Pruning. 31 
you begin cutting on lowest portion of affected 
piece, thus driving fly up hill. If there is a piece 
of tea blighted with green fly under the portion 
you cut, the fly will work up and attack the new 
shoots directly they show. Trees on the tops 
of dry ridges will come on very much better if cut 
in May than they will do if cut in cold weather 
July is also a good month to cut back in on dry 
gardens, but no plucking will be done again until 
the end of September and the manager must be 
very careful that the piece cut is not subject to 
mosquito blight. Any pieces of tea cut in May or 
July must be kept very clean, either hoed or sickled, 
as if the jungle once gets up to the top of the 
bush the young shoots will be weak and in many 
cases shrivel up when the sun gets to them. On 
many gardens there are pieces of tea that were 
cut down years ago and then pruned in the old 
style, I mean leaving 12—15 inches growth, 
these pieces if cut back in May into the straight 
wood leaving about 6 inches above former heavy 
pruning will come on splendidly. China bushes 
will bear more thinning out than Assam will and 
