iofy 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April i, 1887. 



An estate in the Central Terai ranged from 103-33 

 to 149-4:8. In another case we get a range of 

 89-73 to 171-52 ; sixty-seven inches of the latter 

 quantity having fallen in August 1882. On an 

 estate in the Darjiling Central Terai we find that 

 out of a total crop of 1,581 maunds and 5 seers 

 in 1882, the proportion in the four months— June to 

 September — was : — 



June 2G6-31 maunds 



July 289-15 „ 



August 290-13 „ 



September 257-14 ,, 

 or about two-thirds of the whol«. So generally 

 in other cases. One estate yielded 1,533-27 maunds 

 1S85, of. which the proportion gathered between 

 June and September was 



June, maunds . . . . 338-18 



July ,, .. .. 254" 



August .. .. 272-5 



September . . . . 200-5 



or considerably Tnora than one-third of the whole. 

 On an estate in the Dooars the rainfall in four 

 years, 1881 to 1884, ranged from 112-84 to 184-49, 

 so large a quantity as 70'77 inches falling in 

 August 1882. The vast bulk of the rain falls be- 

 tween May and September, while the bulk of the 

 crop is gathered between May and October, the 

 percentages in July, August and September being : — 

 July .. .. 18-30 



August .. .. 1906 



September . . 15-88 



Total . . 53-24 

 or considerably more than one-half. In another 

 case the percentages were : — 



July .. .. 15-44 



August . . . . 18-66 



September .. 17-80 



Total . . 51-90 

 Again more than half in three months. 



The general conclusions are as we have stated, 

 that on a large proportion of the Indian tea estates, 

 with a rainfall of from 70 to over 170 inches o£ 

 south-west monsoon rain, December, January and 

 February are blank months or nearly so as regards 

 crop, while the yield in April is usually small. 

 The real crop season extends from May to Nov- 

 ember, (in which latter month i^runing is usually 

 performed), but the bulk of the harvest is gathered 

 between June and October, as much as two-thirds 

 of the whole crop being frequently gathered in 

 the four months, June to September. Our Indian 

 neighbours are, therefore, much more exposed to 

 a " rush," such as coffee planters were wont to 

 experience, than are the tea planters of Ceylon. 

 The Indian tea planters, on the other hand, can 

 count on the enjoyment of a cold weather holiday, 

 extending from about the middle of November to 

 the middle of March. 



Having thus noticed the figures which Mr. 

 Hogarth kindly placed at our disposal, we are 

 enabled, through his further courtesy, to add the 

 following notes of his impressions in regard to our 

 system of planting and manufacture in Ceylon : — 



Mr. HOGARTH'S NOTES. 



It is only to be supposed that a tea planter 

 from another country would find fault with many 

 things in Ceylon and it is only to be expected 

 that there are faults to be found in a growing en- 

 terprise. 



The selection of suitable land, the chances tea 

 has of ultimately holding its own against disease, 

 and the time and manner of pruning, are sub- 

 jects that a travelling planter is cautious in ex- 

 ^^ressing his opinion on. But there are things to 

 jyhich our attention has been drawn and among 



these are : — 



Careless planting. — Many Ceylon planters pull the 

 seedlings up bare of any soil, and dibble them in 

 like cabbages. In Assam the plants are lifted with as 

 much earth round them as can be secured, and the 

 greatest possible care is taken that the tap root is 

 not bent. The tap root can be cut off without in- 

 juring the plant. Dr. King of Botanical fame says, 

 but it must not be turned up. 



Too early plucking. — Many planters are plucking 

 their plants far too young. Nothing tends to 

 stunt a garden like harsh treatment in its growth. 

 The root system is representative of the branch 

 system and early plucking checks the growth of 

 the former. The excuse given is that " funds 

 are wanted," but things must be desperate when 

 you run in the face of nature. 



Economy in everything is advisable, but false 

 economy is ruinous. Already complaints are rife 

 of Ceylon teas not " keeping " — that may or may 

 not be from under-firing ; and in a country 

 where fuel is so scarce the tendency will be to 

 fire as little as necessary. Where there are so 

 many operations in the manufacture of an article 

 any-one of which may produce a chemical 

 change, it is most difficult to place one's finger 

 on a blot and the hint of under-firing is simply 

 a hint and nothing more. 



A great drawback to Ceylon is the want of 

 power for driving rolling machines. Hard rolling 

 is necessary for strength, but Jong rolling is often 

 mistaken for hard rolling. In Assam Jackson's 

 Excelsior is the machine generally used ; It 

 requires about a 6 H. P. engine to do the work 

 rapidly and well. In Ceylon fuel is scarce, and 

 many factories rely on their old coffee wheels of 

 about 3 H. P. to drive the rolling machinery. This 

 in Mr. Hogarth's opinion, means spoiling good leaf. 

 You must have the means, as well as the know- 

 ledge, to make good tea. Kapidity of manufacture 

 is of the utmost importance in Assam and Mr. 

 Hogarth doesn't see why it should not be here. 

 He is very cautious about expressing himself on the 

 treatment of the plant, as climatic influences must 

 be considered, but in the treatment of the leaf 

 after it is plucked there can be little doubt, and 

 if Ceylon is to hold its own in the competition 

 that is likely to arise during the next few years, 

 he says, it must be better found in power to drive 

 suitable machinery. He thinks there will be a 

 great struggle for a few years and if you can't 

 afford to meet the enemy well appointed, you had 

 better give up tea planting. Last year has shewn 

 that leading gardens in Assam will do well, but 

 there is not middle class for teas as there used to 

 be, it has come to be tine and common and Ceylon 

 will have to choose one or other place. 



On which we would remark, as we did when Mr. 

 Hogarth mentioned the matter to us, that many a 

 planter accused of over-plucking young tea, would 

 reply 



" My poverty, but not my will consents." 



So wiih the choice of land : a large number had no 

 choice but to transform their collapsed coffee estates 

 into tea plantations. There can be no question as to 

 the advantages of taking up plants for the field 

 with masses of earth about them, and in the 

 lower and hotter districts transplanters are largely 

 in requisition. In the higher and more moist re- 

 gions, however, neither transplanters nor shade is 

 necessary, and we certainly do not need to protect 

 our plants against that plague ol' crickets which 

 is so destructive in some parts of India. SeeiHg 

 that the cry previously was that we burnt our teas 

 it is curious now to have the alleged hability o 

 our teas to "going off'" attributed to under 

 firing from scarcity of fuel. Fuel and sutH 



