Nov. 2, 1885.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



313 



Thp castor cake was 0' tained from Calcutta packed 

 in bags which containtd 2 niauiiih each, or une ion in 

 14 lags, ami cost K£8 per ton. The boue dust was 

 also piocured from Calcutta packed iu bags, and coii- 

 taiuirg 2 mauuds 5 seers iu each or 1 ton iu 13 bags 

 and cost K55 per ton. 



Tlie dififerent it«ms tor a ton of each of the manures 

 on garden are as follows : — 



R. A. P. 

 To 1 ton castor cake at E28 ... ... 28 



,, Freight account per steamer from Cal- 



eut'a toChictagongat K16-7-4 per ton 16 7 4 

 Landing charges for do., at 4 annas per 

 bag ... ... .•• 3 S 



,, Transport for do., via the khal in boats, 

 (about 25 miles) from station to 

 iPookareah garden, at 4 pie per bag 2 14 8 

 „ Transport of lio. in carts (a distance 

 of 2 miles) to Garden, and apply- 

 ing do., at 6 annas per cwt. ... 7 7 



Total cost per ton 



„ „ cwt, 



,, ,, maund 



To 1 ton Pone dust, at H55pertou ... 55 



,, Freight account on do. from Calcutta 

 per steamer to Chittagong, at R25 

 per ton ... ... 25 



„ Landing charges at 4 annas perbag... 3 4 

 „ Tran.sport from .Station in boats to 

 Pookareah Garden, at KO-3-7 per 

 bag ... ... 2 14 8 



„ Transport of do. in carts to Garden, 

 and applying the same, at 6 annas 

 per cwt. 



Total cost per ton 



„ „ cwt. 



„ „ maund 



Cost pel' acre. 

 On plot Xo. 2. 

 The Bone dust applied at 6 cwt. per aero 



will cost 

 And Castor cake applied at 12 cwt. per acre 



Total cost of combined manure of 18 cwt. 



on plot No. 2 per acre ... G3 1 9 



Ou plot No. 3 



Cost of Castor Cake applied alone at 24 cwt. 

 per acre 70 



ResnH per Acre. 



2 Plot- 



1 — 629 lb. tea per acre, selling at say an 



averag'i of 8 annas per lb. ... 314 8 



2—825 lb., do do do ... 412 8 



No. 

 No. 



No. 







In favor of latter an increase of 196 lb. or 



31 per cent at 8 annas ... 98 



Less cost of manure at 18 cwt per acre ... 63 1 6 



No. 

 No. 



No. 



Therefore profits per acre ... 34 It 6 



or 55'3 per cent. 



3 plot— 



] — b29 lb. tea per acre, selling at s-iy an 



average of 8 annas per lb 

 3—914 do do do 



In favor of latter by an increase of 285 

 lb., or 45-3 per cent, 

 do 

 Less cost of manure at 24 cwt. per acre 



40 



Therefore proBts per acre ... "2 8 



or 103 5 per cent, 



In the foregoing calculations I have assum-il thai 

 the realizations of a garden's tea will average annas 

 8 per lb., hut if the crop exceeded th it price, the 

 proBts derivable from the application of manure woul 1 

 .I'so be hightr, auti , uteris paribus, of smaller amount 

 if the tea averaged less than S annas per lb. 



It should be pointed out that the qualitv of the 

 tea will be improved, also, when the ground is 

 adequately manured, enhancing the value by 2 pie 

 per lb. and upwards according to the broker's report 

 on the simples from the experimental plots ; but I 

 have not taken this item into the account : other- 

 wise, the results could be shown to be more satisCict- 

 ory still. 



It would, therefore, seem that while an increased 

 yield of 31 per cent gave a prolit of over of 55 per 

 cent, an increased yield of over 45 per cent gave 

 a profit of 103-5. What we should now like 

 to see, would be experiments with bones alone, 

 poonac alone, and a mixture of the two, at the 

 rate iu the three cases of one ton per acre, in- 

 stead ^ of the varying quantities of 18 and 24 cwt. 

 But, in looking at the experiments from our Ceylon 

 point of view, we suspect we must add very 

 materially to the cost of both bone-dust and oil- 

 cake, as compared with prices in Chittagong. 

 Will anyone, possessed of the necessary inform- 

 ation favour us with figures for bone dust and 

 castor poonac, in the Colombo market at present? 

 Our transport charges per rail and road would 

 generally be heavier than the Chittagong boat 

 charges. 



In \\Titing that a mixture of bones and castor 

 cake gave a less profit result than castor cake 

 alone, Mr. Cai-ter wites 



On a oompari..Jo:i between the yield on plots 2 and 3 

 (llie castor c.ike costing R0-14-G, or 11 per cent more 

 per acre on latter), the iiieieaseof crop over former 

 was al.>iO 11 per cut, and the profits due to this ex- 

 cess equal lOTj per cent, which is conclu.sive that not- 

 withstanding the greater cost of the castor cake when 

 applied at 24 cwt. per acre, it is much more remuner- 

 ative than the mixed manures at Id cwt. ja-r acre on 

 plot No. 2 that were less expensive. I do not say, 

 however, that because these experiments have prnve'd 

 the ca.stor cake alone iu the proportions given per 

 acre the most suitable of the two for this gardeu, it 

 would answer similarly elsewhere. 



I would strongly recommend this manure, neverthe- 

 less, for tea bushes ou soils akin to " Chandpore," 

 where it is being used largely in current season, and 

 let me add with marked success. In order to 

 convince my planting friends that if the 

 cjstor cake can he laid down on the gardens, 

 applying 24 cwt. per acre (I should not advi.se a lesser 

 quantity on ii-orn out soils)— at even doiilile the cost I 

 have stated, or R70 by 2 = KUO per acre, there wo'.dd 

 still be a small profit of E2.S, or IJ per cent, per acre, 

 subject to conditions .stated further on. 



'rhere is no rea.son why any of the Tea estates in 

 Chittagong district sboulil not be able to apply this 

 manure at the price I have done, and may be for less; 

 but for tea properties at a great distance from Calcutta, 

 such as thtis? in As-am, Cacbar and Sylhet, &c., the 

 cost of fr.'ight and local lauil transport, &c., will pro- 

 bably be much higher than it is here: therefore the 

 profits will not be so remunerative. 



Now, I do not sujjpose the cost of carriage, &c., to 

 the more distant gardens situated in above pnivin'-es 

 or districts will be so excessive as to increase the en- 

 tire outlay by 75 per cent per acre above the price 

 the article can be landed here for; but assuming such 

 will be the case, then the profits per acre staud as fol- 

 lows — viz: — 

 No. 1 p'otuo manure, 6291b. tea per acre, at 



as 8 ... ... ... 314 8 



„ 3 „ castor cake 21 cwt. ditto 914 at 



aa, 8 .„ „■ ... 457 Q 



