January 2, 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
439 
bush. Always bear in mind your buah has to carry 
you through a whole season and well into the 
next, by worrying your bush you get more out of 
it, but for a short time only, and as the season 
advances you lose all you ha\e gained and more, 
finding yourself with a worn-out bush throwing out 
thin weedy flush with nothing in it. By starting 
with careful plucking you not only produce healthy 
flushing wood, but you are also bringing your bush 
into its fullest development with power to give 
you its full yield. To quote from my former paper: 
— " One simple rule is to avoid having a bare 
Bhoot without a leaf to help your next flush on, 
and give it a healthy, strong growth. I myself 
used to be an advocate for shoulder pluoking, but 
1 find plucking with a full leaf runs your bush 
longer without pruning, is less strain on it, gives 
well-formed flush , and, taking two seasons together, 
better results in yield, although under some con- 
ditions and with some jats shoulder plucking is 
still the best. Pruning on the same principle I ad- 
vocated when tho Dikoya Association honoured me 
by asking for my views four years ago. I now 
" tip" with the finger where I then topped with the 
knife, thus beginning to form my bush by 
bringing up the lower laterals, and I cut my 
bush lower at the first pruning. I find whilst 
developing my bujh quite as well I get a very much 
larger yield at two years to five years, and this 
without any injury to the bush whatever, and without 
reduoing its growth laterally. I may as well explain 
what I mean by primary, secondary, Ac. growth, in 
pluoking. Primary is the first growth from the pruned 
branch, secondary the shoot from a plucked primary, 
tertiary a growth from a plucked secondary. A rule 
for plucking cannot be laid down for first round, 
second round &c, as it will be found our second, 
third and sometimes fourth round, is of leaf plucked 
from a primary growth. It may at first sight appear 
a difficult matter to get our pluckers to follow out 
the rules I have here laid down : plucking at above 
three, at above two leaves and so on ; I have not found 
it so in practice. You should, of course, put on a gang 
Of your best coolies only to start your plucking after 
pruning, and when you get to the one leaf stage, 
it is impossible for the pluckers to go wrong. 
Yield. — Your tea in Dimbula has been, and 
still is in many cases, much handicap- 
ped by coffee, and loss of yield the conse- 
quence. This should not disappoint you. I think 
also you arc a little impatient. Take my own 
experience at Rookwood, where my old tea runs at 
from 5,000 to 5,(300 foot elevation. My yield per acre 
at 24 to 3£ yoars was only 1 66 lb. made tea per acre, 
at 3$ to 44 292 lb., at 4i to 5$ 2(12 lb.— the falling-olY 
in yield thiB year was duo to a heavy pruning — at 5.} to 
450 lb., and for tho four succeeding seasons ending 
the 30th September last, I can show an average 
yield at (150 lb. per acre, which I may now look upon 
as my average from this tea for ever. I say 
advisedly for ever, as tea where it does grow seems 
to be evorlasting. Now, gentlemen, what do these 
figures prove? 1, that high-grown tea does not come 
into full boaring till its seventh year, although 
Riving remunerative crops at from 24 years up ; 2, 
that when you onco got a yield you can maintain 
it. It may be argued, four full seasons id not long 
enough to prove this. Old Loolecondura can give 
us throo times tbi», or twelve soasons, which will 
prove tho same thing, an even avorago yield through- 
out. Lot us como nearer home for yield. Look at 
Abb, it ford, and wh it our good friend of tho Obsrrvrr 
has shown us it can do. I am told last year this 
estate averaged 500 lb. per aero for young and old tea, 
2 years to 10 years old, of which tho greater portion 
is young. You have the soil, nouo better in 
Ceylon. You have a leaf-making climate, as wit- 
uess your coffee. And your tea is not planted 
upon that mythical " washe I out coffee estate." 
With the land given up to tea, and with proper 
treatment to this tea, 400 lb. an acre and more in such 
a district as yours is indeed easy of attainment, 
with your bush matured. Four years ago I 
publicly stated that our Tea at six years old 
and up, in good soil, might be safely estimated 
to give an average yield of 400 lb. per aore, and 
with increased experience I can today repeat this. 
I trust the few remarks I have made today may 
put you on the right road to obtain this. And 
let us now prepare for the future, and one and 
all pull together, to push our teas and make new 
markets for them, and with this object in view I 
wou'd entreat those of you who have not yet 
promised your support to Mr. Rutherford's scheme 
to do so now without delay. 
C. Spearman Armstrong. 
Ground Coffee digested in cod-liver oil quite over 
comes the fishy taste of the latter. — Chemist and Drug- 
gist. 
Home and Colonial Tobacco Culture.— The fol- 
lowing letter has been received by the Secretary of 
the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce : — " Botolph House, 
Eastcheap, London, B.C., 13th Oct. 1887. Dear Sir, 
— I beg to remind you of the circular I had the 
pleasure of sending you in March last with reference 
to the two prizes of £50 each, offered by this Chamber's 
Tobacco Trade Section, for the best samples of home 
and colonial grown tobacco. In trausmitting the cir- 
cular, I requested your assistance in making the offer 
known in your district by such means as you thought 
desirable, and I shall now be glad if you will kindly 
circulate through the same channels a further notific- 
ation of the sixth condition of the competition, viz., 
that ' the tobacco growu in the United Kingdom 
shall be sent for inspection on or before the 1st of 
March 1888, and that of other places on or befor6 
the 1st of December of the same year.' My tobacco 
section also desiro to be informed of the names of 
competitors as early as possible, in order that proper 
stongo room may be provided; and would call at- 
tention to the removal of tho Loudon Chamber from 
King William Street to Botolph House, Eastch«ap, 
London, E. C, to which address all communication! 
should be sent.— Yours faithfully, Kenrick B. Murray, 
Secretary." 
Coowaree Seeds. -At the last drug sales, 15 bags 
of pile coffee-coloured seeds, cylinder shaped, and 
about I in. in length, the ends being some .vhat oblique, 
were offered for sale. No oue appeared to have the 
slightest idea of their use, and the lot, altogether 
about 22 cwt., was withdrawn. Tho parcel was import- 
ed here from Bombay, and we understand that the 
see ls have been identified by Mr. Holmes as the seeds 
of Cassia tura, Linn., or oval-leafed cassia, called Kulkul 
by the Arabs and I'eti tura by the natives of Ceylon. 
The shrub which attains a height of about 5 feet, 
grows in most parts of British India, and is extensively 
cultivate,! by tho natives for the sak< of its leaves, 
whioh play an important part in Hindu pharmacy. It 
also grows in .Japan, a. id has been found iu Central 
America by Houstoun. lu Cochiu China, also, it is 
vory common, but in the latter country, it does not 
seem to rank among tlm medir.nal plants. Tin 1 ' 1. 
tora seeds, ground with sour buttermilk, are occasion- 
ally used as a cure of itchy irruptiaus; but the leaves, 
whii h are strongly mucilaginous and of a highly dis- 
agreeable odour, are a household remedy among the 
Hindus. In the form of a decoctiou they are givon 
to children during teething, fried iu castor od they »ro 
used as a cure for foul ulcers, an,', fiunlly, rubbed up 
wi'h lime juice, they form « popular remedy for ring- 
worm. For the latter purpose, and in a niunlir manner, 
tho root is also used. In Wostoru India a blue dye 
is also Hindu from the ■•■els iu combination with 
tftrivtn iinetorium, Koxb. The seeds have bt en Imports I 
into this country baton now, but it does rot sorm 
that then- is any demand for tboiu. — Chtmiit and &ruj- 
gift. 
