Inelta.—Coffee cultivation in sdme parts of Southern India, has remarkably increased of late. The following concise statement from official sources shows the condition of the culture in the tbree provinces of Msdras, Mysore, and Coorg, in the season 1876-7 :— Madras.—Under mature plants, 49,350 acres ; under immature plants, 15,711 acres; total yield about 13f million pounds ; average yield per acre of mature plants, 268 lb.
Mysore.—Under cultivation, 115,315 acres ; total yield, about 6f million pounds ; yield varies from lf to 103 lb. per acre.
Coorg.—Under mature plants, 35,150 acres; under immature plants, 9000 acres; total yield, about 12 million pounds; average yield per acre of mature plants, 339 lb.
Large reserves fit for coffee-growing still exist in the Nilgiri ; but the Government ia unwilling to encourage further deforestation. In the Wynaad district, there are re,ckoned to remain 200,000 acres of reserve suitable for coffee. The chief sests of the culture are the Wynaad, the Nilgiris, Mysore, Coorg, and the Shervaroy Hills. The Wynaad, officially divided into north, south, and south-east, is a district in the collectorate of Malabar, about 70 miles by 25. Its coffee is conveyed to the coast for curing and shipment, that from the northern division to Tellichary aud that from the south to Calicut, principally on pack bulloeks. The Nilgiris are a spur of the Western Ghat range, running eastward, and form a bold and lofty group of mountains, containing the culminating elevation of this part of India, at upwards of 8000 ft. above the sea-level. The elopes adjacent to the approaches to Ootacamund are covered with coffee plantations on every side. Labour is not over abundant, the climate being found rather too cold and wet for the nativea of the low countries ; but many advantages of soil and climate rmider the district eminently suited for coffee cultivation. Soma of tbe plantations are situated as high as 6000 ft. The port of ahipment is Calicut, to which the crops are conveyed for a considerable distance by wakr. The Shervaroy Rills are situated in the centre of the Madras Presidency. Coffee cultivation has not made great progress so far, nor is the yield large. Possibly these hills are situated too far from the Bea-coast, the climate being thus too dry ; but by the judicious use of shade, such, for instance, a.s that of the jack-tree, this difficulty might be overcome. The district possesses great advantagea connection with labour supply and cheap transpJrt, being tapped by the Madras and Beypoor Railway. In Mysore, the principal districts where coffee culture is carried on are Munzerabad and Nugger. The elopes of the hills that rise on the plateau of Mysore are thickly clothed with plantations ; and on the Bababuden range, there is hardly a spot fit for coffee raising left unoccupied. The produce fetches the highest price in the London market. The port of shipment is Mangalore. This district furnishes labour to Coorg and the Wynaad. The district of Coorg is some 60 miles in diameter, and its estates may be divided into three classes, each having peculiar advantages and drawbacks—the Mascara, the Ghat, and the Bamboo districts. The Mercara plateau varies in
elevation from 3500 to 4000 ft., and is equally exposed to monsoon rains and dry easterly winds. It is well watered, the rainfall reaching 121 in., and being equally distributed throughout the year. Great precautions are needed against wash ; shade is not usually required. The Ghat district was originally covered with thick forest, thus yielding a rich soil, whose fertility was increased by abundant humidity of ell:nate. The estates have, however, been much injured by constant deforestation, by wash, and latterly by drought, and its attendant evils. The Bamboo district has an elevation of 3000-3300 ft., and an annual rainfall of about 65 in., gentle and seasonable. The ground is undulating, and the soil is very rich, not being exposed to wash. Shade is essential.
The seasons and operations in Southern India resemble in general those of Ceylon, but possess some peculiarities worth alluding to. There aro distinct zones within which coffee will succeed ; this is especially the case in Mysore, as has been admirably illustrated by Lewis Rice, in his exhaustive work on these regions. The raising of nursery plants is much more difficult on account of long drought and dry winds ; abundance of water is, therefore, of vital importance. A northern aspect is best, being most moist during the dry season, and possessing the most uniform temperature : but it will be modified either eastwards or westwards according to the locality, so as to suit the prevailing wind. On the western slopes of the coast ranges, the south-west monsoon bursts with such force that coffee cannot withstand it ; in that situation, therefore, an easterly tendency of aspect is imperative. Further inland, the drier and hotter climate will compel a westerly devi ation, so as to catch as much as possible of the monsoon rains. In the western or wetter districts, shade is inadmissible ; in the eastern or drier districts, it becomes a necessity. The plan of leaving individual trees when the forest is cleared, is an objectionable and obsolete way of securing shade. With the first rains after the burn, there springs up an abundance of saplings of the charcoal tree (Sponia Wighth). In two years, it forms an ample shade for the coffee plants ; but as it grows older, the foliage becomes thin ; the tree, moreover, is but short-lived, and its timber is soft and watery. While, therefore, it affords an excellent temporary shade, it must not be relied upon for permanent shade, but be replaced by other growths ; being extremely light, its removal need not damage the coffee. It must be cut down while still living, as its death is said to kill the coffee under it. For permanent shade, preference seems to be given to the jack-tree, as in Ceylon ; but the Bauhinia, Poinciana regia, mango, and others have their admirers. In Mysore, all coffee grown is subjected to an excise tax of 4 annas (6d.) a maund (25 lb.) ; in Coorg, there is no excise tax, but a la.nd tax as follows ;—for the first four years, nil ; 5th-9th year, 1 rupee (2s.) an acre ; thenceforth, 2 rupees an acre.