THE 
Vol. IX. 1 
COLOMBO, JANUARY ist, 1890. 
[No. 7. 
RAGS AS A MANURE FOR TEA. 
|ome years back there was an 
animated discussion in the 
public press relative to the 
positive assertions made tha' 
piles of old rags had been 
known to spontaneously gene 
rate rats. The gobemouche s 
who expressed "belief— as undoubtedly many 
did— in this most ridiculous statement went some 
of them so far as to declare that they had seen 
those rodents in their transition state of half-rat, 
half-rag. Such nonsense soon died, as it deserved 
to do, a natural death. However, we are now told 
on high authority that these same foul rags may form 
an important constituent in manure for our tea plants- 
Mr: Hughes, the well-known agricultural chemist' 
has told our London correspondent (see page 451) 
that such refuseaontains in a high degree the elements 
most fitted to restore to the soil in which the tea 
and other kindred shrubs are grown, the fertility of 
which a long course of exhaustion has deprived it. 
Mr. Hughes adds the important fact that, when 
travelling in the south of France and in Italy, he 
observed that waste rags were most extensively 
used as manure for the olive trees so largely culti- 
vated in those countries. 
His observations of this practice appear to have 
led Mr. Hughes to tbe conclusion that the main 
value of the application of such a fertilizing agent 
arises out of its very gradually produced effect. He 
tells us that for all Bhrubs the application of a 
"forcing" manure is injudicious. For an applica- 
tion to be thoroughly efficient, according to him, all 
plants of the family to whioh tea, the olive, &o. 
belong, require slow feeding, and this result is 
thoroughly attained, judging from the experience 
of the olive growers of the countries mentioned, 
by the gradual decay of the rag and the correspond- 
ing degree in which it yields up its nitrogenous 
properties. We learn by our London Letter by last 
mail, that, bo convinoed is Mr. Hughes of the utility 
of this agent for manuring tea plants, tbat he has 
recommended Mr. Rutherford, who had been in 
communication with him on the subject of a fer- 
tilizer for his well-known estate of Mariawatte, to 
send out a trial shipment of manure largely com- 
posed of a material kindred in character and 
properties to the waste rags so largely used by the 
cultivators of the olive. It appears that this material 
is derived from waste woollen rags, which are 
reduced by the agency of steam to the condition 
of a fine dust. Not only is woollen cloth dressed 
with oii, but it is specially absorbent of all greasy 
matter. Mr. Hughes says that the use of rags, 
as he had observed it abroad, was attended with 
many inconveniences due to the foulness of the 
smell arising from the accumulation of rotting rags, 
as weil as with no small amount of insanitary 
danger. He would therefore on no account recom- 
mend the adoption by ourselves of the use of the 
raw material as he had seen it employed ; but 
the preparation above referred to, while rendering 
the raw basis perfectly innocuous, maintains ana 
preserves in a high degree the nitrogenous ingredient 
of it, and it appears that in this form the new 
manufacture already enters largely into the com- 
position of many manures prepared at home. 
Mr. Hughes has recommended for application to 
the tea plant an admixture with this material of 
a considerable quantity of superphosphate with 
the object of preventing the escape of the volatile 
ammonia which is in itself so important a fer- 
tilizing agent. Thus prepared, he believes the 
manure may be safely applied to the tea shrubs 
on our estates, and he predicts great advantage 
from its employment. At the same time he 
admits that no manure could be found or applied 
likely to produce better results than poonac ; but 
the cost of this agent would be likely to prove 
prohibitive, there would be great temptation to 
theit of it, and its bulk for carriage would be 
considerable, while it is doubtiul, moreover, 
whether it could be procured in anything like the 
quantity which — if free manuring of our tea be 
resorted to— would be required. Now in Mr. Hughes's 
opinion the day draws near at which, if the 
produce of our tea bushes is to be maintained, 
it wiil be necessary to adopt such free manuring. 
Tea, he tells us, is an exhausting crop, and 
it lakes comparatively but a short time for the 
soil in which it is grown to show signs of ex- 
haustion. While the prioes obtained tor tea were 
day by day lowering, it was not possible in Mr. 
Hughes's view to urge our planters to incur the 
cost necessary to stave off the evil day to be 
anticipated. When, however, prices had risen 
and were expected to show a steadily im- 
proving tendency, he thought it desirable to utter 
a note of warning. In his opinion, if our planters 
are wise, they will act on this warning without 
much further delay, and the trial to bo made by 
Mr, Rutherford on what has hitherto been one of 
the most productive tea estates in the island wil 
