January i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



561 



♦- — 



To the Editor of the Ceylon Obsemer. 

 TEA CULTIVATIOK IN CEYLON. 



Morowak Korale, 31st Oct. 1S82. 

 Sir,— It is pretty well admitted now, that tlie cultiva- 

 tion of this product yields » sufficiently remunerative pro- 

 fit, no matter at what elevation grown. CulloJen estate 

 tea at 100 ft. above sea level and Rookwood at 4U00 ft: have 

 fetched equal prices. When tho prices for the various 

 qualities are summed up, high or low grown tea it seem.s 

 have the same chance in the market. Fears are enter- 

 tained that the gradual extension of tea cultivation in 

 Ceylon v^ill lead to the markets being overstocked and 

 the consequent fall in price. It is not perhaps sufficiently 

 known that the yield in the Indian tea districts has been 

 for the last four years on the decline and the opening of 

 more estates there has not made up for the deficiency, and 

 never will so long as the red spider is causing as bad an 

 effect on tea as leaf-disease does on our coffee. ^ The ex- 

 port of pure China tea never exceeded a certain figure. 

 Adulterated rubbish, which increased the supply, is now 

 being refused and qu.intities have been condeinned and 

 destroyed, so that in a few years, tlie/o™)er.y!VM of the 

 genuine article will be all that China will export in future. 

 There is an increasing export trade going on in Western 

 China and as there is no extended cultivation of tea in 

 China (tliere is no room for it) going on a limited and 

 diminished export of this article from the ."^^outh and Eastern 

 seaports in China, must follow. It is neitlier competi- 

 tion with Indii or <;iiina that is likely to cause a marted 

 fall in price, but the cultivation of the product m the 

 coui;tries that consume it largely. We have had one 

 trying it successfully, of course, on a small scale, in Italy, 

 another in South Carolina and Florida, another in New Zea- 

 land! and so on. It took a quarter of a century fjr tlie 

 tea industry in India to make a stand, and it may t^ke 

 that period or more for other any country to create such 

 a difference as to affect Ceylon planters of tea, and until 

 that period is run, it is no use watching and waitine for 

 the change, but let u3 be up and doing and make hay 

 while the .sun shines. 



To those who have the means, it is preferable to own 

 two small tea estates in different districts, where the 

 rainfiiU, seasons, elevation &c., vary, than to own one ex- 

 tensive estate in one district. The advantages as regard 

 trained and ordinary labour are many, and it rarely hap- 

 pens that there is an equal failure in crops in different 

 districts. The short yield of tea on one estate may be 

 ma !e up by the larger yield of the other estitt! in another 

 district. It was acting on these principle tliat the late 

 Mr. Corbett regulated the purchase of the Oeylon Com- 

 pany '.Limited esiates, and I believe very much to the 

 advantage of thit Company. The rapid advance of the 

 tea industry cannot, however, he credited to Companies; 

 individual proprietors did more to push on the cultivation 

 which Companies latterly took up. The estates in Avisha- 

 wella, Tatiyautota and Yakdessa, the teas of which are 

 fetching prices very .satisfactory to Indian growers, are all 

 owned by individual proprietors. I see old Dolosbagey 

 coming to the front. 



Mr. Blackett has purchased a property which, in the 

 good times of coffee, would have been loosed on as a bad 

 piece of business, but ore long it will have a value which 

 will surprize many of tho would-be-knowing ones. Coffee 

 planting WiS extensively carried on in Takdessa and 

 partially in Yatiyantota to end in disastrou.-^ result."!. 

 The forest was exceedingly fine to look at, rainfall and 

 climate excellent, transport by river via Kitulgaila cheap 

 and easy, the only desideratum was a deficiency of lime 

 in the soil. After a few heavy crops the places died out, 

 with very little of the surface S' il exhausted or washed 

 away. Maana and scrub have now covered where coffee 

 grew once. There are many fine fields of full grown tea 

 thriving in such land, laid intinetely superior to the bamboo 

 jungle stuff in In iia used fur te i clearings, and costing 

 very little to clear and cullivite. With the improved 

 machinery and new modes of firing tea, less forest re- 

 erve is needed for fuel and timber, than formerly, when 

 harcoal was so largely used. Sabaragamuwa is another 



rising tea district, as Agar Land proves unquestionably. 

 Early steps most b taken to improve road and river com- 

 munication in that premising district. 



As for Yatyianiota, Yakdessa, Kuanwella &o., they have 

 the advantage of the Kulaiiy river. The former proprietors 

 of Timbawatta and Y'akdessa coffee estates, now extinct 

 used to send their coffee in 13 hours right down to 

 Colombo during certain seasons and this in the clumsy 

 padda-boats. Improved boats and a steam tng will pay 

 some enterprizing persons in a year or two more.—- 



T. S. T. 



WHAT AILS OUK COFFEE TKEES ? 



England, lOth Nov. 1882. 



SrR,— A great many letters have appeared in your 

 paper first and last with regard to the cause of my 

 deteriorating so much during the last few years, but to 

 my mind none of them have "struck oil." The pri- 

 mary cause was bad manure. Artificial manures which 

 had been 12 months or eo in Colombo were sent up- 

 country and applied to my roots, but how could I be 

 expected to withstand the next attack of my terrible 

 complaint when the stuff had lost its richness? People 

 supposed that 1 should be all right again " next year," 

 but, as 1 had no manure, of course it was ngain'all wrong, 

 and thus it has been going on from bad to worse, and' 

 unless some good physician steps in with a cure, i 

 am certain things will continue so. 



To prove what I say, my friends, who had good 

 manure applied lo them on certain estates, of which you 

 wot no doubt, Mr. Editor, have not sufl'ered like I have, 

 and they would doubtless have done much better than 

 they have, if it had not been for the H. V. being so 

 bad all around them. 



It is well known that manure is the only thing 

 yet invented, and that only a stimulanr, to bring me 

 round, and as long as this is not .applied, I shall 

 remain as I am, A SHUCK COFFEE-TREE. 



SELF-SOWN .JUTE (AND THE FIBRE) IN 

 THE SOUTHERN PROVINCE, CEYLON. 



November 24th, 1882. 



Dear Sir,— Can you tell me if this is a fair sample 

 of jute. I suppose it ought really to be much cleaner? 

 It was grown in the Southern Province. At first It 

 seemed an utter failure but has eelf-sown itself and 

 come up all over the place. — Yours faithfully, FIBRE. 



[Ihe jute fibre received by us though slightly dis- 

 coloured is strong and we have no douot serviceable 



worth sending to Dundee for report. If our correspond- 

 ent will send us a full sample, a Colombo merchant will 

 have it tested. — Ed.] 



THE " YAM" OF THE SEASON IN CEYLON. 

 Matara, 27th Nov. 1882. 



Dear Sir,— A yam (Sing, 'dnndina?') has just been sent 

 for my inspection, weighing 821b. (eighty-two pounds). 

 It was grown in the Gangabodapattu of this district. 

 I had it weighed myself. Is not this something out 

 of the common ? c. 



[Has Mr. A. Whyte in his West Indian experience 

 ever seen this beaten? 821b. seems to us "prodi- 

 gious." — Kd.] 



THE PEPPER VINE. 



Dear Sir, — As I fiu.1 n.itives about here are taking 

 a lot of pepper vine catlings for sale to planters I 

 desire to warn planters to be careful from what vines 

 they imrohase cuttings, as there are tbreedistinct species, 

 of which there is ouly one good. The fruit of all, as 

 far a.- appearance goes, is n-arly alike, but the taste 

 differs and there is a great difiference in l?af-8toek. 



1st. Gamraeeris iu Colombo Sinhalese or Lanutie 

 Midde in Kandyan Sinhalese is the onlj' good kiadl 



