September i, 1882.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



»S^ 



TEA SOIL AND MANURES. 

 The following is a report by Mr. Joseph Cripps, the 

 well-known analyst, upon some samples of Assam soil 

 submitted to him by one of the leading Indian Tea Com- 

 panies. He says :— 



''These soils appear to have been formed by the dis- 

 integration of granitic rocks, and contain but little available 

 plant food, the insoluble silicates alone ranging from 84 

 to 93 per cent of the aii'-dried samples. 



"Lime is found in small quantities, existing either as 

 silicate or sulphate, and in my opinion the free use of 

 lime, either as quicklime, marl, or carbonate, should be 

 one of the first .steps taken in the futm'e management 

 of such soils. Quicklime should only be used, however, 

 proviiled it can be followed up by a liberal dressing of 

 organic manure, dung, decaying vegetable matter, or such 

 like substance. 



■' Potash and phosphoric acid are also deficient. It will 

 be noticed that the amount of o.\ide of iron and alumiua 

 is much greater in the soils taken at depths of 1^ to 3 

 feet below the surface than in tlie soils marked surface, 

 and, as the iron exists as protoxide in the lower depths, 

 lime will have a very beneficial effect, and, as opportunity 

 is afforded, I would advise that more of the subsoil be in- 

 corporated with the surface soil by digging or deep ploughing. 

 " This will bring up stores of phosphoric acid and 

 potash, wliich are now practically unavailable. 



" The tea plant, as will be seen from appended analysis, 

 is one which extracts from the soil very large quantities 

 of potash and phosphoric acid, and it is to tlie replacing 

 of these constituents that the attention of the grower 

 should be directed. It would appear that phosphoric acid 

 and potash are most necessary for the full de^■elopment 

 of the tea plant, and, unless stores are developed from 

 the subsoil, or their constituents are applied in the shape of 

 manure, the .soil wiU become exhausted, and disease of the 

 plant a natural consequence of such exhaustion. Tlie disease 

 known as ' red spider ' is most likely one of the results 

 of this exhaustion, and it must be evident that soils robbed 

 of nearly all their available soluble constituents can only 

 grow plants of a delicate and languishing character. 



" For a full and vigorous growth of plant, to be followed 

 by the production of a crop of leaves so rich in phos- 

 phoric acid, potash, and nitrogen as is tea, a regvilar feed- 

 ing of the plant by good rich fertilizers must be absol- 

 utely necessary. 



"I understand that plants which get a fair start and have 

 plenty of fertilizing matter to clraw upon are seldom 

 attacked by red spiilers or any other parasite ; while, on 

 the other hand, as soon as a plant, from want of necess- 

 ary supplies of food begins to languisli, it becomes a prey 

 to disease and blight. 



" The appended analysis of tea will show how large is 

 the amount of phosphoric acid and potash required for 

 the full development of this plant. 

 " Composition of the ash of tea : — 



Potash* ... ... ... 39-22 



Soda ... ... ... ... -65 



Magnesia ... ... ... 6-47 



Lime ... ... ... ... 4-24 



Oxide of Iron ... ... ... 438 



Protoxide of Manganese ... ... 103 



Pho.sphoric Acid ... ... 14'55 



Chlorine ... ... ... -gl 



Sulphuric Acid ... ... ... trace 



Silica ... ... ... ... 4-35 



Carbonic Acid ... ... ... 2430 



10000 



" Tea is also very rich in nitrogen : — 



Pekoe, containing ... ... 6"58 



Gunpowder „ ... ... ... 6'62 



Souchong „ ... ... ... 6-15 



Assam ,, ... .. ... 510 



One of our home manure manufacturers, acting on the 

 above, .sets forth that his manure for the tea tree will be 

 found to sustain and nourish the tree in the production 

 of a luxuriant development of frequent flushes of leaf ; 

 and as it is not an uuduly stimulating manure, neither 



• In coffee beans the projjortion has ranged as high 

 as from 40 to 62 per cent.— Kd. 



the tree nor the soil are overtaxed, or their future fertility 

 drawn upon. 



" The basis of the manm-e is the mineral matter necess- 

 ary tor the vigorous growth of the tree combined with 

 nitrogenous salts and animal onjnuic matter for the pro- 

 duction by deoompositiou in the soil of ammoniaeal and 

 carbonaceous constituents. The advantage of supplying 

 these elements, in conjunction with the mineral ingredients 

 requu-ed by plant hfe, cannot be over-estimated ; for, by 

 the decomposition of organic matter— and most valuable 

 of all animal organic matter — carbonic acid and other solv- 

 ents, are generated side by side with the mineral matters, 

 rendering not only such of these as are artificially supplied 

 in the manure, but those also which the soil itself may 

 contain, available for the sustenance of the plant." 



The foUowmg is a guaranteed analysis of this mamu-e :— 

 20 to 22 per cent soluble Phosphate of Lime. 

 i to 6 „ undissolved „ 



^i to 4 „ pure Ammonia. „ 



4 to 5 „ pure Potash.* „ 



There is no doubt that as time goes on, and soils be- 

 come exhausted, more and more attention will h.ave to be 

 given to the ijuestion of manure ; but to attempt to re- 

 fertihze a soil without ascertaining fii-st in what respects 

 it is deficient, is only to waste money. Therefore analysis 

 of the soil of a garden should be carefully made before it 

 is decided what manure to apply. 



In some cases artificial manure to suit the required pur- 

 pose could be made on the spot, for the carriage cost of 

 an article of such bulk is a serious matter ; but even if 

 manure could not be so well or .safely made on the garden, 

 there is no reason why it could not be made in Calcutta. 

 It has always struck us as particularly absm-d that people 

 should go to the expense of importing at great expense 

 what can so easily and far more cheaply be made in 

 this country. — Indian Tea Gazette. 



THE BOTANIC AND AFFORESTATION 

 DEPARTMENT, HONGKONG. 



KEPOBT FOB 1881. 



The following Report from the Superintendent, Botanic 

 and Afforestation Department, is published for general 

 information : — 



AFp-ORESTATION. 



17.— The following is a tabulated return 

 operations during the year : — 



Pinus sinensis, one year old 



Pinus sinensis, 3 years old, 3 to 5 ft. high, 



Pinus sinensis, in situ, 



Pinus Thumbergii, in situ 



Eucalj-pti 



Stillingia sebifera, (Tallow Tree) in situ 

 Quercus salieina, and Q. Harlandi 



Quercus Japanese spp 



Rhus succedauea, ("Wax Tree) in situ... 



Melia Azederach (Pride of India) 



Bamboos 



Syncarpia laurifolia, 



Cftstanea (Chesnut) in situ 



Albizzia Lebbek 



Oocos nucifera (Cocoa-nut) 



Alem-itestriloba (Candleberry Tree) 



Ficus retusa (" Banian ") ... 



Dammara robusta ... 



Aleurites sp. 



Miscellaneous 



of planting 



... 97,695 



... 3,776 



.. 649,5»7 



.. 7,000 



.. 4,34T 



.. 6,000 



.. 2,115 



.. 2,240 



.. 1,800 



.. 1,110 



654 



344 



300 



319 



196 



180 



71 



61 



26 



93 



777,914 

 18. — The total number — 777,914 — of trees planted shows 

 an increase of 566,899 over the previous year's work, i.e., tha 

 number has been nearly quadrupled. This yertr we expect 

 to make an increase of about n quarter of a million over 

 those planted last year, which will make a total for the 



* AVhile the analysis of the leaf shews in round numbers 

 40 per cent. So that the prejiarer of the inanure must 

 agree with Mr. Hughes that, besides the potuMi in the soil, 

 there is a considerable proportion in the ihosphate of 

 lime. — Ed. 



