November i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



3'9 



raised the reputation of Ceylon as a tea-pioflncing 

 country to the top of the list; with this light lbro»n 

 on his object, we see plainly the result he was aiming 

 at aid can appreciate its success, whilst all interested 

 in Ceylon tea will reap the benefit. Were Mr. Camer- 

 on still alive, he would institute a different system 

 of plucking this year from last, and it was to warn 

 those who might think that a continuation of the work of 

 laet year was possible that I spoke strongly on the sub- 

 ject. There are not three system^ at present generally 

 practised, but one system differing in its details ac- 

 cording to elevation and other circumstances, and 

 modified greatly by Mr. Canernn for a special objict 

 ae now appears. — Yours faithfully, T. C. OWEN. 



RUBBER HARVESTING. 



2nd October 1883. 



Dear Mr. Editor, — Can yon enlighten me on one 

 point regarding Ceara Rubber cultivation. Your cor- 

 respondents on the subject, all mention the results of 

 tapping rapidly, but has the rubber tree been tapped 

 and after the lapse of a year been tapped again with 

 the same encouraging results, as I have heard that 

 the second year's tapping results in a complete 

 failure. — Yuurs faithfully, B. B. 



[The Kiiliber industry is not old enough in Ceylon 

 to settle this point yev, and planters are hrping 

 to have fortiiightly, rather than annual, tappings. 

 —Ed.] 



A DEFENCE OF MR. CAMERON'S SYSTEM OF 



PRUNING TEA IN CEYLON. 



Sir, — I have read with much pleasure and no little 

 profit Messrs. Armstrong's and Owen's essays ou tea, 

 lately published in your paper. Though the former 

 gentleman prefaces his letter with the remirk that 

 he refeis cnly to plant tea above 3,000 ieet, we lower 

 coun.ry tea-planters have still found plentj to interest 

 as in his cheery paper. Mr. linen's six weeks' ex- 

 periet ce of the Indiou tea plantations is also iusti uctive. 

 But I have been greatly surprised that none of m_v 

 brethren possessing the pen of a ready writer, who still, 

 in spite of Mr. Owen's strictures upon it, believe in 

 Mr. Cameron's method of working and manufacturing 

 tea (probably because they know what that n.ethod 

 was) have not taktu up that v.eapou on behalf of 

 their late chief. But since they are "silent still, and 

 silent all," my unwonted pen must endeavour to do 

 some justice to a man whose experience ot Indian 

 tea cultivation extended over nearly four times as 

 many years as Mr. Owen'u has weeks. Mr. Owen 

 says :— " Mr. Cameron introduced asevere cutting down 

 system in pruning." Now, to the " gentle reader" that 

 wool I, I imagine, give the idea that Mr. Cameron's 

 "murderous method" was an annual one. Had Mr. 

 O n en ever talked with Mr. Cameron on the subject, 

 or a-ked anyone who had done so, he would have 

 learnt that Mr. Camerou's reason was this : on coming 

 here, he found bushes 7 to 8 feet high, with "hard 

 and gnarled" stems 4 and 5 feet high. These be 

 cut out, in order to shape the bush, a process that 

 would have been unnecessary bad we had the benefit; 

 of his experience a few yeais earlier, and which wi/1 

 not be aaain necessary, we trust, for some years to 

 come. Had Mr. Owen seen the results of no< cutting 

 out ihe bard woud, he might with reason have said 

 he had seen tea locking as though a tiie had pissed 

 over it. Again " Mag'»ter docet," "the master teaches," 

 that Mr. Canieion intended to luin our trees, or 

 render a long rest necessary, (as we are told he did 

 in xndia) by an over severe system of plucking. As 

 vou, sir, and evertoue else who had the benefit of 

 Mr, Cameron's experiences are aware, on his arrival 



here, he found the state of C''ylon tea, withtVc exception 

 of a very few estates, at such a low ebb, in the London (or 

 any other) market, that he thought it mcessary to 

 pluck considerably finer than he would otherwise have 

 done, to try and raise the prices from the depths 

 into which they had fallen, or rather from which they 

 had never arisen. When this was accomg lished, bis 

 purpose was to pluck coarser leaf, and allow the flush 

 to run a little longer. This intentiou, I believe, his 

 other superintendents as well as myself are now carry- 

 ing out. How wonderfully sonn he succeeded in raising 

 ttie prices let the current brokeis' reports tfstify. Can 

 Mr. Owen put his band on his heart, and sny, that 

 the fine price lately realized for " Avisawelle" teas 

 would have been obtained, if that estate, and, say, 

 two others were the only three in Ceylon sending res- 

 pectable teas? 



I am told that Mr. Owen has lately ma<le a tour of 

 the Yatiantota and Avisawelle estates. Did he find 

 Elston looking as if a fire had past over it, or as if it 

 were unable to do its duty in the coming year as a 

 well behaved t>a estate should ? Did he find Abher- 

 field ? Rnanwelle ? Dunedin ? Sembawatte? Istratbellie? 

 I have lately takeu the same tour, and none of them 

 struck me in that way. Sir, " l"too (a« the gentle- 

 man said when he had impeached Warren Hastings) 

 " have done" — and, now, Mr. Owen, having done my 

 duty as far as in nielay, to my late V. A.'s memory, 

 permit me to take you by the hand (I have met you 

 so often in print tliat I feel as tliough I knew you 

 personally, as I hope to do some day) and thank you 

 cordially for the many useful hints in your paper. 1 take 

 it we are both equally anxious lor the welfare of Cey- 

 lon tea at heart, but let us agree to differ on certain 

 subjects, as I don't think you will convince me and 

 I am sure I shall not cuuvmce you, and let us see 

 whether your " flat plucking surface" or my "all round 

 the hat" business will first land us in that happy 

 position of l.COO LB. AN ACRE. 



P. S. — I am not interested, I regret to say, iu cin- 

 chona or cardamoms, but any hints Mr. Owen can give 

 me as to pepper, chillies, vanilla, and nutmegs, will be 

 most gratefully received. 



COFFEE-GBOWISG IS SiiCTII AXD CESTKAr, AjlKRIC.i. — 



The London Times of Sept. 7th gave pron ineuce to the 

 follow ing praagraph of special interest to the planters 

 of t eylon : — "loffee Cultivation in Sopih America. 

 — It appears that the high rate of wages which prevails 

 on the Isthmus of Panama is attracting labour, and 

 making the production of coffee unprofitable in Costa 

 Ricii, Columbia, Venezuela, and even Bra/.il. Only in 

 Spanish Honduras and British Guatemala can coffee 

 now be said to be profitable. The plantei j in Nicara- 

 gua, according to latest reports, have a difficulty in 

 clearing their expenses. In countries farther south 

 an annual loss is incurred, while in Brazil the 

 skrinUage of the crop has attracted the s-ric us atten- 

 tion of the Governineiit. Wages have go.ie down in 

 Honduras and Guatemala, and if the present de- 

 pression iu the price of coffee continues, the coffee 

 planters of Brazil, Cnlumliia. Venezuela, Costa Rica, 

 and Nicaragua will be ruined, while the more fortu- 

 nate planters of Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras 

 will have all they can do to hold their own. Not- 

 withstanding this gloomy ouiloik, however, coffee 

 in Mexico is still believed to be the coming industry, 

 because the r lilways running from the United States 

 will bring the plantations into direct coniinunieat on 

 with the consumers. Th s advantage, toj^other with 

 fairly cheap labour, should prove decisive in the 

 trade, supposing Mexico to have equal facilities with 

 other ci'ffee-growing coun tries, such as Costa Rioa, 

 Ceylon fto. '' 



