April i, 1886.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



(S99 



SrOGESTIONS ON TEA PLANTING. 



It is probable that tea-planters in future will be 

 far more careful of the tea-seeil they select for planting 

 than they have been in the |)ast ; for although lu- 

 iligenOHS is not firmly believed in, in Oeylon, except 

 miller very favorable conditions, the lower jats 

 are unanimously condemned except for very high 

 altituiles. and even this latter is a questionable con- 

 clusion. The two extremes, low Hybriil an Indigen- 

 ous, do not, in this island, bear hard plucking so 

 well as .1 good Hybrid of a type I might call something 

 better than half-bred, and this gives a leaf easily 

 manipuUted ; and, what is of equal importance shews 

 a hardy disposition — what would be described in 

 sporting circles as " stauding punishment well," The 

 days of racing in tea plants are, I conclude, over. 

 There is a form of Indigenous thought very highly 

 of in India, but which, so far, has not become a 

 universal favorite here, which is supposed to have 

 come from Munipore, for it bears that name. It 

 is different from the generality of so called Indian 

 Indigenous, from being in appearance more like an 

 Assam Hybrid. It is of rapid growth, but I have 

 heard men who have it say that it resents anything 

 like severe plucking almost as much as any other of 

 the Indigenous kinds. It must not be presumed 

 from what I have said that I am u general advocate 

 for " hard plucking." My use of this term applies 

 more to the hard plucking which takes place on the 

 most scrupulously plucked estate at that period of 

 the year when flush succeeds flush in continuous 

 order, when it is annoying to find many otherwise 

 fine looking specimens which will not repeat their 

 flushes. This, as I have said before, is a common 

 liabit of the two extremes, which the good Hybrid 

 does not shew. 



We have been accused by many Indian tea planters 

 who have visited our shores of overplucking our 

 bushes; also of plucking them when they are still 

 too young. Possibly, we have been guilty of both 

 these offences. The question, however, arises — what 

 in the best age to begin, and, when begun, how we 

 should go on? I think I could find in this islaud a 

 few estates where overplucking is undoubtedly done, 

 and where ninety-nine out of one hundred tea planters 

 would go with me in this verdict. The early plucking 

 of young tea has also been a failing of ourii, which, 

 happily, is not so common as a year or two ago, it 

 being distinguishable afterwards by a small "collar*' 

 and weak and crooked wood in the frame of the tree, 

 A large " coll-ar" and curly top iiulicate overplucking, 

 but not that the bushes were worked too early. 



The question now .irises how tea should be plucked. 

 For my part, I am not in favour of going in for a 

 large plucking surface on young tea, for it neither 

 irnpioves the bush or the crop. It induces the pro- 

 ihiction of far too much *' bangy," for, as a rule, the 

 larger the yovng bush is the greater in quantity 

 will b** the bangy. I prefer giving the young bush 

 a largti top of red wood. It is now the general 

 custom iu Oeylon to cut ilown tea, at eighteen 

 months to two years respectively, whether grown 

 \n the lowconutry or on the hills to 18 inches in 

 height; some equalize at an earlier age. After this 

 there are various opinions us to how high it should 

 grow before being " tipped." Some leave 4, some 5, 

 *>, 7, or 3 inches on the top ; some count 'the leaves. 

 For my part, upon young t''a, I consider nothing 

 comes np t<t the stick and to leaving a good liberal 

 top. This I maintain for two reasons : first, you do 

 not wish to work two-year old tea too hard ; and, 

 second, whatever leuienoy yon shew them, will be 

 more than recompensed by finer trees aiiil a gener- 

 (Mis yield in later years. Th»Te are, howeviT, spots 

 where, from continuous winils and other causes, it 

 nuty be best to shew less consideration. It is very 

 often said that certain estates always look well but 

 yield very little leaf. Upon those a :'. or 4 inch 

 top should suffice, and, when the leaf is pbickable, 

 it shouM not be lost; for, like certain kine, although 

 in the Inst condition, they yield little milk. I could 

 enumerate a few such tea properties iu Oeylon. 



In all ordinary localities I should cut my young 

 tea down to IS inches, and for the first six months 

 afterwards use a stick of not less than 21 inches. 

 My oliject for this is the following. The tea would 

 fully recover the effect of prunuig before plucking, 

 and when plucked there would be u suHicient top 

 upou the tree to induce the full development of the 

 stem and permanent parts of the biisli. Yeivr by 

 year I would carry out this principle until, when 

 five years old, I should, as a rule, not leave more 

 than 4 inches of a plucking top. I believe it has 

 been found the best plau iu Oeylon not to pluck 

 bushes too heavy in the early part of tho season, 

 though towards its close, for the last few months, 

 leaf may be taken very close. Most people leave a 

 leaf, some a leaf and a half, thougli, in practice, I 

 have rarely seen this system regularly carried out 

 through a season. In Oeylon towards its tdose hard 

 pluckiug is the rule. The system has not been long 

 enough iu vogue for me to speak couclusiviily upon 

 this point, although I am inclined to think there i( 

 something in what our Indian friends say. Large yields 

 are not necessarily the result of close plucking ; it 

 is the shortened periods between each roiuid which 

 improve the quality ; this and plucking off everything 

 which will roll gives a large return of leaf to the 

 acre, aud, when to it is added a stinted growth of 

 young wood above the last priming, a continual 

 denudation of leaves results, and permanent injury 

 must follow. Time will, however, teach us how far 

 we may press our bushes. So far, Ceylon marks 

 appear to have a theoretical aud a practical value 

 which do not accord. Possibly others might enlighten 

 the public ou this score, uot ou what they say, but 

 on what they do ; for my part, my mind is uot quite 

 made up. I am learning daily. The wonder to me 

 is how bushes, which are kept nearly leafless, retain 

 their vitality y Our Indian friends threaten a very 

 sudden collapse. .Speaking to au Indian planter upou 

 this subject he said it might be necessary to throw 

 tea out of cultivatiou for a few years to recover. 

 This he had done over many acres which had been 

 overworked. If this is 8u6BciBUt, the remedy is uot 

 very terrible.— Pekoe Souchong. — Local "Times." 



OFF THE GENERAL TRACK IN OEYLON. 

 I noticed in my last the extensive tracts of forest and 

 moohilaiia lying between Balangoda aud Pehnadulla. 

 The high range of hills ou the right h.is many unex- 

 plored hollows and nooks, where the soil is good, aud all 

 within easy reach from the Government trunk road at 

 its foot. This will some day be a large centre of tea, 

 independent in a measure of imported labor, with both 

 wood for chests and fuel, merely requiring the energy 

 and capital of the industrious to make it a centre of 

 prosperity. The rainfall is somewhat heavy, but the 

 country is accessible in a day from Colombo, and trans- 

 port cheap — points of some importance. Madoola 

 resthouse is well situated, possibly it has some wind 

 during the south-west monsoou ; but now it is very 

 pleasant, with a grand view towards the west aud south, 

 and a large area of laud around, with a soil presenting 

 .all the requirements of tea. It is everywhere populous 

 and healthy. I noticed the natives with lonu; bamboos 

 sweeping the surfaces of tlicur growing paddy — a metliod 

 for removing the fly from the plant. The process 

 appeared simple, but I thought capable of improve- 

 ment, which education may siq>ply, if it does not drive 

 thom away frotn their sinq)le agricultural life altogether 

 to one of ingermity awl thieving; for they all seem 

 willing to reliuqiish work iu the fields for anytldng 

 entailing the respeetabihty of clean elf iies and silk 

 umbrellas, Whurever a few houses were congregated 

 t<.>gether I noticed a gem-cutter, sometimes several 

 working .at I'jeir wheels. They usually pot;.sessed a 

 number of very inferior stones thi^y were only too 

 anxious to dispose of : iiale-colored sapphires and a 

 great collection of non-descript stones, for which they 

 wanted large sums. Pelmadulla is said to be one of 

 those towns where it alw.iys rains, be it the north-east 

 or south-west monsoon, and such is the impres.sion it 

 left on me One evening, at 4 p.m., I could scarcely 



