110 



TEA. 



with the tract of land he has purchased, both as regards the lay of the 

 land, the nature of the soil and subsoil, the number of springs, 

 streams, &c. ; and what timber valuable for building, making houses, 

 and for fuel, there is on it. He should also, ])revious to oj)ening out, 

 inspect any other estates that there may be in his neighbourhood ; and 

 by carefully noticing the results on these, may save himself from 

 falling into serious errors when he commences his own work. It is 

 well w^orth his while to collect samples of soil from the various parts 

 of his estate, and when dry to have them analysed, or else examine 

 them carefully to ascertain, as far as l:e can, their general nature. 

 He may compare these samples with the soils in the Neilgherry 

 Gardens, and should note the general characteristics of those in 

 which the tea plant thrives best. He will also be able, in these trips, 

 to decide pretty accurately the future sites for his factory, buildings, 

 and nurseries. 



The best lands are found, as a rule, on the lower slopes of hill- 

 sides, and in sheltered ravines. The higher up he goes, the j)oorcr 

 will he find his soil. The reason of this is, that every year large 

 quantities of surface soil and disintegrated rock are annually washed 

 down from the higher lands, and the lower slopes are thus covered 

 with a thick and rich alluvial deposit. In Ceylon there are some 

 striking exceptions to this rule : land close to the foot of mountains, 

 and even in some cases on the tops of very high hills, being richer 

 than that farther down the course of streams. 



He will examine the sidings and streams, and ascertain whether 

 they can be rendered available for factory purposes, or in cases of 

 extreme drought, for irrigation. A careful study of all the varieties 

 of timber growing on an estate, and the means of detecting that 

 which is of value, is very necessary. There may be abundance of wood 

 suited for fuel and making charcoal, &c., but seldom is there any 

 surplus of woods that are suited for building purposes, making 

 houses, cabinet work, &c. "When he has decided on the tract of land 

 which he will open out, his next business will be to clear it — that is, 

 to fell all the trees and low jungle, so as to allow them to dry all 

 through the hot season, previous to being burnt. Felling, then, is the 

 first consideration. Whenever I can, I prefer to do this work by 

 contract. From past experience, I am convinced the manager, if he 

 knows how to fix the rates, will get his work done cheaper and better 

 on this system. Opinions differ as to how this work should be done. 

 Some cut and burn the undergrowth, merely ringing the large trees ; 

 others cut all down together. A few trees of a comparatively harm- 

 less nature may be left here and there, as a relief to the eye : the 

 injury resulting from their presence will be very slight. In addition 

 to these, all those trees whose timber is valuable should be rung and 

 left standing. The timber thus left will be less injured by the after- 

 burning than it would be if felled. The operation of ringing consists 

 of cutting away the bark, and a small slice of the alburnum all round 

 the tree for a sj)ace of from one to two feet. When this has been 

 done, the sap cannot ascend, and the tree dies rapidly. When the 

 land is planted, the young tea plants will suffer very little from the 

 falling of the trees. As soon as the trees that are to be left for orua- 



