94 CULTIVATION AND MANUFACTURE OF TEA. 



lower depth than the greater number of the rootlets of the 

 neighbouring big plants traverse. Could this be done, and 

 if the means above detailed are resorted to, to prevent the 

 young plants being injured when the gardens are dug, I see 

 no reason why vacancies should not be successfully filled up. 

 Then might be seen, what nowhere can be seen now, a Tea 

 garden full of plants, that is, with no vacancies. 



When it is considered that many gardens in all the 

 districts have 30 or even 40 per cent, vacancies, none less 

 than say 12 per cent., we may strike a fair average and 

 roughly compute the vacancies in Tea gardens throughout 

 the country at 20 per cent. In other words, the yield of 

 Tea from India, with the same expenditure now incurred, 

 wonld be one-fifth more were plantations full ! 



I have shown how the first evil can be obviated. I think 

 the following will obviate the second. 



Get earthen pots made 7^ inches diameter at the head 

 and 7^ inches deep, like the commonest flower pots, only 

 these should be nearly as wide at the bottom as at the top. 

 A circular hole, 2 inches diameter, must be left in the 

 bottom. Fill these with mould of the same nature as the 

 soil of the garden where the vacancies exist. Put two or 

 three seeds in each, all near the centre, and not more than 

 half an inch below the surface. Place these pots, so filled, 

 near water, and beneath artificial shade, as described in 

 Chapter XIII. 



When the seeds have germinated, and the seedlings 

 have two or three leaves, so that you can judge which is 

 the best class of seedlings in each pot,* root out all but one, 

 the best one. Now remove the shade gradually, water 

 from time to time, and let the seedlings grow in the 

 pots till the rains. Having, before the rains, made the 

 holes at the vacancies as before described, after the first 



* By " best class" I mean the most indigenous class. 



