November, 1909,1 v. 



floors, to ferment in a cool damp place 

 free from draught, and occasionally 

 turned until the leaf obtains a coppery 

 colour. 



The fermented leaf is next placed on 

 travelling perforated trays in the drying 

 or firing machine, at the top end, and 

 after about twenty minutes to half an 

 hour, comes out at the bottom perfectly 

 dry. It is then passed over sieves and 

 graded, and finally packed in lead lined 

 cases, holding from 90 to 100 lbs., the 

 name and mark stencilled on the package, 

 which is then ready for shipment. 



The grades of tea in Ceylon are gener" 

 ally classified thus :— 



Broken Orange Pekoe ... B.O.P. 



Orange Pekoe ... ... O.P. 



Pekoe ... ... P. 



Pekoe Souchong ... ... P.S. 



Fannings ... ... P. 



Dust ... ... D. 



Wherever available, water is pref erred 

 as the motive power, though oil and 

 steam engines are considered satis- 

 factory. 



Visits were made to other tea estates, 

 notably " Bandarapola," belonging to 

 the Ceylon Coy., Ltd., in the Matale 

 district. Upwards of 1,0C0 acres of this 

 fine plantation are under tea, the annual 

 output being about 750,000 lbs. 



The yield is high, some part of the 

 estate producing as much as 1,000 lbs. of 

 dry tea per acre. 



In addition to tea, 1,200 acres are 

 under Para Rubber and tapping is about 

 to commence, and upwards of 200 acres 

 under cacao. 



From Peradeniya a railway journey 

 was undertaken through huge stretches 

 of tea in the Hatton and Nanuoya dis- 

 tricts. 



Tea Prospects in East Africa.— 

 With very commendable foresight and 

 zeal Messrs. Caine Bros, have, for 

 several years past, experimented in 

 tea growing at Cainville, Limuru, where 

 the success already attained as regards 

 growth and healthiness of the bushes, 

 as well as the flavour of the hand- 

 prepared leaf, is of a distinctly encour- 

 aging nature. 



Judging from my observations in the 

 Darjeeling district and the practical 

 insight into tea cultivation and manu- 

 facture, in several parts of the uplands 

 of Ceylon, I am strangely of opinion 

 that the soil, altitude and climatic con- 

 ditions of parts of the highlands of East 

 Africa, particularly around Limuru and 

 the Molo, are well adapted to tea grow- 

 ing. 



Miscellaneous. 



Much of the land suitable for tea in 

 Ceylon has been already planted up, 

 though many of the estates, as yet, 

 have not come into full bearing. 



Should the consumption of tea continue 

 to increase there will be little fear of 

 over-production, and in any case the 

 output from East Africa would not be 

 likely to seriously interfere with the 

 market, as a large part would be needed 

 for local use. 



Cheap and regular labour are the 

 chief factors in tea cultivation, provided 

 the situation is favourable for the plant. 



When once the plantation has been 

 established, picking of the leaves must 

 be regularly attended to, and for this 

 pickers are paid in Ceylon, as a rule, 25 

 cents for 40 lbs. of green leaves, 



Katugastota— (Kandy District).— 

 Cacao is the major cultivation here, 

 about 726 acres being under bearing 

 trees. The yield of dry cacao for 1908 

 was 2,500 cwts. 



Rich well-drained land in well sheltered 

 humid situations is the most suitable for 

 cacao growing. 



Briefly the cultivation and curing of 

 cacoa is as follows :— 



The trees are planted 10, 12 or 15 feet 

 apart according to the nature of the 

 soil, the larger distance being for extra 

 rich land. 



Weeding and careful pruning must be 

 carried out, one stem only being allowed 

 to each tree. 



The first pods are produced from the 

 fourth to the fifth year, and thereafter 

 rapidly increase in number, when, at 

 the tenth year the trees must be said 

 to be in full bearing and continue so for 

 many years. 



A good average yield of dry cacao is 

 3^ cwts. per acre, but on some of the 

 best properties in the West Indies, 10 

 and even 13 cwt. per acre have been ob- 

 tained under extra good treatment. 



The ripe pods are cut from the trees ; 

 taken to the factory, split open and the 

 beans placed in special boxes or other 

 receptacles, to ferment, for three or four 

 days according to the fancy of the pro- 

 prietor or other circumstances. 



After fermentation, the beans are 

 thoroughly washed in tanks, abundance 

 of clean water being necessary. 



Should the weather be favourable the 

 beans can be dried on large trays or on 

 cement or other floors in the open. 

 Where the crop is large, however, a 

 special "drying house" is necessary. 

 The cacao drying-house at Katugastota 

 is extensive and most up-to-date, It 



