104 



TEA. 



hard to find, under proper management, a safer or more remunerative 

 investment for capital. 



" The systems of cultivation and manufacture now practised are far 

 in advance of those which prevailed some ten years ago. Higher 

 cultivation, a thorough knowledge of the principles of manufacture 

 and of the chemical changes through which the leaf passes during the 

 various processes, and last, but not least, the invention of mechanical 

 appliances to save labour, have lightened by a great deal the planter's 

 toil, diminished his expenditure, and added to his profits. 



" There must be some hundred thousands of acres of land in Ceylon 

 which might be planted with tea to the profit alike of the planter 

 and the country. That with high cultivation and judicious manage- 

 ment this land might be made to yield with ease its 400 lbs. an acre, 

 and that the tea, if well manufactured, will not fail to realise an ad- 

 vantage of upwards of 2s. per pound in London. As the cost of up- 

 keep, &c., should not, under any circumstances, exceed lOZ. per acre, 

 a ready profit of 30Z. sterling will accrue from every acre of land in 

 full bearing.* 



" A good selection as regards site, soil, and climate is all-important 

 to any man who contemplates opening out an estate, and on this 

 account stands at the head of the subjects to be treated of. To these, 

 however, I shall add the supplementary and equally important ques- 

 tions of rainfall, labour, and communications. 



" Absolute perfection in all points cannot be expected, but each of 

 the qualifications pointed out must be developed to a certain extent 

 before the site can be pronounced a suitable one for a tea estate. 

 The headings therefore into which these chapters will be divided are : 

 1. Lay of land, climate, elevation, and aspect; 2. Eainfall; 3. Soil ; 

 4. Labour ; and 6. Communication." 



Lay of Land, Climate, Elevation, and Aspect. — The first point that 

 calls for notice is lay of land. Low undulating hill-sides form by 

 far the best site for a tea estate ; land, in fact, where the incline is 

 just sufficient to carry off the water during heavy falls, without 

 washing away the soil, and yet not so flat as to allow the water to 

 collect and stagnate anywhere. Draining will, of course, be neces- 

 sary, in a greater or less degree, on every estate, but a little fore- 

 thought shown in the selection of site will reduce this item of 

 expenditure to a minimum. At the same time, we would not reject 

 a piece of land that was suitable in all other respects, on the score 

 of a slightly excessive slope, as by additional drains in some places 

 and by terracing in others, this fault may be easily overcome. Per- 

 fectly flat lands may often be made available for cultivation by such 

 draining. The site of a tea estate should, if possible, be naturally 

 sheltered from the effects of prevailing high winds. If natural 

 shelter cannot be had, artificial means must be resorted to, such as 

 laying out a belt of quick-growing trees all round, and in many cases 

 here and there across the area of land intended for cultivation. 

 Australian eucalypti and occasionally the larger kinds of cinchona are 



* Making a lai-ge deduction from the figures here giveu, the profits are likely to 

 be satisfactory. Ceylon tea, with but imperfect means of preparation available, has 

 already been valued at 2s. 6c?. 



