way of great Cabul. All these things will one day find their As may be expected this little spot is particularly rich in the vegetable productions of the Himalayas. Besides those I have already noticed, I might add A. Webbiana and Pinus excelsa. Less known than these was a fine horse-chestnut called Pavia indica, a noble poplar (Populus ciliata), a species of Buxus -the box-tree of the hills, Andromeda ovalifolia, and Ilex dipyrena. Two fine species of evergreen oaks were also observed, named Quercus dilatata and Q. semecarpifolia. Amongst herbaceous plants I noticed some pretty primroses, Lilium giganteum and Wallichianum, and Fritillaria polyphylla. Here also was the once famous Prangos plant in full bloom. But this establishment is of great value in another point of view. Connected with it are a number of native gardeners, who are out in the hills for months every autumn, collecting seeds of ornamental and useful trees and shrubs for distribution all over the world where such plants will grow. If we consider the thousands of the Deodar and other Himalayan pine-trees which are now to be found in every English nursery, we must perceive the vast amount of benefit which an establishment of this kind, small as it is, confers upon England. In these days, when our Indian empire has become so greatly extended that it embraces every variety of climate and soil, one regrets that a place of this kind should be so small. Perhaps the Mussooree garden could not be much extended, but other places might be found even more suitable to carry out the purposes for which it was designed. It may be very true that we have nearly all the productions of the Himalayas which are of value growing plentifully in our gardens at home, but the inhabitants of India cannot say as much with reference to the valuable productions with which our gardens abound. In my opinion, one of the great objects of having a Government garden in these hills should be to introduce from Europe trees of a useful kind for the benefit of the natives of this country. CHAPTER XXII Ordered to inspect the tea-plantations in India - Deyra Doon planta- Soon after my arrival at Saharunpore I received through the Lieutenant-Governor of the NorthWestern Provinces orders from the Governor-General of India to visit all the tea plantations in the districts of Gurhwal and Kumaon, and to draw up a report upon their condition and future prospects. In this tour of inspection I was accompanied by Dr. Jameson, who has the charge of all the Government tea plantations. The first plantations we visited were those in the Deyra Doon. 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 Sewalick range of hills, and on the north by the Himalayas proper, which are here nearly 8000 feet above the level of the sea. On the west 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 lately raised from seeds in the plantation. The soil 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 limestone, sandstone, clay-slate, and quartz rock, or of such rocks as enter into the composition of the surrounding mountain ranges. The surface is comparatively flat, although it falls in certain directions towards the ravines and rivers. The plants are arranged neatly in rows 5 feet apart, and each plant is about 4 feet from the next one. A long rank-growing species of grass, indigenous to the Doon, is most difficult to keep from overtopping 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 here an extensive system of irrigation carried on. To facilitate this, 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. At right angles with these trenches a small stream is led from the canal, and by opening or shutting their ends irrigation can be carried on at the pleasure of the overseer. 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. Leaving the Doon, we took the hill-road for Paorie, near which was the next tea-plantation on our route. This road led us through the well-known hill stations of Mussooree and Landour. As we ascended the mountains, it was curious to mark the changes which took place in the character of the vegetable productions. On the plains and lower sides of these hills such plants as Justicia Adhatoda, Bauhinia racemosa and variegata, Vitex trifolia, Grislea tomentosa, &c., grew in the greatest profusion. Higher up, say 3000 or 4000 feet above the level of the sea, Berberis asiatica makes its appearance, while nearer the top we find Oaks, Rhododendrons, Berberis nepalensis, Andromeda ovalifolia, Viburnums, Spiræas, and many other plants which are either hardy or half-hardy in England. The mountains about Mussooree and Landour are nearly 8000 feet above the level of the sea. Their |
