With  reference  to  the  preservation  of  the  lately  imported  Tea  plants
from  China,  the  best  arrangements  have  been  made  by  me  to  keep  them
perfectly  distinct  from  the  other  plants.  Certain  portions  of  each  plan-
tation have  been  allotted  to  them,  and  tickets  noticing  their  locality,
cut  out  in  wood  and  with  iron  pegs  appended,  have  been  placed  in  earh
division.  In  the  Plantation  books  a  prominent  notice  has  been  made
regarding  their  locality  to  provide  against  any  contingency.  Mr.  Fortune
was  also  informed  regarding  the  arrangements  adopted  to  keep  them
apart  from  all  other  plants  in  the  Plantation.  To  stock  the  Plantations
with  the  finest  variety  of  Tea  plants  was  one  of  the  chief  objects  I  had
in  view  in  soliciting  Government  to  depute  Mr.  Fortune  again  to  China  :
it,  therefore,  would  have  been  highly  culpable  on  my  part  had  I,  on  re-
ceiving these  plants,  not  made  proper  arrangements  to  keep  them  quite
distinct  from  other  plants  in  the  Plantation.  With  regard  to  the
Hawulbaugh  Plantation,  every  coniferous  tree  in  that  Plantation  ha>
already  been  cut  down,  barring  a  very  few,  which  are  highly  ornamental  ;
and  it  would,  I  think,  be  highly  injudicious  to  ruin  the  appearance  of
one  of  the  prettiest  estates  in  the  hills,  and  thus  deteriorate  its  value
in  order  to  obtain  a  few  additional  pounds  of  Tea.  As  for  us
seedling  fruit  trees  all  have  been  removed,  and  annually  large  numbers
have  been  cut  down  when  they  have  been  found  detrimental  to  the
plant.  There  is  no  doubt  that  coniferous  trees  are  detrimental  to  Tea
cultivation;  and  this  fact  I  have  always  known  and  acted  upon.
