September i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
Ceylon Tkas. 
Ceylon teas have come into the market for the first 
timo this season, and about 54,000 lb have been sold. 
This quantity is included in our sales of Indian teas 
already given. 
The parcels to baud have been readily taken by 
the trade, and the public seem to appreciate the 
quality thoroughly— some teas from Loolecondera, 
Windsor Forest, Rookwood and Calsay estates de- 
serving special mention. 
Small lota of Japan tea were sold during the season ; 
the leaf in some cases perfect and liquor very good, 
but the bulk of them seem too highly tired to suit 
Australian tastes. 
In conclusion we would draw attention to the show 
of teas lately hold in the Melbourne International 
Exhibition, which was certainly the grandest display 
of such products ever witnessed in the world before, 
.some .'07 different samples beiug constantly on view. 
The jury, all skilled and tried men, deserve credit 
for the care and attention I hey devoted to the work 
of examining and classifying the various samples, a 
matter of long timo and patience, and the fairness of 
their awards must be endorsed by every tea expert 
who examined the samples in the Exhibition. 
Some line musters were shown by China, and it is 
a matter of regret that through some rule of the 
commissioners, whereby exhibitors not being producers 
were debarred from taking any awards, the whole of 
the Chinese exhibits could not be placed by the jury. 
The following is a list of the awards :— 
India takes 35 first order of merit. 
Ceylon 11 
Japan 1 ,, ,, 
Melbourne 1 ,, ,, (blending and 
packing). 
India takes 77 second order of merit. 
Ceylon 3 ,, ,, 
Japan 2 „ ,, 
Melbourne 1 ,, ,, (blending and 
packing). 
India takes 101 third order of merit. 
Coy Ion 22 
Japan 14 v „ 
India exhibits 339 samples. 
Ceylon 7S „ 
Straits Settlements 1 ,, 
Japan 35 „ 
Melbourne and China 54 ,, 
Jouoiie Tea.— An old Singapore merchant writes 
from Loudon regarding tea raised in the Maharajah's 
experimental garden as follows : — " Everybody is as- 
tonished at the Tea which arrived in samples here 
having been gathered from plants raised from seed only 
a year old."— Strait* Times. 
Cinchona in Mauritius. — An interesting annual 
report from our energetic Superintendent of Botanical 
Gardens has just been submitted to Government for 
last year, from which it seems that 2S7,000 useful 
trees, shrubs and plants had been propagated in the 
Gardens during last year, the greater portion of which 
were either planned on public lands or on the road 
■ides, or oho sold. In other respects, the gardens 
gppear t » have bcon satisfactorily conducted. The 
Lieut. -Governor, in placing tlio report before his 
Council, stated that tho Eucalyptus and Cinchona 
plantations had been successful, bat that, in regard to 
tho Utter, it was and»r consideration to try an addi- 
tional plantation at 2,000 feet above sea level, this 
being the lowest attitude at which it is believed the 
cinchona plant thrives most in these latitudes. — 
Straits Times Cor. 
$oi]ii6sponteiG6> 
To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 
AUSTRALIAN WATTLE OR ACACIA. 
Dikoya, July 21st. 
Dear Me. Editor, — As I have heard divers opinions 
as to the merits and demerits of the wattle or black 
acacia (by the bye are they same thing ?), I shall feel 
much obliged, if you, or your numerous corre?pondents, 
will enlighten me on the subject, and I should like all 
the information I can get. Does it propagate 
from the root? Does it make a better break-wind 
than the gum ? Does it grow faster or as fast, and 
does it require constant topping to make it a stroDg 
tree? Is it possible to keep its root within bounds 
by cutting a trench on either side of it, as I hear 
its roots kill everything that it comes in contact 
with ? I send by to-day's tapal my subscription for 
the Tropical Agriculturist. It will be a great boon 
to all of us. — I am, yours faithfully, 
DIKOYA PLANTER. 
[All the wattles are acacias : the black wattle is 
A. ajjius or molUssima. It propagates only too readily 
from the roots, spreading all around, and being diffi- 
cult to keep within bounds : a very deep trench must 
be cut for the purpose. It does not need topping; but 
grows very fast and shrubby, much more so than the 
gum. It is an excellent bveakwind. — Ed.] 
MAKING TEA : PRUNING. 
Lemastota, July 25th, 1881. 
Dear Sie, — Would some one of your readers kindly 
tell me what to do with my tea bushes ? They arc two 
years old, have been pruned from seven feet to three 
feet, and a flush has been picked. I want to know 
what to do to get my bushes into shape for the next 
year. Should I pick the Hushes or should I prune? Tea 
making is a loss at so early a stage (though I am 
gaining experience), and I want to act to the benefit 
of next year. — Yours obediently, YOUNG TEA. 
[The writer of " Tea Cultivation in Southern India 
and Ceylon " (a copy of which our correspondent 
should have) says : — "No harm will be done the second 
year by picking the tops of all shoots exceeding three 
feet or three feet and a half in height, and manu- 
facturing the leaf so obtained. But, at the end of the 
second year, I recommend that the bushes should be 
cut across with the pruning knife, at about three 
feet or three and a half feet and be left alone for at 
least three months from that date. Picking may then 
be recommenced, but care must be taken that only 
tho central shoots that grow upwards are picked : the 
sides should be left to expand, and from a strong 
lateral growth. I shall leave all further discussions 
of this subject alone, until I come to consider the 
question of pruning. My parting and earnest advice 
to the planter is, do not overpick your bushes when 
they are too young to bear it. Some of our best Bengal 
planters prefer to leave tho bushes alone, as regards 
picking, until they are four years old, merely moderat- 
ing the upward growth with the knife. They then 
guarantee a yield of 400 lb. per acre. This iVBtem is. 
1 think, earning the matter a little too far J and 
throwing nway what is of some importance to small 
capitalists, viz., a little return in tho third year after 
planting. At the same time, it would bo far better 
to leave tho trees alone for live years, thau to overpick 
them when youug."— Ei>. 0. O.] 
