THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



.[Dec. J; j'cc 



those gotug into the tea imluatry, Tliere are two or 

 three kinds of sciil oji the estate. There wi re ro.l aiul 

 choeolate loams, aiul scoria, vvhicli is so universal on 

 Taviuiii. T^eth climate and soil appear specially adapted 

 to the cultivatiou of tea. The rainfall is regularly 

 taken ever.v day at noon aud obs^Tvatioug ahout the 

 wind aiul weather duly recor4led. The average raiu- 

 i'all is l.iO inches par annum. 



There are 112 laborers ou the estate comprised of 

 Indian coolies, aud Polynesians. There are of course 

 the usual houses for the comfort and convcnicuces of 

 the laborers. l"he supply of food is plentiful. The 

 soil and climate of Alpha are remarkable foi- t\n^ vigorous 

 growth which they infuse into all plants. I noticed 

 some every tall banana trees which were fully three 

 feot higher than attahmd by the same kinds ou the 

 coast. 



Work in all it.s branches appeared to bo in vigorous 

 o])eration on the day I visited the estate. As I passed 

 over it I saw some laborers picking tea. In another 

 fielil-weeders were at work, in a third several men were 

 at work holing and preparing for the future exten- 

 sion of cardanujms. At the tea-house I saw a few 

 ntelligeut Polynesians who could speak. English engaged 

 under the superintoiidancc of the manager, making 

 tea. 



Mr. Stephens appears the factotum of the estate. 

 Everything jiasses thr(nigh his hands. "When I went 

 up from ^.^»ila in ilm early morning I fovuid him iu 

 the Held superintending his overseers and looliing after 

 .some men engaged in picking a tlusli of tea. "When 

 each man brought Iris basket of leaf to thetea-house 

 it was examined by Mr. Stephens, and should an old and 

 hardened leaf be found iu the basket it was 

 pointetl out to the picker and he was directed 

 not to gatjiersuch leaves. It may be necessary to say 

 the men were new to their work, Polynesians who had 

 only been two montiis ou the estate, and therefore 

 were under training. After a little experience they 

 become expert pickers. Soon after this the manager 

 is found at the tea-house superintending the manufact- 

 ure of tea. 



The cost of jirodtiction is reduced to the lowest poss- 

 ible point by the employment of coloured overseers, one 

 of which is a Polyuesian aud two are Indians, and they 

 appear to manage the labour well and secured obedi- 

 ence. During the summer months there is a flush of 

 tea every ten d^iys and throughout the year the te.a 

 flushes regularly, excrpt when it is pruned, when it 

 rests for six weeks before it begins to Husli again. 

 Fortunately a flush was being piciied when I visited 

 the estate which gave me an opportunity of seeing the 

 manufacture of tea in all its branches. 



The large local market absorlis, lor the present all 

 that can be manufactured on the estate and the time* 

 is n()t far distant Avhen the importation of tea into the 

 colony must eea.'^e. Blore tea, however, will soon be 

 manufactured ou the estate than can possiblj- be con- 

 sumetl in Fiji, ami arrangements are been made for the 

 exportation of tlie article to the Australian and New 

 Zealan i markets. Already samples have been sent for- 

 ward, anil the reports received from colonial tea merch- 

 ants and tea tasters are most encouraging and gratify- 

 ing. ShouUl the commercial reciprocity treaty between 

 Fi.ji and the New Zealand and Australian colonies 

 which is now talked of become a fact the Alpha tea 

 will practically have a monopoly of the market. In 

 anticipation of next year's yield and of entering tlie 

 Australian markets, timber and tea lead have been 

 secured for making tea boxes for the purpose of ex- 

 portation. It is worthy of remark that the tea at pre. 

 rent made is picked from young trees, when these get 

 older the yield will be greater and the quality will im- 

 prove. 



Altogether the prosi.ectn of tea cultivation 

 appear cheiriug and encouraging, aud if the Hon. 

 J. K. Jlasou and his capable and energetic 

 manager — Jtr. Stephens — succeed in this enterprise, as 

 tiiey deserve they will have no reason to citmplain. 

 One cannot but admire the ])lodding pertinacity of 

 Mr. Mason iu his search after fortune. Worsted in 

 cotton he turned his atteoliou to coffee aud haviug 

 failed to iteciiie a ealisfactory retiua ttom the coffee 



j bean he turned his attention to tea. Sncli perseverance 



1 and pluck deserve to be rewarded by success. Trans- 



j ferring the estate from coffee to tea was an easy anil 



I comparatively inexpensive operation. Tlie lai.il wa.s 



mostly cleai-ed and the coffee trees were pulled up and 



j the tea plant took their places. The pulpint; and 



colfee drying houses have been turned into the houses. 



I In one of these 1 saw the primitive looking tea trays 



i where the first tea of Fiji was manufactured and which 



I the ingenuity of Mr. Stephens called into existence. 



. These looked wnsiguificaiit when compared with tlie 



sirocco but they possessed aud interest for me wliich 



I the sirocco did not. As I inspected them I could not 



help thinking here is the beginning of whiit may prove 



a great mainstay to Fiji, and which may bring fortune 



J to many. However much the future may develop the 



gi-owth and manufacture of tea in Fiji to this little 



primitive machine must belong the uuilying honor of 



j having manufactured the first tea in this colony. 



I There are .several other matters claiming attoution, 



j but I can only refer to them in briel. There is iho 



I very excellent climate, the healthiness of which is 



proved by the tact that only one laborer luis died on 



j the estate during the last two years. About 20 acres 



1 of cardamoms are planted under shade, and these are 



! looking so well and give such promise of future results 



; that an extension of 15 acres is to lie made forthwith. 



! The land is cleared, holed, and ready for iilanfcing. A 



few acres more are plauteil in the open as an e.xpi'ri- 



i ment, and these, although looking well do not appear 



as vigorous aud healthy as those under shade. 



The cinchona, several" acres of which is planted, shows 

 marked improvement during the past year and may 

 prove a success. 

 I I noticed a fine grove of mandarin oranges. A grand 

 crdp was gathered about two or three uronths ago; 

 the fruit was large and the flavor good. 



The residence of the manager is large and com- 

 modious, and the estate appears to possess every con- 

 venience and requisite for successful operations. 



Before I close I must refer to the facilities for ship- 

 ping which Qila and Alpha jx),s.scss. The interiiisnlai* 

 steamer calls twice a month to take produce and con- 

 nect with the ocean-going steamers, and shipnunts can 

 be made to the New Zealand and Australian markets 

 with regularity and despatch.— -i^yj T mes. 



TitE Sau Tbee (Albh^iit stipulatn), forms the subji'et 

 of a communication in. the October nnmlier of the 

 Indian Forester, the conclusion of which we quote : — 

 "I have seen tea bushes growing under both the sail 

 and koroi trees, and have been much struck by their 

 luxuriance in comparison with adjacent bushes, and 

 have considered these trees the panacea for all tea woes. 

 But a "change has come o'er the spirit of my dn am." 

 aud no longer have I implicit faith iu koroi and sau 

 trees. Koamiug promiscuously over two ditfirent tea 

 gardens 00 miles apart. I found tea growing iind.r 

 koroi trees of great growth, and lo I the tea buslns 

 under their shade were, if anything, inferior to tho.-e 

 beyond it ! A change of quarters immediately aft.T- 

 wards to where tea is not grown, has deprived me ^f 

 opportunities for furtlier ob.servation, but it would 

 be well worth the attoution of well-infonii'd ob.servant. 

 men like Mr. Peal, to trace this further. My own 

 experience therefore leads me to the belief, tint no 

 advantageous chemical properties .are imparted to <he 

 soil by either the sau or koroi, aud that it is only 

 the shade afforded by them which is bemlicial, ami 

 that only whilst they are young, for once t'jey att aiu 

 niaturity and a great size, tiic shade, slight as it 

 may be, becomes too dense, and the piolongalion of 

 the surface roots becomes inimical. All the •■videnro 

 obtained hitherto, as far as I can 'learn, in favour of 

 the sau or koroi, rests upon those trees seen when 

 immature and of small size." — /ndtan tWcftcr. [Happily 

 for us in CeyIou,we know nothing of hot win 1< such 

 as .scorch the tea plants in some parts of India. Wf 



I are, therefore, less interested than our continental 

 neighbours in the sau tree cout.oversy. Tin-; writer 



I of the paper acknowledges that his esperieuce has 



' been but limittd.— £d,j 



