54 



The only question is as to what connection this falling off of 

 the Potash has with the falling off of the quality, and to this one 

 cannot at present give a satisfactory reply. It is a matter which 

 demands investigation by experimental culture on the spot, 



LIME IN ASSAM SOILS. 



In past time much has been made of the exceedingly small 

 proportion of Lime in Assam Tea soils. Scarcely an analysis 

 has been made by English chemists, as a result of which this 

 material has not been mentioned as a necessary constituent of any 

 manure, The basis for these remarks is the richness in Lime of 

 most European soils, and the apparent necessity of its presence in 

 fairly large quantities for most agricultural crops, especially where 

 a large amount of leaf formation is desired. As a general rule 

 among agricultural crops, the more leaf surface developed the more 

 Lime is required, and as a confirmation of this it is found that the 

 ash of tea is fairly rich in this constituent. Primd facie, therefore, 

 it would appear that a rather large quantity of Lime would be 

 required in the soil for successful tea culture, The facts however are 

 all the other way, Lime is contained in very small amount in 

 nearly all Assam soils, even the best, and more than this, the 

 plant seems to resent any attempt to unduly increase it. If a 

 heap of Lime has stood for some time on a particular spot, the tea 

 never flourishes there, I am told. "Busti" soils always contain 

 more Lime than the surrounding land and will not grow tea well, 

 but this fact may or may not be a result of the excess of Lime. 

 Nor does continued growth of tea apparently exhaust the Lime, 

 either total or available, to an extent at all comparable with the 

 exhaustion of the Phosphoric Acid and Potash. The following table 

 shows this : 



