CAMELLIA 



GREEN MANUMV: THEA 



Cultivation 



the weeds down) is done by frequent loosening of the soil to a 

 it h of .'> inches and for a distance of 12 inches round the bushes. Among 

 .iv than 2 years old, the following hoeiuga may be said to be usually 



\ deep hoeing at the commencement of the annual dry weather Nomb of 

 ist ^ inches deep should be given. This preserves the moisture 

 the lower layers of the land, during the drought which follows, as 

 as softens the soil and thus prevents the formation of a hard pan 

 the surface. 



(b) From 4 to 6 light hoeings per annum. Each of these loosens 

 le soil to a depth of about 4 inches. They should take place at intervals 

 of about 6 weeks. 



In South India and Ceylon, owing to the extremely granular character 

 of the soils, and to the fact that there is no long season of drought such 

 as is experienced in Northern India, much less cultivation of the land 

 lone than that above recommended, the hoeing being replaced in a 

 it measure by hand-weeding. 



Manure. Manuring is not usually needed for some years after a Manuring, 

 itation is started. Nitrogenous fertilisers are then principally required, 

 st in the form of organic manures, and nothing is better than cattle 

 manure, if it can be obtained. The cattle manure generally to be had Farmyard 

 in India is extremely poor, and so twenty tons per acre would not be an Mannrc8 - 

 cessive dressing. Little more than a third of that quantity of good 

 1-fed dung would be of equal value. With the cattle manure all the 

 te materials of the tea estate, such as the wood-ashes (if wood is burnt 

 ic factory), the thatch, the sweepings from houses, etc., are mixed and 

 iped together in special manure sheds and thus made ready for use. This 

 so-called cattle manure is best applied early in the year, before the first 

 hoeing of the season. In default of cattle manure, oilcake usually chemical 

 from castor or rape seed has given the best results, and is now used Manare8 - 

 gely both in the districts ot North and South India. It is commonly 

 )lied broadcast, at the rate of about half a ton per acre. In Ceylon 

 deal of artificial manure chiefly superphosphate and basic slag 

 or without sulphate of potash has been and is being used, but the 

 plication of such manures has been elsewhere on a very limited scale. 

 Pests and Blights, etc., 119-34 ; Mann and Hutchinson, Heeleaka 

 Exp. St., Assam, in Ind. Tea Assoc., 1907, No. 2.] 



In recent years very good results have been obtained by green manuring. Green 

 plant chiefly employed in North India has hitherto been fhaseolns 

 t (/<>, which is sown broadcast in April or May at the rate of 40 Ib. 

 seed per acre, and is hoed into the land after 6 to 8 weeks. Other 

 ints have been suggested for the purpose, and from recent experiments 

 jems probable that good results may be obtained with Crotalariu 

 and Seshania ctinmihiim. In Ceylon the best returns have 

 ;n given by the use of Crotalariii sfritittt as a green manuring 

 jp, but the ground-nut (Arachin hypoycen) has also been employed, 

 ips of the dadap tree (Kri/ffirintr /it/tosjicriim) have been planted 

 and the growth periodically pruned off and buried. It is essential, how- 

 ever, that the stumps should not remain in the tea for more than 

 one year, as otherwise they are very apt to cause skimp-rot, due to the 

 fungus ttowllinitt r<nli<-iperdn. The leguminous bush Trplir<>*i<t 

 ui<liil<t has been used similarly in India, but this is grown from 



225 15 



