21 



though it may mean the destruction of a large part of the plant's 

 existing root system ? The result in some cases in which this has 

 been done have not been very encouraging, and it generally means 

 that the first effect is that the plant is poorer and yields less than 

 before the treatment commenced. This is only to be expected, for 

 by destroying the lateral roots in the surface soil one removes the 

 trunks up which the food collected by its fine rootlets pass. But the 

 second year after such change of system the bushes recover and 

 ultimately are much the better of the treatment, always provided 

 (i) that the bushes were not previously too weak, too old, and too 

 deteriorated to recover from such a severe shock, and (2) that the 

 subsoil is in a fit state for the penetration of the roots. By being in 

 a fit state, I mean that water is absent and drains have been present 

 long enough to make it permeable to tea roots by removing a great 

 part of finest silt which formerly cemented the mass. 



It is also essential that such a radical change of system be not 

 undertaken at the same time as the plot is collar-pruned, If collar- 

 pruning is anticipated, the deep cultivation should take place not 

 less than two years previous if such deep cultivation is -a new policy ; 

 if hard cutting only is to be gone in for, then the previous year will 

 probably be sufficient. To violently hack at roots which have 

 probably been essential parts of the plant for many years and to cut 

 down to the ground together on a soil which itself is probably not 

 the most suitable for tea, is decidedly consonant neither with reason 

 nor science. Once however such a deep cultivation as part of 

 the garden's system has been inaugurated, and the new root system 

 has got into working order, the cultivation may, I think, be 

 carried on in the regular scheme with little regard to the pruning of 

 the bush. 



TRENCHING VERSUS VERY DEEP CULTIVATION. 



Is there, however, any other method of driving the roots into a 

 lower layer without adopting such an expensive and drastic method 

 as that just described ? By going back in part to what was a method 

 of cultivation many years ago, but which has now, 1 believe, long been 

 abandoned nearly everywhere, I think this may be done. According to 

 Mr. Bamber (" Chemistry and Agriculture of Tea ";, it was in his time 

 the custom to fill the old drains with primings and dig fresh ones 

 between the next rows. While I do not believe in such a system of 



