31^ 



Tke TROPICAL AdRICULTURigf. [November j?, 1^85. 



and poonac (in the proportions of one-lltinl bone- 

 dust and two-thirds poonac), and 24 cwt. of poonac 

 alone. The increased yield may, therefore, poss- 

 ibly have been due to the 6 cwt. additional fertil- 

 izing matter. In both cases tliere was a very 

 considerable increase of crop over the unmanured 

 plot, besides improvement in the quality of the 

 tea. The good eiKeots of tlie manuring, it had 

 become evident, too, would last up to the third 

 year, at least, and it seems reasonable to conclude 

 that bone-dust would contribute materially to 

 this lasting eifect. But we trust similar experi- 

 ments conducted in Ceylon may lead to certainty 

 on this and other questions in regard to the 

 manuring of tea. It wiU be curious if the ex- 

 tended cultivation of tea in Ceylon has the effect 

 of reviving the large demand which existed in the 

 best days of coffee for bones and castor-oil cakes. 

 Mr. Carter commences by explaining that the 

 elevation of the land is " about SO feet above 

 (IhanliCts" probably, creeks or sea inlets (?) per- 

 fectly flat, surface soil sandy loam and sub-soil 

 ferruginous clay and sand. The climate is hot, 

 moist and forcing, for, although Chittagong is in 

 23" north, yet the moan temperature is as high 

 as 77" (H" only cooler than Colombo). The aver- 

 age rainfall at the station is given at 106-.50, and 

 there are heavy doAVS and fogs at night. The 

 estate on which the experiments were tried, some 

 twenty-seven miles inland, apparently, has a lighter 

 rainfall, and Mr. Carter complains that 



The season was unfavorable for quantity, and like- 

 wise for the quality of the crop, although the rain- 

 fall amounted to 91 inches 16 cents, which was only 

 Cinches 64 cents below an average in 15 years of 97 

 inches 70 cents annually. The rainfall, however, in 

 August, one of our best leaf-producing months, was 

 10 inches 45 cents only, or about half the average. 



I attribute the falling off in yield and quality to 

 a great extent in consequence of the general lowuess 

 of the temperature throughout 1884 as compared 

 with previous seasons, which was, so far as my re- 

 gister indicates, quite exceptional. Thus the average 

 of the tliree previous years at C A.M. the max. and 

 min. thermometer on cold side registered 71°-'.3, and 

 on hot side 79°7o in the year, whereas in 18S4 at 

 6 A. M. the thermometer averaged on cold side 6S°75, 

 and on hot side 70°25, which shows liow much cooler 

 it was in that year ; in fact, the temperature in 

 daytime was actually less than in iii(jhts of years 18S1 

 to 1883. 



The exceptionally cold season, thei-efore, makes 

 the forcing effect of the manures on vegetation 

 the more remarkable. Mr. Carter gives the following 

 interesting details regarding the property which 

 was the scene of his experiments ; — 



J4t of plants, a fair Assam Hybrid, transplanted from 

 nurseries, in 18(37, at 4' x 4' 2,722 per acre. Pruned 

 down to 24 inches in January 1884, and all old non- i 

 leaf producible wood removed as usual. Pruuings 

 buried between lines when green, as in all other sea- 

 sons. Deep hoed to 12 inches once on 26th February, 

 and weeded at intervals three and half times sub- 

 eequently = total i^ hoeiugs and weediugs in season. 

 Average height of bushes at 



end of year on No, 1 Plot = 29 icches. 



Ditto ditto 2 „ =33 do. 



Ditto ditto 3 „ =34 do. 



thetefore No. 1 plot had grown 5 inches in season. 

 ,, 2 ditto 9 ditto. 



„ 3 ditto 10 ditto. 



Oommeuced plucking on March IStli. 



Finished ditto on Deccniber 31st. 



Hlyleofpliickinij. — From former date to June list 

 inclusive, or 3 months, two and three leaves with stalk, 

 the bud coinited as one, were taken from shoots that 

 eanied 3 aodl matured leaves above pruning mark, 



and from 22nd •Tuno to end of season, the system of 

 tilling off tiivee /eaves tor/ither vilh the stulk was given 

 up, and the usual method hitherto pursued on this 

 garden of plucking off 2 leaves, and 2J leaves (the 

 bud as one) again reverted to as being the most profit- 

 able. There were 23 flushes in the season over entire 

 area of cultivation of 550 acres. 



It will be seen that 23 flushes were gathered at in- 

 tervals of 12i days, and that out of the 365 days there 

 •were only 77 days of rest. Our readers will notice 

 that the growth of the pruned bushes on plot No. 2, 

 where the mixture of bone and cake had been ajj- 

 plied was 9 inches against 5 on the unmanured 

 plot, and 10 against 5 where cake alone, but in 

 larger quantity had been used : that is to say, that 

 24 cwt. of castor-cake per acre doubled the rate of 

 growth of vegetation between pruning time and 

 the end of the season. As our readers will see 

 from the extract which we are about to take 

 over, the yield of tea per acre was increased 

 by bones and poonac, from 629 lb. to 82.5 . 

 lb., rising to 914 lb. where a large quantity 

 of poonac alone was applied. The reacly inference 

 might be that poonac alone was the manure to 

 use, but in this case there were 6 cwt. additional to 

 pay for, carry and apply, and Mr. Carter's care- 

 fully arranged and analyzed figures would seem 

 to show (?) that while in the case of the second plot 

 the profit on the increased yield of 196 lb. was 

 55-3 per cent, the profit on an increase of 285 lb. 

 in the case of the third plot was only 10-35 per 

 cent ('?). But the smaller profit is a very good one 

 and the results of manuring are altogether en- 

 couraging. Here are the details : — 



The experimental plots Nos. 1, 2 and 3 comprised 

 ^ acre or 680 bushes each, and were contiguous to 

 each other, and properly fenced in. The three areas 

 were always jjlucked by the same women (the best), 

 and green leaf weighed accurately by beam scales : 

 therefore I can guarantee the absolute correctness 

 of the results. 



Ou plot No. 1 no manure was applied. 



r-» 1 1. XT o ( 4 oz. Bone dust p. b.= 6 cwt. p. acre. 



On plot No. 2 J , ^^ OastorCake,&c.=12 „ ,, 



Total. ..12 oz. of the combination=18 cwt. p. acre. 



On plot No. 3..1 lb. Castor cake alone per bush ^21 

 cwts. per acre. 



The manure on both foregoing polts was, previous 

 to application, mixed with ll.rrr linn's its bulk of dry 

 earth, (in the absence of anything better) to cnsirre 

 equal distribution m the soil, and was put rmuul the 

 bushes about 12 inches frow the stems and 4 to 6 

 inches below the surface of the ground, and covered 

 over on the 25th March, previous to which date the 

 1st flusli in season had been gathered, but tliis was 

 practically of no importance. If the niiinure had been 

 applied earlier,' say 1st or 2ud week in February, I 

 am of opinion better results would have been obtained. 

 The let fiush from the plots was taken off on 8th 

 April, and the last on 23rd December, making 22 

 gatherings from them in the season. 



The out-turn of green leaf was as follows : — 



lbs. oz. lbs. lbs. 



PromNo. 1 plot of i acre^-R2S 12=2,515 p,a. or 629 tea. 

 „ „ 2 do do =825 8=3,302 do or 825 do 

 „ „ -A do do =913 14=3,6.56 do or 914 do 



On a comparison of plots Nos. 1 & 2 the increase of 

 crop per acre on the latter, due to the manure, is 

 equal to 196 lbs. of tea, or 31 per cent: between Nos. 1 

 and throe, — an increase on tho latter of 285 lbs. of te.a, 

 equal to 45J per cent. To ascertain what tho profits 

 will be, if any, per acre ; or what is the same thing, 

 whether it pays to apply the above mentioned 

 uniuures acconiimj lo llir (/iianliti/ .•'jxeilieil in fmli o/ 

 the tn-o i)hts,the cost of the same, and all the ex. 

 penses for transport and putting it in the ground, nuisl 

 be calculated. 



