62 



tea cannot be produced on the spot, and it should be the aim to obtain 

 all that is possible in this way. 



Fourthly. If artificial manures be required, it should be re- 

 garded as essential just to supply the constituents which are deficient 

 and no more. Complete mixed manures for a new province like 

 Assam, as sold ready made under the name of " Tea manure," are not 

 only generally very dear for what they contain, but also contain 

 several constituents of no value under the special circumstances. 



Fifthly,. Manures of lasting character should be chosen rather 

 than those which, while more powerful for a short time, are soon used 

 up. Of the latter class are Nitrate of Soda, or Nitrate of Potash, and 

 Sulphate of Ammonia, and in general those easily soluble manures 

 which are apt in large measure to be soon washed out of the land 

 if not immediately taken up by the tea. 



SOIL CONSTITUENTS REMOVED BY CROPS. 



Tea itself is not an exhausting crop for the 'soil, compared with 

 many others. It is rarely that more than ten maunds of tea are 

 taken away from the garden, the ashes of the prunings should be 

 returned to the soil, so that the nitrogen in the prunings when these 

 are burnt is the only manurial matter which forms a dead loss. Now 

 ten maunds of tea roughly contains 



Nitrogen ... ... 36 Ibs. 



Phosphoric Acid ... .. 8 



Potash ... ... 20 



Lime . . ... 4 



Compare this with the quantity of these constituents removed by 

 other crops of which some are given below. 



Even if the above quantity of Nitrogen be doubled to represent 

 the loss in burning the prunings, it will still be far and away below 



