7<j6 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April i, 1885. 



PROGRESS IN TEA CULTURE IN CEYLON. 



There were many observers wlio ventured the re- 

 mark that the large Tea Factory for the rLadawella 

 group of estates in Ambagamuwa was surely being 

 constructed for the next generation with its three 

 floors 130 feet long by 30 feet wide. That all this 

 space could not bo wanted for the ordinary require- 

 men's of the property seemed a common opinion. 

 But these critics will, perhaps, be surprised now to 

 learn that the imperative need of more " withering ' 

 room haB led to the commencement of an extension 

 of this Factory by another building which will be 

 110 feet long by 30 feet wide and with two floors. 

 It is a question even whether this will suffice when 

 the whole of the 800 acres of tea on the Kadawella 

 group are in full bearing. At present only about 

 half the acreage has reached this stage, though the 

 Factory buys the leaf of some twenty other gardens 

 in the neighbourhood or within reach. 



As showing the progress made in economical working, 

 we may mentiou, that, if the estimate of crop for the 

 current season be realized — and there is at present no 

 reajon to doubt it will— the cost of the tea from the 

 oldest estate if the Kadawella group is not likely to 

 average more than 2Si cents per lb. !. o. b., against the 

 32 to "35 cents which is the generally accepted rate. 

 Not only so, but it is reported that of tea from Dunediu, 

 for the current seasou, the cost is not likely to ex- 

 ceed 20 cents per lb. In fact, it is quite evident 

 that with all the facilities for cultivation, manu- 

 facture and transport which Ceylon offers, there is 

 no reason to doubt that many of our tea planters can 

 supply their produce equal to the average of Indian 

 tea at not more than 25 cents f. 0. b. at Colombo 

 when the tea is in full bearing and everythiug in 

 proper woikiug order. This rate of four annas is, 

 we need scarcely say, far below anything that has 

 yet been done in India, and would seem to show 

 that Ceylon is destined to eclipse her big brother 

 altogether. 



We commend these figures to the notice of Colonel 

 Money- His words of warning as to continuous and 

 over-plucking will, we hope, receive due attention ; 

 but it is impossible for any one to judge of the tea 

 industry, the style of cultivation and cropping in 

 Ceylon, without a personal visit. Colonel Money 

 admits that our climate is very different from that 

 prevailing in the North Indian Tea Districts, and 

 lie must know that experienced Indian tea-planters 

 who have inspected the work here, have had their 

 cnti ism disarmed and have gone away, most favor- 

 ably impres-ed with the prospects of our industry. 

 To give one iustaocc, a visitor to Abbotsford— an 

 Assam propiietor and planter— when he heard of the 

 crop taken from trees between two and three years 

 planted out— thought the plucking too heavy and 

 unwi.-e with reference to the growth and permanency 

 of the trees. ' We prefer,' he said, ' to allow our trees 

 develop good large stems before plucking so heavily.' 

 But when taken to the field so cropped (close on 

 6,000 feet above sea-level), he declared that nowhere 

 in Assam had he seen more vigorous bushes or 

 thicker stems on trees of their age; and we who saw 

 the field for the first time a few days ago have, 

 as yet, nowhere else seen fiuer two to three years 

 old tea bushes. No doubt there are fields as good 

 in growth, if not better, in the Awisawella-Yatiyan- 

 tota-Dolosbage districts, for, a note from our 

 ' Senior ' reports that on Awisawella estate (Mr 

 Karslake's), he haB just seen tea and carda. 



moms equal, he supposes, to any in the world. 

 Colonel Money's chief practical suggestion (page.785) 

 is that the Ceylon plaoters should endeavour, malgre 

 climate and growth, to give their tea-gardens a complete 

 rest for three or four months in the year after the fashion 

 (enforced by nature) in Northern India. Our morn- 

 ing contemporary in taking over from our columns 

 this letter has the following apropos remarks on this 

 point : — 



The high yield per acre obtained here is not because of tho 

 continuous plucking indulged iu by planters, but is the result of 

 tlie rapid growth of flush in the height uf the seasou. Quito ',-> 

 per ceut. ui the yield of an estate is obtained from March to 

 September, the amount plucked from October to March being iu- 

 .signiticaut. Let us take the yield of Mariawatte which has beeu 

 given in these columns, month by month : — 



From April to September— only six months of the year— the 

 yield of this estate last year was 83,537 lb. equal to 835 lb. an 

 acre, whereas the other sis mouths gave no more than 25,666 lb. 

 Now, what would Colonel Money advise should be done in 

 such a case in order to give the trees their much-needed yearly 

 rest ? Pruning was commenced iu September, we believe, and 

 was almost completed by December. In that month the few lb. 

 plucked— some 1,3931b. — were taken, not with the object of grab- 

 bing everything in the way of a flush put forth by the trees, 

 but iu order to prevent the young flush running quite away. 

 The trees pruned iu September had doubtless long shoots early 

 ill December, which, if not lightly plucked, would grow quite 

 unmanagable and unpLuckable in a very short time, and tho 

 planter a ./breed to check the growth in this way in order to shape 

 his bushes. It is not possible to abstain from all plucking during 

 so long a period as three or four mouths, seemingly advocated 

 by Col. Money, who could not recommend such a course to 

 Ceylon planters were he acquainted with the peculiarities of our 

 climate and tne conditions surrounding us. 



But the time of comparative rest for the trees differs 

 very much in different districts in Ceylon. It partly 

 depends on the time of pruning, but still more on 

 tho variation of climate in accordance with altitude. 

 Thus the very months given as the slackest on Maria- 

 watte under 1,500 feet in the neighbourhood of Gampola 

 (and which hold good for most low estates), are 

 among the busiest with flush in the hgher districts. 

 Take Abbotsford (5,000 to 6,000 feet) for instance, 

 and the monthly return for 1S84 was as follows : — 



lb. lb. 



January ... 3,938 July ... 803 



February ... 7,582 August ... 1,228 



March ... G,5b\3 September ... 2,343 



April ... 5,984 October ... 3,711 



May ... 3,719 November ... 7,799 



June ... 1,290 December ... 10,768 



1S85 : Jan. and Feb. and March to end of 11th week 22, 1 12 

 [So that the first quarter of the year is likely to be the 

 busiest, at any rate the mouths December-March.] 



[Till 66 figures are compiled from the weekly returns 

 and are therefore not quite cornet according to the 

 calendar month division, but they are near enough 

 for our present purpose and the total is of course 

 right] 



As to pruning, we know uf estates where a pruning 

 once in eighteen months has answered admirably, the tea 

 bushes cropping and looking exceedingly well, anil very 

 many planiers are coming round to the opinion that 

 in good soil, or when manured, tea gardens in Ceylon 

 need only to be pruned twice in three years. To 

 get a proper idea of the slack time on Ceylon tea 

 gardens as a whole, we need only refer to the table 

 of monthly exports fiom Colombo, for our tea plautcrn 

 (unlike many coffee planters in the early days) are noj 

 obliged to keep their produce one unnecessary day is 

 store before despatching it for shipment. The follow- 

 ing return made up from the Chamber of Commerce 

 table will show Colonel Money that, if not an entire 

 stoppage of our tea plucking and exports, there is at 



