Robert Henry Elliot
Encyclopedia
Robert Henry Elliot, was an early British coffee
planter in Mysore, India
, and author of books upon plantation life in Mysore, and on farming in Scotland.
According to Elliot's own account in Gold, Sport, and Coffee Planting In Mysore, he arrived in Bombay in 1855 at 18 years of age. From there he sailed to Mangalore
, then headed inland through the ghauts to the high plateau of Mysore. There he joined Frederick Green, who had begun his plantation in 1843. The first European coffee plantation to its south had just started in 1854, while the second some 70 miles (112.7 km) north was being established by three Scottish planters. In 1856 Elliot started his own plantation at Bartchinhulla, Saklaspur, Mysore State. (His address in Scotland was Clifton Park, Kelso, Roxburghshire
.)
At his farm called Clifton Park in Kelso, Roxburghshire
, Scotland
he formulated what he termed the "Clifton Park System", and several editions of his book on this subject (originally titled Agricultural Changes, with the last two editions (of 1908 and 1943) being titledThe Clifton Park System of Farming and laying down land to grass) were published between 1898 and 1943. In this book, which was written prior to the widespread availability and adoption of man-made fertilizer, he advocated building up the organic content of soil by planting a mixture of grasses and other plants, particularly deep-rooted plants such as chicory. Modern organic growers still find Elliot's work applicable today.
Union Agricultural Society Lectures. no. 2. Kelso, 1883.
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
planter in Mysore, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and author of books upon plantation life in Mysore, and on farming in Scotland.
According to Elliot's own account in Gold, Sport, and Coffee Planting In Mysore, he arrived in Bombay in 1855 at 18 years of age. From there he sailed to Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
, then headed inland through the ghauts to the high plateau of Mysore. There he joined Frederick Green, who had begun his plantation in 1843. The first European coffee plantation to its south had just started in 1854, while the second some 70 miles (112.7 km) north was being established by three Scottish planters. In 1856 Elliot started his own plantation at Bartchinhulla, Saklaspur, Mysore State. (His address in Scotland was Clifton Park, Kelso, Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Dumfries to the west, Selkirk to the north-west, and Berwick to the north. To the south-east it borders Cumbria and Northumberland in England.It was named after the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh...
.)
At his farm called Clifton Park in Kelso, Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Dumfries to the west, Selkirk to the north-west, and Berwick to the north. To the south-east it borders Cumbria and Northumberland in England.It was named after the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
he formulated what he termed the "Clifton Park System", and several editions of his book on this subject (originally titled Agricultural Changes, with the last two editions (of 1908 and 1943) being titledThe Clifton Park System of Farming and laying down land to grass) were published between 1898 and 1943. In this book, which was written prior to the widespread availability and adoption of man-made fertilizer, he advocated building up the organic content of soil by planting a mixture of grasses and other plants, particularly deep-rooted plants such as chicory. Modern organic growers still find Elliot's work applicable today.
Selected works
- The Experience of a Planter in the Jungles of Mysore, London: Chapman and Hall, 1871.
- Concerning John’s Indian affairs, London: Chapman and Hall, 1872.
- On laying down permanent pastures, and the grasses suitable for alternate husbandry / by Robert H. Elliot.
Union Agricultural Society Lectures. no. 2. Kelso, 1883.
- Gold, Sport, And Coffee Planting In Mysore, 1898. (Project Gutenberg etext)
- The Clifton Park System of Farming and laying down land to grass, 1898. Five editions to 1953 (two under the alternate title Agricultural Changes).
See also
- http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/elliot/cliftonToC.html - The Clifton Park System of Farming
- http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/lamin/lamin1.html - Thirty Years Farming on the Clifton Park System - an account by English farmer William Lamin of his experiences with Elliot's recommendations.