November i, 1884.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



405 



of the bug under the microscope. We could not hope 

 to escape from this pest, but let us hope its effects 

 may be small and unimportant. So far, though it has 

 been a year on this estate, it has done no appreciable 

 damage. 



TEA CULTURE AND PROFITS IN CEYLON. 



The romance of Tea Cultivation in Lanka has 

 already commenced. Old K.'s C. B. now retired on 

 well-earned competencies — alas that there are so 

 few comparatively out of the long roll of Ceylon's 

 planting worthies — will please understand that not in 

 its palmiest days has coffee beaten the crops and the 

 profits which have already accrued from TEA. The 

 romance of coffee-planting circles around the time 

 when the choice Hantane, Deltota, Elkaduwa, Kele- 

 bokka and Rangala plantations were worked as verit- 

 able gold mines, — when the clusters of cherries could 

 never be all picked, but to tread on coffee was the 

 normal experience of superintendents and coolies, — when 

 for instance, on an estate (1S92 acres of Hantane 

 forest !) bought in 1S37, there were 350 acres planted 

 by 31st December 1S41 with stores, machinery, &c, 

 at a total expenditure of £G,938» including purchase 

 of land ; while the receipts up to the same date in- 

 cluding the crop of 2,000 cwt. of coffee gathered 

 off 200 acres (50 only in full bearing) was £11,639 ; 

 and the estimate was 3,000 cwt. off 2§0 acres aDd 

 a steady return of 5,000 cwt. (no doubt realized for 

 a considerable time) off the 350 acres when in full 

 bearing ! 



Tea-planting has not yet reached these noble pro- 

 portions ; but then considering the extra work in the 

 tea-house and the margin for larger profits if a place 

 is properly worked, 100 or 120 acres of tea ought 

 to be considered equal to 200 of coffee. One of the 

 oldest of Indian Tea Garden proprietors told us he prefer- 

 red to have nothing over 50 acres under one manager's care 

 and to aim at working this up to a steady yield of 8 and 

 even 10 maunds per acre through constant and liberal 

 cultivation and unremitting attention. And certainly, 

 already in Ceylon there is encouragement to do full 

 justice to the land yielding tea crops. 



There is Mariawatte " tea garden " of which every 

 old coffee-planter can form some idea since it is 

 situated on historic ground near to the first coffee 

 plantation (Sinnapittia) opened in Ceylon and by no 

 means on primeval forestland. As much as 1,400 lb. 

 or close on seventeen maunds of made-tea per acre have 

 been gathered over choice portions of this "garden" 

 and 100 acres planted 4 by 4 feet (with a 

 good many vacancies) have yielded close on 100,000 

 lb. of made-tea or nearly twelve maunds per acre ! 

 A return of £25 an acre is a moderate estimate 

 of the year's prolit under such circumstances ; and 

 in, led, we are aware that one of the fortunate pro. 

 prietors lias been astonishing old Ceylon men at home 

 already by a sight of the figures representing moderate 

 . utlay on, and higli receipts from Mariawatte— figures 

 which were never eclipsed in the best dajs of coffee. 



" One swallow does not make a summer," but 

 Mariawatte by no means staDds alone. There is the 

 ease of 100 acres of young tea in a remote, unsuccess- 

 ful and most unpopular coffee district with the 

 cultivation of which a well-known Loudon house, on 

 the advice of their local agent, would have nothino to do 

 when it fell into their hands. Rather it was offered 

 back to the debtor for one-seventh of his estimate 

 of it- v.dne. Purchasing it for £700 cash, the 100-acres 

 gardes was at once leased lor hall the amount, and now 

 we are creditably informed, that it brings an income to 



the fortunate owner of R5.000 to 116,000 per annum 

 apart from the lessee's prolits. 



Yet again in the same district and in the 

 midst of a country which has broken the pur- 

 ses, if not the hearts, of not a few coffee estate 

 owners, agents and managers, we have one of the most 

 flourishing and profitable tea plantations in Cevlon 

 The reputation and the fortune of a young member 

 of our mercantile community may well be said to 

 have been made in this case. His older compeers 

 hung back, or shook their heads over the risks associated 

 with tea, and allowed a garden valued at R1">0 000 to 

 sell for " a mere song" on the death of the owner and the 

 peremptory winding up of his estate. The gentle 

 man who happily invested, would not today take 

 probably ten times what he paid about a year ago 

 for his 350 acre of tea and large extent of reserve 

 forest land The crops and profits have already 

 been proved to be abundant, and the climate and 

 growth ot leaf are all that could be desired 



On other estates in the Morawak Korale' besides 

 Anmngkande and Campden Hill, the cultivation of 

 tea is certain to be a great success. The Craven 

 Euselwatte and many other familiar names of old coffee 

 plantations are in a fair way to come into notice as 

 prosperous tea gardens and no less in the adjoining 

 Kukulu Korale are there areas under tea, the growth 

 of which is deemed perfection. 



One of- the earliest plantings of tea in Cevlon 

 was on Closenberg estate, Morawak Korle bv 

 its spirited proprietors in the pioneering days of the 

 district. The seed was among the finest ever im. 

 ported into Ceylon and a part was utilized on land 

 belonging to the same owner near Nuwara Eliya 

 The enterprise was however not then proceeded with" 

 and it is only now that Capt. Bayley has begun to 

 take an active interest m the suitableness of his 

 Pedro property for tea. Five acres under this plant 

 have been cropped since December last, the plucked 

 leaf being sold to a local factor, and carefully 

 weighed with the following reeult-which it is worth 

 giving in detail because although the 'romance' 

 here has yet to come, there is ample encouragement 

 m the figures for a beginning at a high elevation :_ 

 n „. Plucked leaf lb. 



March - ::: if u s 



April ... ... ^g 



Sept. ... ... gg 



Plucked leaf ...9,192 lb. 

 Made-tea ...2,298 lb. 



Ten percent was allowed off the weighing when 

 there happeued to be a shower. The result it will be 

 seen was equal to a plucking of over 229 lb. per month 

 lie actual number of tea plants plucked was 14 125 

 which at 4 by i feet would give 5 l-5th acres. ' The 

 crop of made-tea was therefore equal to 528 lb. nor 

 acre for twelve months, and if the place were planted 

 1 by 3 feet it is possible that as much as 672 lb might 

 be obtained or S maunds per acre. Taking these as 

 outside estimates even tor so high an elevation a* 

 Nuwara Eliya where the flavour of the leaf on-ht 

 to be exceptionally good, they are most encouraging 



But from no quarter do we have other than good 

 news of tea ; and from Matale on the one side to 

 Uva on the other, the utmost activity prevails in 

 the forming of nurseries and the planting out of 

 the product vyhich is soon to be the King of 

 Ceylon s Agricultural Enterprise. Has Sir Arthur 

 Gordon asked h.mselt „i his Executive C'ouuci 1 



