Januarv i, 1885.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



579 



YIELD OF TEA AT A HIGH ALTITUDE IN 

 CEYLON. 



Abbolsford, 5th Jan. 1885. 



Dear Sir,— As we are commanded "in all tilings 

 to give thanks," I feci it my duty to commence even 

 such a wordly thing as a tea report by recording that 

 "goodness and mercy have followed us." 



'Writing on the 5th Nov. 18S3, I said : " From what 

 I know now of pruning and plucking I can almost 

 certainly, if all goes well, guarantee 500 lb. per acre 

 next year." It is true that in July of 1884. in giving 

 statistics for six months from January to June I fore- 

 shadowed a steady rise to 600 lb. per acre, but I did 

 not, I now find, -make-sufficient allowance for the con- 

 sequence of pruuitig out of season. The graud flush 

 has only come on during the last six weeks, so this 

 year (1885) will reap the benefit. I will not now 

 venture to prophesy what I expect this year, as I find 

 that my vaticinations of last year were, in the pro- 

 cess of passing from mouih to mouth, Exaggerated to 

 a definite report that we had already dispatched 

 S00 lb. per acre and were consequently rolling in 

 wealth! As most Ceylon tea plauters will find, 500 1b. 

 per acre helps to pay the expenditure, on existing 

 and extended culture, but does not make a man's 

 fortune all at once. 



Although I gave details in July respecting manur- 

 ing, pruning, 4c, I had better recapitulate them here. 

 Oi the 110 acies, 15 acres (the cattle-shed field of which 

 a separate account follows) wire pruned in August, 

 IS 3j 5 acres (the bungalow field) in February, 18S4; 

 and 9J acres m March, April and May, 1SS4. None 

 Lav been touched since. All the primings were buried 

 aud a smallamount of cattle-manure, ravine stuff and 

 ashes were added where available. The whole acreage 

 has been once forked during the year, and a second 

 forking is now in progress. If I could spare the labour 

 I would fork fchr-e tunes in the twelve months, as 

 this stems to mem double flush. 



As regards the number of picking dajs, it will be 

 seen that we only availed ourselves of 245 out of a poss- 

 ible 312 wi ek days: this wus to avoid Sunday work 

 if possible, aud 1 am certaiu we have by pursuing 

 this course Buffered no loss. We picked two or three 

 times during the year on Saturday because the weather 

 was wet ami the leaf would keep till Monday. The 

 figure? below do not include the tea plucked from our 

 young plants. 1 mention this as the same doubts 

 were moat ungener usly cast upon the Marianatte yield. 

 The yield 1 ff the acreage reported on, was for 

 1S83..." ... ... 34,2931b. 



agaiust a yield iu 1884 of ... 65,7231b. 



making an increase in 18S4over 1SS3 of lb. 21,430 



The make for the respective months is as follows: — 

 January, 4,906; February, 8.S86 ; March 4,458; 

 April, 6,090 ; May, 3,903* ; June, 868 *; July, 863* ; 

 August, 1,132 j September, 2,377; October, 5,188; 

 November, 0,288 ; December, 10.75S. Total 55,723. 

 From the December figures it will be seen that we 

 made at the rate of 97'8 lb. per acre for the month, 

 or L, 173*6 lb. per acre for the year, could such a rate 

 be sustained. 



Below are the figures for the whole 110 acres : — 



Abbotsford Tea Estate. 

 Returns from 110 acres, 7 and 8 years old, January to 

 December 1884. Altitude 4,600 to 6,000 feet above sea. 15 

 acres unpruued : 95 acres pruned February- June. Kate, 

 506£ lb. per acre. 



Total Average No. of 



Tea per acre Rain- Days 



Made, per amini. fall. Picking. 



811 383 -02 4 



1,788 422 -22 6 

 2,838 447 ... 5 



Total... 85-02 245 

 In giving separate figures for the 15 acres cattle, 

 shed field, some remarks are necessary. The bushes 

 on this field were pruned in August 1883, and as an 

 experiment have not been pruned since. In 1S83 

 they yielded 425 lb. per acre, and in 1S84, without 

 the process of pruning being resorted to, they have 

 giver. 521 lb. per .ere and are still Hushing profusely. 

 At the time of pruning all branches were buried, and 

 ab nut 10 acres had cattle-manure and ravine stuff 

 added to the holes. The field has had one forking, 

 aud has been picked in 40 rouuds, which means as 

 many flushes. Half of the tea on this field is nearly 

 pure China or China hybrid, but a larye proportion 

 of the bu.-hes present a broad surface aud flush well. 

 We see no necessity therefore for removing this tea 

 (which was soid to us a good hybrid) but our seed 

 bearers (first class hybrid) are at a distance from 

 this field. About Sept' ruber this got a severe attack 

 of bug and turned quite black in the face, so that 

 fir many weeks that delightful maidenly fliuh that 

 gladdens I he manly heart could not be seen. Other- 

 wisj the bushes were in nowise injured, as will be 

 seen from the following details : — 



* Effect of pruning. 



