58 



quantity in all the soils examined. The latter seems the most likely 

 supposition. 



BALANCE AMONG SOIL CONSTITUENTS. 



But finally, what seems of greater importance for the luxuriant 

 growth of high quality tea than the presence in large quantity of 

 any particular constituent, is that the constituents of the soil should 

 be well balanced that is, that it should contain enough organic 

 matter and nitrogen to satisfy the utmost needs of the plant (say 

 not less than O'S per cent, of nitrogen calculated on the soil less the 

 sand), and then a sufficient quantity of other constituents to prevent 

 the plant having any trouble in obtaining them, If there is a large 

 quantity of readily available nitrogen with the necessary organic 

 matter and not sufficient readily available Phosphoric Acid, etc., 

 there will probably result a rank growth giving sappy wood, and leaf 

 without the special qualities of high class tea. If, on the other hand, 

 the nitrogen is too small in amount and the other constituents in 

 excess, a high quality tea will be produced, but only little of it. 

 And further if both nitrogen and phosphoric acid are low, then 

 neither luxuriance nor quality are obtained, and the garden is worn 

 out becomes the prey to blight after blight fills with vacancies 

 and probably ultimately disappears or is abandoned. Such are the 

 washed teelas found occasionally in Assam, but more often in 

 Cachar, and which are now all but given up. 



SUMMARY. 



In summary, therefore, tea requires for its successful cultivation 

 a considerable quantity of organic matter and nitrogen in the 



