June i, 1883. J 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



981 



have 110 hesitatiou iu saying that, if this indisorimiuate 

 hacking and plucliiug of young cultivation be coutinntd, 

 the system will be found disastrous, and the result a 

 temporary coll. ipso of the plant. At the end of the second 

 year, I would advise the young plants being cut across at 

 from 2 feet to 2 feot (J inches according to the jat. They 

 will renuire little more, excepting that all low laterals 

 touching or traihng on the ground he removed close to 

 the stem. The subsequent pruniugs I shall not deal with 

 separately. SutEceo it to say that the ends in view are 

 uniform height — gdod plucking surface, and the preservation 

 of all strong woo capable of giving leaf. Stick pniitiitff, 

 the severest of all, is only resorted to, when the plant is 

 exhausted from bad treatment oi- other causes, in which 

 case it is cut down within a foot of the ground, and not 

 tampered with again before it has completely recovered its 

 original size. When the new growth or flush appears, it 

 should be allowed to grow until it is 8 or 9 inches long, 

 after which it may be tipped— no more. Tippiug means 

 plucking the top leaf only. The subsequent tlushes are 

 pluckeil to 2^ leaves, not counting the jjekoe tip, aud, as a 

 rule, the trees should flush in from ten to twelve days 

 according to the weather. I have heard that the pluckers 

 go round in the lowcoimtry once a week, hut I fear that 

 is the exception. It they do, they must be plucking re- 

 markably fine, or in other words taking oif a growth that 

 is scarcely a flush at all A very young flush of cour.se 

 makes flue tea, which may be a credit to the tea-maker, 

 but I doubt if it remunerates the proprietor, who must 

 lose considerably by this system of plucking. A planter 

 last week described the state of some trees he saw in the 

 lowcountry, as a mass of stunted foliage. He referred to 

 the eHiect of the plucking, and I believe he was not far 

 wrong. A severe pruning in itself will do the tea bush 

 no harm, but hard plucking on the top of it, i. c, pluck- 

 ing again before the new shoots have matui-ed is a serious 

 mistake — in fact a blunder. I am told that proprietors, must 

 have money, but what proprietor would sanction this treat- 

 ment if lie knew it to be prejudical to his plants ? I 

 think people are tired of strange theories and rash experi- 

 ments, and I would advise those who are interested to 

 thoroughly satisfy themselves before adopting any new 

 system. All I can say more on this point is that the 

 Calsay estate (5,200 ft.), consisting of about 40 acres of 

 5-year old tea, gave 2,S29 lb. of made tea last month, 

 and it has not been cut down or overplucked. I do not 

 propose going into the details of manufacture, which I 

 daresay are familiar to you all, beyond comparing the 

 high and lowcountry qualities of tea. As yet I think 

 the " Rookwood " Estate, at a high elevation, has 

 the advantage in average prices, but I am not certain 

 as to the yield per acre of that estate. There is little 

 doubt that the estates from 2,500 feet elevation down- 

 wards will give a larger yield per acre than the higher 

 districts, but I doubt if there be a very great difl'erence, 

 as -we have much better soil as a rule, although we may 

 not have the forcing cUmate. 



My experience of the quality of the high and low 

 grown teas is that the latter has more strength and 

 pungency, while the former almost makes up for this 

 in the flavor peculiar to all hill yrowths. I do not think 

 therefore that there is any advantage to speak of on 

 either side in this respect. In putting his crop into the 

 market, the tea maker does not look so much to o>w 

 hiffli-pnced tea. as to a good general average, and if 

 K4U per mairad mtt be averaged, a fair profit should be 

 shewn. Say that we have 200 acres iu its sixth year, givmg 

 5 mauuds per acre. This makes a crop of 1,000 maunds 

 which at H40=R40,000. Against this we have an 

 expenditure of R130 per acre amounting to K'_'6,000, which 

 leaves a profit of KI4,(IO0 on the working of the 200 

 acres. After a careful estimate of the expenditure on 

 an estate giving 5 maunds per acre, I consider that 

 K130 per acre is no under estimate, provided the ne- 

 cessary machuiery is supplied. Should there be a greater 

 yield than 5 maunds per acre, the profit woidd otcour.se 

 be greater, with little extra expenditure, according to 

 the amount (if leaf the machinery is capable of working 

 up to vieW. The average yield of tea per acre m 

 India ' is a little over 3 maunds per acre, if tlmt; 

 while the average cost of production is as near as possible, 

 4Z c-uts per lb. delivered in Calcutta. There are many 



estates which yield much more, but, taking all the old 

 China cultivation into account, I think the above figure 

 about correct. In Ceylon up to the present time we have 

 every reason to believe that our yield per acre will far 

 exceed this, and I do not think I am above the mark 

 when I say that 5 maunds per acre may be confidently 

 expected on an average upcountry estate. I have estim- 

 ated the expenditure with machinery at R130 per acre, 

 which with a crop of 5 maunds brings the cost per lb. to 

 32i cents delivered in Colombo. 



It would be absurd for any stranger like myself to 

 come forward and predict with any degree of certainty, 

 an excessive yield, such as 7 or 8 mauuds per acre, in 

 this district without first h.aving some basis upon which 

 to argue. I have said 5 maunds or 400 lb. per acre, 

 because Calsay : — a place known to you all — gives me 

 strong hopes of yieidiDg that crop next season. 



Thus the ditference in cost of production between Oeylon 

 and India is 10 cts. or say about 20 per cent in favor 

 of Ceylon. 



In conclusion, I would again lay before you the main 

 pohits of vantage iu comparing our prospects with those 

 of India. First, wo have good labour and plenty of it, 

 cheap transport, regular rahifall and a good yield of leaf 

 per acre, all of which are essential to the success of the 

 indusb-y. Assam, on the otlier hand, can boast of few of 

 these advantages, while her labour question is as likely as 

 not to bring her into further difliculties. I am positive 

 that, given a crop of 5 maunds to the acre, we can put 

 our teas iu Colombo for 32J cents per lb. and perhaps 

 less, while I am as certain that the Assam, ( acbar and 

 Sylhet teas delivered in Calcutta, cost at least 10 cents 

 more. This ditference in cost of production is, of course, 

 our strongest point. We can make as good teas, and for 

 less money, aud, whatever may be the result of the de- 

 pression now in India, our future, as far as tea is coBcerned, 

 is, I am convinced, a bright one. Although tea can never 

 altogether take the place of coffee, and give the same 

 large profits, yet it is sure, and, as a staple product will help 

 to bring back the prosperous times of which we stand so 

 much in need. W. H. Aitken. 



Harrington, Dimbula, 3rd May, 1883. 



TEA BOXES. 



The late action at home reported in the Home and 

 Colonial Mad. regarding injury to tea in transit 

 brought out a point of great iulerest to all concerned in 

 the industry, aud one which to some extent no doubt 

 accounts for "soft," to which we have been endea- 

 vouring to draw our planter friends' attention lately. 

 Within the last live years since wood became dearer, and 

 greater precautions were taken hy Government to pre- 

 vent the reserves being intended on, tea boxes have 

 deteriorated much in the qualities of the wood they are 

 manufactured from ; and the greatest caution is now 

 necessary in dealing w-itli the box contractors. Say 

 tfii years ago the fact of cotton trees being need for 

 tea boxes was unheard of, but uow-a-days it is by no 

 means uncommon ; aud judging from the steuob this 

 wood has when raised out of the water to be madeiutu 

 boxes, we do not wonder at tea deteriorating even with 

 a sheet of lead between it aud such a stench. Man- 

 goe wood is uow-a-daye becoming more common. We 

 wonder if any of those new woods have been subjected 

 to chemical analysis, or whether their su'tability for the 

 purpose to which they are put, haa been practically 

 tested before being filled with tea, made into boxes, 

 aud shipped off to London to tako their chance. The 

 woods most commonly iu use for boxes are mangoe 

 (aum), Koorba, Sutroug, Toola {or cotton) Jalna aud 

 Teak. The last mentioned is not in use in Cachar, 

 but is much used by the large companies in Assam 

 Proper. We ourselves give no opinion regarding those 

 woi'ds beyond what is well-known to every planter. 

 TlJe cotton tree is extremely soft and porous, aud it 

 not well seasoned, after manufacture is very full of 

 water, aiidy very liable to dry-rot, &c. From this 

 we should say that the toota or cotton wood is to be 



