SEASONS OF PLUCKING 



CAMELLIA 



THEA 

 Cultivation 

 Plucking. 



Plucking. The annual course of plucking, after light pruning, is 

 13 follows : When the tea has been pruned, new shoots begin 

 grow, and after 2 to 3 months have attained a length of 9 inches or 

 At this stage the bushes can be " tipped," that is to say, the 

 first lot of leaf may be taken off, the object not being so much to get 

 tin- leaf as to force the production of secondary shoots on the plant. 

 ' tipping " should be done when there are, on the shoots of the centre 

 of the bush, on the average 6 leaves, without counting either the unopened 

 tip-leaf nor the so-called ";anum" leaf (really a bud scale) at the base of 

 .eh shoot. Then the topmost two leaves may be plucked off, the plucking Method. 



ig done not by pulling, but by breaking (or nipping) the shoots with 

 e thumb-nail. The level at which the average shoot, in the centre of 

 e bush, is thus to be plucked is fixed, and it is a plan often followed to 

 t the pluckers have a stick cut to the required height as a measure. Measure. 

 othing is then plucked under this height at any part of the bush. 

 This tipping forces a secondary growth from the axils of the leaves Plashing, 

 the original shoots, and after about 3 weeks the secondary growth 

 ready to pluck, the uppermost 2 leaves and the unopened bud only 

 ing taken, and 2 mature leaves left on each of these secondary shoots, 

 plucking brings about the growth of a third series of shoots which 

 from the axils of the leaves on the secondary growth, and on these 

 e mature leaf is usually left behind when plucking the youngest " two 

 ves and a bud " as before. A fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh series 

 shoots arise in similar manner, and are known as " flushes." Eight 

 tinct series of shoots is usually the largest number given by bushes in 

 e season. 



In the early part of the season the pluckings are almost coincident 

 ith the growth of the " flushes." After this they are much more fre- 

 .ent, and bushes are usually plucked from 20 to 30 times during the 

 ,r, at intervals of from 7 to 9 days, during the greater part of the season, 

 has already been said, 4 mature leaves ought to be left on an average 

 oot in the first plucking, and nothing plucked below this level in the 

 ih. The use of a leveUing-stick is often continued for the first three 

 four pluckings of the season in order to prevent the premature plucking 

 the weaker shoots. Two leaves should be left behind in plucking the 

 iondary growth, and one leaf in the next few pluckings at least, after 

 hich the shoots can be safely plucked as they grow. [Of. Mann, Factors 



Quality, in Ind. Tea Assoc., 1907, No. 4, 19 et seq.] 

 Seasons. It is essential to leave plenty of growth below the plucking- 

 rel in the earlier part of the season, and especially so after any heavy 

 ing. The growth and health of the bush are only secured by allowing 

 ibundant leaf to remain. Many fine tea estates have been seriously 

 maged by plucking off too much of the spring growth. 

 In Assam, and in fact North-East India in general, plucking com- 

 .ences about the end of March in each year. July, August, September 

 d the first half of October are the months of greatest yield. After that 

 e the crop gradually diminishes, and in Upper Assam plucking ceases 

 for the season about the middle of December, while in Sylhet it may 

 continue till the new year. The yield at each plucking during the height 

 of the season from good yielding mature tea may go up to about 120 Ib. 

 of leaf per acre or even more, giving about 30 Ib. of made tea. \Cf. 

 Pests and, Blights, etc., 101-18.] 



227 



Premature 

 Plucking. 



Seasons. 



