adopted, the portion of the road urgently required to connect Palumpoor and Baijnath with the cart road from Hoshiarpoor to Kangra would ere this have been opened and fit for traffic, at an outlay less than has been incurred in the partial construction of the entire line, the opening of any portion of which must now be delayed. Moreover, the second section from Kaugra to Noorpool" is 110t a matter of urgency in the interests of the planters, as with one exception all the plantations lie to the east of Kangra. The great utility of the Kangra and Noorpoor section will not be apparent until ,,"e

cnn secure the construction of the tramway or light railway between Pathankote aud Amritsur proposed by Mr. 1'. D. Forsyth, c. B., have com­pletedt he missing link in the liLe of Railway communication between

Mooltan anel Kotree, and Kurrachee becomes in effect, as it is now in name only, the port of the Punjab. When these works are undertaken and completed then the section of the cart. road between Kangra and Noorpoor will become a most important and valuable link in the chain of communica­

tion through the Kangra district •.

40. In closing this report it behoves me that I should bear testimon1 to the good feeling always evinced by the Kangra planters in their inter­course with tbe authorities, and the good will and consideration they have always displayed in their dealings with the people. Much of their success may be attributed to their conciliatory bearing towards the shy and jealous native communities among whom they have located themselves, and whose prejudices they have dOlle so much to overcome. Disputes between planters and native villagers seldom if ever occur; and during my long tenure of Office as Magistrate and Civil Judge of the district, I have seldom or ever received any complaints, and have not had occasion to adjudicate in a single difference between planter or villager; village communities while fllrnishing labor for the plantations are enriched by the wages of their labor; they and the planters see how useflll one class is to the other j and thus while

Digitized by Coog Ie

THE KAKOlU. DISTRICT. 23

ulDdering each other mutual senices they Ilave learnt the nnity of their interests. For myself I have always received a kind and hospitable welcome on each of the plantations I have visited, and every planter has readily furnished any information I have applied for. In many instances they have rendered considerable services. One planter nndertook the construction of a dawk bungalow in Koolloo without any renumeration for his trouble; others have built bridges and repaired roads in order to assist the authorities. The planters too are men who can give useful information to the District Officer; among their number are those who do not confine themselves to the limits of their plantations, but who travel among the wildest tracts of this monntain­ous (listrict, and are always ready to furnish information regarding the state of the conntry and of trade in the wild and inhospitable tracts of Lahoul and Spiti-tracts not often visited by the authorities.

Digitized by Coogle

o cg. N ~ .!Z C) o ~ ..-rv

STATEMENT REGARDING THE BOLTA TEA. PLANTATION DURING THE SEASON 1868. ~

Name of Area under Descriptions A "'erage price Name of Area of the tea culti- Gross p,'o(luce Average pro- of tea per lb realized :Markets in

company or Locality. plantation, vation, ill ill Ibs duriug duce per manufae- for each d~s- which plantation, proprietor. iu acres. acres, 1868. acre, in Ibs. tured. cl'iptioll of sold.

tea.

.------ ------------ -J == .. :a ~ .. .ccE :e CI e os as f= §..; :e s-

::I en ..,'- ~

en ~ ::2 CIS ."..:e '"ro = ==

.... .:! f § 8.2:: "'§ 8.,3 g u :e~

:; os J :::~ G)'- ~ o. 0 8 ~ a> 8.-= "" ~~ .

.: .. 8- C')

.. ~ ~ ~j EC" CI

ri e .. .. >. '" . II ~Q 0':- CI ::I lOS ~ lOS to .. 0

'3 .C?a. .8 .8 .8 to,-5 ~= Q)~ e~ c; II> e= t::: ::R8 ~ < < Z -~ 0= ~g

Q.o <§.8 !=QED e ~

~

&! g

~ ~

REIIU.::KS,- This estate, nnder the late management, only produced about 20 to 25,000 lbs of tea from an average under cultivation of some !'1 450 acres, 'fhe bushes had exhausted themselves aOlI produced 1I0ught bnt seed and a very inrel'ior description of leaf, I therefore burnt dowll :ill half the estate, which was ovel'grown with grassjnngle, and than pruned and cut away all the burnt wood on the bushes alHI turned np the soil . ~f'ht· result was so satisfactory, t.hat the estate increased its yield 14,000 lbs in 1868, I h~ve taken out of cultivation 50 acres. and cut down ahout 150 acre5 of the larger and older bushos, manured thoso that wore burnt last yea,', and from the general appeal'an 0 of the bushes and illll'l'o\'ed condition of the whole estate, I auticipate the prolluco of 1869 will amount to betweeu 50 and 60,000 Ib5, or 130 to 150 Ills per a~n.. The demand for gl'een tea~ is 011 the increase, allli the Unll'itsur merchants are the chief purchasel's of these teas. which eventually find their way to Hukhara mti Cahul, Thoro is 1I0t much local demand fo,' black teas, the bulk of which we send to the 1.ondoll marketl', whore the," rcalize a fair pl'ice j and from the results of the last two years auction sales ill Lomlou, the Kallgra teas appear to take precedence of all other lndiall teas.

I have built a propagating house for Cinchona cultivation. and hal'o upwarlls of 5,000 healthy young plant" which I propose to plnnt out the bo~inni\lg of the raius, beillg ollcoul'agcll to do so by t he success which has mal'ked the operations of tho Cinchona Compauy at BOlfal'uah aud RycllOl'C,

C. II. STUU'fT, Majm-,

late !loyal A~tille1l1'