ONTHLY 
Vol. IX. I 
COLOMBO, APRIL ist, 1890. 
I No 10- 
TEA CULTURE IN CEYLON. 
Yield of Tea and Cost of Preparation in Matale 
East on Old Coffee Land and on Virgin 
Forest Land. 
==p e are indebted to Mr. Joseph 
'tf/\»M/\$ Eraser of Damboolagalla — 
one of the finest of Matale 
East coffee estates thirty to 
forty years ago — for very 
carefully prepared and most 
interesting statements of his 
experience as a tea-planter. We suppose 
there has seldom, if ever, been published, so 
detailed and elaborate a return and all interested 
in our Tea industry may well feel obliged to 
Mr. Fraser for the trouble he has taken and the 
readiness to give publicity to his figures. This 
statement chiefly applies to last year ; but com- 
parative figures are given for the previous two years- 
The steady increase in the yield year by year 
over all the fields will be specially noted and 
also the much heavier crops gathered from virgin 
soil, or laud only cropped with cinchona, than 
from old ooffee land. Next the extremely moderate 
expenditure in proportion to orops, the average 
cost of 92,210 lb. f. o. b. being only 28'553 cents 
per lb. notwithstanding that more than 12 per 
oent. of that is for " manuring." With so good 
a margin, Damboolagalla crop oould not fail to 
pay well. Indeed, we may mention that the nett 
return for the whole orop of 1889 f. 0. b. is such 
as to make the percentage of profit on outlay, we 
should think as good as that of any of our celebrated 
Tea Companies. What Mr. Fraser says about his 
manured fields will be carefully noted and indeed 
his figures and remarks altogether cannot fail to 
afford much food for comparison and reflection 
by praotical planters who are striving as well 
as they can to make the tea industry a profitable 
one. 
Damtsoolaoalla Estate, Matale. 
Statement of Made-Tea secured, yield in lb. per 
acre, and aotual ooat per lb. for year ending 81at 
December 1889, with rainfall, comparative yield pj 
acre for 1887 and 1888 
| §s s *a 
ra ^ cm rs CM ri 
CO N 
« d 
\Z o% OS VJOZ& ~ S| 
•w n cq 2 
S£ 0% OS uwitf ™ 
n - 1 9000 
99000 « M 
w oq cm co 
CO « 
00 ^ 
CM CO rH -< 
r-t t- t—i CO 
O 00 n 00 5 Oi ° 
£-( CM CM OO 1-1 05 W 
55 U3 m o n h" 
o i- TO n ri 2 
7*00 lt$ O ■£> !D 
A Oi LO CM D- 00 
Us rt 4p H ^ f-i 
RiuaiOf 1 gj Brfgi g ^ "6 |S 
a 1 ? Sr 1 ;?!? 
0? o% 08 mca^ « 0 - 
pC4 1-5 00 
Til SXL'3i 8 S ^ ^ o 
H-| "O CO CO O O 
^ " rH w w 
. CM 
99 S oo m sTO9i '" ?5S **| 
0* o 5 OS OTOjtf ° ^ « ^ ^ « o 
1TOS mSjiA. £00000 !g 
us !8 <o 
S3 S; 
•Bnonouio 
j Tfl T}1 . 
CM t> 
CO CM 
ed t- O CO 
9.9 
o 
n M 
O O 
C3 S 
•Sugg 
ll=J I lit 
° BCO . Oi • 
i\ r o^e. — N. P. not pruned within the year. P. pruned 
within the year. P. P. part pruned within the year 
Pi B. prnninps buried. M. manured. P. M. par 
manured. Fields 1, 1 a, 3, part of 6 and 7 wer. 
pruned late in December 1889, the yield was there 
fore little, if at all afieoted by pruning in that year- 
Total Yield of 230 acres aud Cost per lb. f. o. b. 
Colombo for year ending 31st Dec. 1889 : — 
Cost per lb. 
cents. it. c. 
Superintendence ... ... 3-8ia 3,521 uu 
Tools ... ... '160 138 4G 
Hoails and Drains ... ... "520 479 77 
Bungalows ,., ... .712 158 30 
