366 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[November i, 1883. 



As to tha question put to us by a correspondent 

 in auothe.' column about plucking tea buds hard- 

 ened by A\ind, our practical, i)ersonal experience docs 

 not euabK: us to speaU, but we have read much 

 ou the subject, the result of which seems to be that 

 if a bud hardens it had better be plucked and throv\'n 

 away. ] 'lucking is an operation, on the proper and 

 cautious or reckless performance of which the quality 

 of tea and the success of tea plantations largely de- 

 pend. ] lut here no machinery can supersede the action 

 of the human hand as guided by tiie brain, and un- 

 fortunately the process has to be entrusted largely to 

 persons not distinguished for excess of intelligence or 

 conscieiitiousncss. With a system of payment by re- 

 sults ('nerricks" or tasks), therefore, the great and 

 oonstant danger is that plucking will be indiscriminate 

 and severe. The question of dealing with buds is 

 one to be settled by the European manager, aided 

 by a good conductor, a careful kangani, and 

 picked men from amongst the pluckers. All 

 experienced and candid ijlauters must agree with 

 Col. Money that alike in plucking as in pruning 

 perfection is unattainable. An approach to it can 

 be secured only by the most unremitting personal 

 overt ght and teaching of the labourers by the 

 superiutendeut and his assistants, European and 

 native. The great object should be to take ofT the 

 closrd leaf or bud from the top of a first shoot 

 before it has had time to harden ; if it has hardened, 

 the decision seems to be, remove it and cast it away. 

 The only dissident is " An Ohl Planter," in a recent 

 Tea OuzettR, who says; — "If it be bbanji flush, 

 i.e. only two leaves developed, pluck only J- of the 

 softest leaf." But, curiously enough, neither in Col. 

 Money's Essay nor in the T<a Ci/clopmdia can we 

 find a word regarding wind as the cause of 

 bbanji buds or leaves. The word wind does not 

 occur in the index of either ! There is, therefore 

 full scope for the discussion of local observation on 

 tliis head. To show, however, how experts may 

 (Uffer! We have quoted with approval Colonel 

 j.Ioney'B statement as to the difficcdty of securing 

 careful iduckiiig. A writer in the Tea Ci/clojicedia. after 

 showing the evil effects of lv:iting instead of «!'/)^ji«(/ off 

 the flusli, continues, — "To make coolies pluck well is one 

 of the planter's easiest tasks. All he has to do is to 

 go round aud personally shew each sirdar [Uangani] 

 and each cooly how lo pick ; and if he finds his orders 

 not c.irried out, to fine the sirdar his day's wages, and 

 the cooly bis or her wages, and any extra pice due to 

 them for plucking over and above the maximum number 

 of pounds fixed For a daj 's work. Extra pice should 

 never be given till after the first flush has been 

 plucked." Fining and stopping pay are, no doubt, 

 useful disciplinary processes, but that by resort to 

 them it becomes an easy task to secure good plucking, 

 we take leave to doubt. The European superiutend- 

 eut must, as frequently as possible, pay surprise visits 

 to the plucking gangs to see that they are not 

 stripping off everythmg, instead of plucking with 

 discrimination. 



THE DECLINE OF COFFEE. 

 In the Wynaad District, we may infer, gold has 

 bad a hand in extinguishiug cotfee, for on those 

 estates which have been sold to gold Companies, (he 

 coffee has been entirely iiegUcttd. Cmcboua, where 

 it has been planied, may thrive, though it is liable 

 to the depredations of similar pests as attack coftee, 

 but, on the other hand, it does not require the an- 

 nual picking, weeding, pruning, etc., that are needed 

 for coffee. The treis will grow if left alone, but we 

 do not hear of freeh plai. tings of cinchona where 

 mining is being carried on. It is bad enough for 

 coUce to have nearly died out in the Wynaad, but 



WB read also that in Ceylon the same thing is going 

 on. It appears that there the cofT'e planter is in a 

 very bad way indeed. The leaf-disease first made its 

 appearance in the island in 1S70, and for 8ome time 

 contined its visitations to every other year, allowing 

 an interval for the planter to pick up hope again 

 with alternate good and bad seasons. Latterly, how- 

 ever, tlie blight has apjieared every year, and has 

 resisted all scientific attempts to expel it, and the 

 result of four years' successive leaf-disease is that a 

 great many planters have left the island to seek 

 their fortunes elsewhere, not being in a position any 

 longer to fight a^^ainst a foe which it appears hope- 

 less to overcome. Those who remain in Ceylon are 

 turning their attention to cultivation other than coffee. 

 Tea and cinchona are the prime favourites, though 

 plants from which sugar and jaggery, are produced 

 and cinnamon likewise engage attention. These with 

 pepper, rubber and tobacco, would, there is every 

 reason to believe, thrive in the Wynaad. Coffee has 

 certiinly had a long trial in India, some estates 

 being now nearly half-a century old. Time was, when 

 coUossal fortunes were reared from the bean. The 

 diseases and pests which now decimate the trees have 

 changed all this. Meanwhile Brazil continues to 

 supply the market with coftee, which is a very 

 fortunate circumstance for consumers of the beverage. 

 Leaf-disease is still unknown there, aud new coffee 

 districts are opened up every year. Sumatra and Java 

 already produce large crops of coffee, and in British 

 Burmah the Commissioner is endeavouring to make 

 Tavoy a coffee -producing district. It is by such meaus 

 as these that the supply will be kept up. It may 

 be that, like the potato, coffee requires fresh land 

 after a certain number of years, and perhaps in a 

 cycle of j'ears the time may come round when Ceylon 

 and Wynaad will again be flourishing producers of 

 the berry which is now such a source of vexation and 

 disappoiutmeut to the planters there. — Madras Times, 

 October 5th. 



MK. MORRIS'S VISIT TO ST. HELENA. 



Just prior to Mr. Morris's departure from St. Helena 

 for England a very large atieudauco of the gentle- 

 men ot the islaid took place at the Castle, in answer 

 to a circular invitation from His Excellency the 

 Governor, to hear an address from the Director ot 

 Public Gardens and Plantations at Jamaica on the 

 results of his visit to St. Helena to report on its agri- 

 cultural capabilities. The proceedings were opened 

 by the Governor, who expressed his pleiisure at find- 

 ing so large an attendance, but regretted that through 

 an oversight it had not been clearly stated that the 

 meeting was open to ladies, many of whom he had 

 heard would have been glad to attend. Although 

 Mr. Morris's visit had necessarily been a very brief 

 one, he made himself so well known and such a 

 welcomo visitor to the country gentlemen that any 

 introduction or iutroiluctory remarks eeeined to him 

 almost unnecessary. Mr. Morris's services at Ceylon 

 and at Jamaica had been so eminently successful that 

 many other colonies were eagerly seeking visits and 

 reports from him, aud therefore, considering the email 

 size of St. Helena, it was matter of congratulation that 

 such priority had been given to that island. 



Mr. Morris, after stating the objects of his visit, 

 proceed! d in an able iranner to describe various plants 

 iu the island which might be cultivated with little cost 

 and great advantage, and to point out others which 

 lie believed could be proBtably introduced. He stated 

 that a report would be prepaied in full lor the Right 

 llou. the Secretary of State, and that it would no doubt 

 be ciiculated in St. Helena for general use. The 

 address Listed nearly an hour, and was listened to 

 with unlhigging interest and pleasure by the audience, 



