5/ < THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Februarv i, 1888. 
None of the seeds were very well filled, and some 
were mere leaves, and what surprised me was, that, 
although the paddy manured with bonedust had 
the greatest number of seeds, these were not quite 
equal in quality to those grown in the unmanured 
soil, and in the soil manured with cowdung. The 
sickliest plants were those grown in the soil manured 
with lime, although these were the first to germinate. 
These came to nothing. The blades were short, of 
a very light green, very deficient in chlorophyll. 
The blades of the paddy manured with bonedust 
were of a rich dark green, and those of the un- 
manured paddy were but little inferior. It is evi- 
dent that, as grown in the shade, the paddy was 
but little, if at all, benefited by the phosphoric 
acid of the bonedust ; but had profited somewhat 
by the nitrogen of the same. M. COCHRAN. 
LUXURIANT GROWTH OF TEA. 
Dolosbage, 25th January 1888. 
Dear Sir, — What do you think of 2 months (from 
pruning) flush I send you under separate cover ? 
yours faithfully. TEA. 
[The growth is marvellous, over a foot of luxu- 
riant shoots and leafage. The jat is fine, but the 
growth must be due to rich soil and a specially 
forcing climate. The rocks of Dolosbage contain a 
good deal of gold which will probably be yet ex- 
tracted by deep mining. Meantime such tea grown 
on the surface soil means a good deal of silver. — 
Ed.] 
HOW TO CliEAN SILICATE D CARBON 
FILTERS. 
28th January 1888. 
Dear Sir, — In reply to "Housewife" asking for a 
recipe to clean silicated carbon filters, I can refer her 
to " Goodeve's Hints on Children in India." I have 
tried the recipe there and found it answer, and so 
have saved the cost of another new one. — Yours trulv, 
ANOTHER HOUSEWIFE. 
OUTTURN OF TEA FROM WET LEAF. 
Central Province, 27th Jan. 1888. 
Sir, — A question has arisen between a friend 
and myself: coes it necessarily follow that the 
deduction of on'y 10 per cent from all tea leaf 
brought into a factory (be it ever so wet) would 
give a correct outturn of made tea, i.e. a pound 
of made tea to every four lb. of irefleaf? Kindly 
let us know through the medium of your columns, 
and oblige, A. S. H. 
[Ten per cent seems certainly liberal ; for, many 
allow no deduction, but in districts where 40 to 
80 inches of rain fall in a month and also where 
coolies are said to dip their baskets in the stream (!) 
10 per cent may not be enough ! — Ed.] 
THE CHINA TEA TRADE : ITS POSITION 
AND ITS POSSIBLE FUTURE. 
Colombo, 30th Jan. 
DeaK Sin,— The North-China Herald of the 6th 
inst. contains a letter (see below) from the Sub-Com- 
mittee of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce to the 
Commissioner of Imperial Martitime Customs at 
bbanghai, on the deterioration of the China tea 
trad*. 
A(Vr comparing the deliveries in London of the 
tea from the variom producing countries, the Snb- 
Committee, referring to the great decrease in the 
deliveries of China tea, and Consequent increases 
in those of other countries, paint out what proper 
cue in cultivation and preparation will do when 
ski If all V applied. They instance the case of Java 
teas, which a few years ago were weak, and poor 
in quality, but which have made rapid strides in 
make and strength, and consequently in flavour. 
They also point out that India and Ceylon enjoy 
advantages of absolute freedom from taxation, a 
large number of flushes of leaf per year, and 
consequent greater yield per acre than China tea, 
and comparative nearness to the oonsuming mar- 
kets. They then say they have confidence in 
making the following suggestions for the improve- 
ment of China tea. To those acquainted with the 
Indian and Ceylon system of tea cultivation and 
manufacture, these suggestions will be highly 
amusing. 
Having some knowledge of the modern method 
of cultivating and manufacturing tea, which the 
Sub-Committee evidently have not, I will venture 
to critioize their suggestions with the view 
of enlightening them on the subject, and also of 
showing them how impracticable their suggestions 
are unless the method of cultivating and making 
tea in China is entirely changed, and the Indian 
and Ceylon method substituted for it. 
The idea of revolutionizing the China tea indus- 
try, which has existed perhaps for a thousand or 
two years, is a very grand one indeed, but is it 
not chimerical? 
As you will probably publish the Sub-Committee's 
letter, I will save your space by numbering each 
suggestion, and remarking upon them seriatim 
without repeating their words: — 
1. Is it not more probable that the Chinese 
now make their tea in the same way as they have 
always done; but that the great decline in the 
value of tea of late years has induced them to 
retain for their own consumption the good des- 
criptions, and sell to foreigners their inferior sorts ? 
There can be no doubt that the modes of cultiva- 
tion or curing in vogue in India and Ceylon 
would be highly beneficial if adopted in China, but 
how is this to be done ? 
The Chinese cultivator could, if it suited him, 
pluck his leaf differently to what be now does, he 
could take off only the flush which will make good 
tea, leaving the bangy and hard leaves on the 
trees, but he cannot carry his green leaf to the 
factory to be spread out to wither to the point 
modern manufacturers think necessary to insure of 
good tea being made out of it, because there is 
not a factory near every tea garden. There is not 
the least necessity for the Chinese Government to 
send a number of intelligent and practical China 
men to India and Ceylon on a wild goose chase, to 
acquire the knowledge of the modern methods of 
tea cultivation and manufacture. 
They can be acquired by a careful study of the 
Tropical Agriculturist and the various handbooks 
which have been published in India and Ceylon on 
the subject. 
2. The Chinese require no instruction in the 
proper methods of firing and sorting tea, nor do they 
require factories or machinery for the purpose of 
making good tea. Large factories are only wanted for 
withering green leaf. Tea can be fired on Chinese 
choolas, and hand-rolled better than by the use of ex- 
pensive machinery, though not so economically. 
It is, therefore, unnecessary for the Government 
to introduce these, and work them under strong 
protection. Where labour is so cheap as it is said to 
be in China, its saving is a secondary consideration. 
3. That the Chinese method of making tea is 
very primitive admits of no doubt, but not alto- 
gether in the sense the Sub-Committee use the word. 
We may be quite sure that the cultivator does 
all he can to turn his green leaf to the best ad- 
vantage ; if he could make good tea fifty years ago, 
