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REPORT
UPON
THE TEA PLANTATIONS
IN THE NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES.
KAOLAGIR TEA PLANTATION.
1. Situation and Extent.-The Deyra Doon, or Valley of Deyra, is situated in latitude 30° 18' north, and in longitude 78° east. It is about 60 miles in length from east to west, and 16 miles broad at its widest part. It is bounded on the south by the Sewa- lick range of hills, and on the north by the Himalayas proper, which On the west are here nearly 8000 feet above the level of the sea. it is open to the River Jumna, and on the east to the Ganges, the distance between these rivers being about 60 miles.
In the centre of this flat valley, the Kaolagir tea plantation has been formed. Eight acres were under cultivation in 1847.
There
are now 300 acres planted, and about 90 more taken in and ready for many thousands of young plants raised lately from seeds in the plantation.
2. Soil and Culture. The soil of this plantation is composed of clay, sand, and vegetable matter, rather stiff and apt to get "baked" in dry weather, but free enough when it is moist, or during the rains. It rests upon a gravelly subsoil, consisting of lime- stone, sandstone, clay-slate, and quartz rock, or of such rocks as enter into the composition of the surrounding mountain ranges. The surface is comparatively fat, although it falls in certain direc- tions towards the ravines and rivers.
The plants are arranged neatly in rows 5 feet apart, and each plant is about 43 feet from its neighbour in the row. A long rank- growing species of grass indigenous to the Doon, is most difficult to keep from over-topping the tea-plants, and is the cause of much extra labour. Besides the labour common to all tea countries in China, such as weeding, and occasionally loosening the soil, there is To facilitate this, here an extensive system of irrigation carried on.
the plants are planted in trenches, from four to six inches below the level of the ground, and the soil thus dug out is thrown between the rows to form the paths. Hence the whole of the plantation consists of numerous trenches of this depth, and five feet from centre to
centre. At right angles with these trenches a small stream is led from the canal, and by opening or shutting their ends, irrigation cau be carried on at the pleasure of the Overseer.
3. Appearance and Health of Plants.-The plants generally did not appear to me to be in that fresh and vigorous condition which I had been accustomed to see in good Chinese plantations. This, in my opinion, is caused, 1st, by the plantation being formed on flat land; 2nd, by the system of irrigation, 3rd, by too early plucking, and 4th, by hot drying winds, which are not unfrequent in this valley from April to the beginning of June.
GUDDOWLI PLANTATION (NEAR PAORIE).
1. Situation and Extent.This plantation is situated in the Province of Eastern Gurhwal, in latitude 30° 8' north, and in longi- tude 78° 45' east. It consists of a large tract of terraced land, extending from the bottom of a valley or ravine to more than 1000 feet up the sides of the mountain. Its lowest portion is about 4,300 feet, and its highest 5,300 feet above the level of the sea: the sur- rounding mountains appear to be from 7000 to 8000.
The plan- tation has not been measured, but there are, apparently, fully one hundred acres under cultivation.
There are about 500,000 plants already planted, besides a large number of seedlings in beds ready for transplanting. About 3,400 of the former wese planted in 1844, and are now in full bearing; the greater portion of the others are much younger, having been planted out only one, two, and three years.
2. Soil and Culture.—The soil consist of a mixture of loam, sand, and vegetable matter; is of a yellow colour, and is most suit- able for the cultivation of the tea-plant. It resembles greatly the soil of the best tea districts in China. A considerable quantity of stones are mixed with it, chiefly small pieces of clay-slate, of which the mountains are here composed. Large tracts of equally good land, at present covered with jungle, are available in this district without interfering in any way with the rights of the settlers.
I have stated that this plantation is formed on the hill side. It consists of a succession of terraces, from the bottom to the top, on which the tea-bushes are planted. In its general features it is very like a Chinese tea plantation, although one rarely sees tea lands terraced in China. This, however, may be necessary in the Hima- layas, where the rain falls so heavily. Here too the system of irrigation is carried on, although to a small extent only, owing to the scarcity of water during the dry season.
3. Appearance and Health of Plants.--This plantation is a most promising one, and I have no doubt will be very valuable in a
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