35° 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [October i, 1881. 
THE YIELD OF TEA PER ACRE IN CEYLON 
AND INDIA. 
We are very pleased to learn the result (See page 355) 
of his first year's experience from the Manager of the 
Galboda Tea plantation situated in the Ambegamuwa 
district. (Ceylon). This district already stands pre-emi- 
nent for the strength of the liquor yielded by the tea it 
produces, and considering its well- distributed heavy rain- 
fall, it ought to give abundant crops of leaf. Our criticism 
of the Kandaloya estimate was more in the nature 
of an enquiry as to whether au average of 400 lb. 
per acre had yet been gathered over any considerable 
area in Ceylon, than of doubt, in reference to this 
yield being obtained on the plantation in question. 
Most certainly Dolosbage and Yakdessa — with a nearly 
equal rainfall, but lower down and hotter— ought to 
equal, if not excel, Ambegamuwa in the quick suc- 
cession of abundant tea flushes, and, therefore, after 
Mr. Hughes' experience at Galboda we do not think 
there will be any reason to doubt the harvesting of 
five maunds per acre from well-cultivated tea on 
Kandaloya. Mr. Hughes mentions one important con- 
dition in estimating production at this rate in Cey- 
lon, a condition which is fulfilled both in the case 
of Galboda and Kandaloya. namely, that the tea 
should be grown on virgin forest soil. Where tea 
is planted on laud already cropped for many long years 
with coffee, or on chena land, it is obvious that 
although the return may prove remunerative — con- 
sidering the less expense in opening — yet that it 
cannot be expected to equal the yield in the case 
of virgin soil. It is true that in India the returu 
has reached as high as ten, and even eleven, maunds 
or 800 lb. to 900 lb. of dry leaf per acre ; but this, 
of course, was entirely exceptional ; just as much so, 
as a ton, fifteen and ten cwt. per acre of coffee 
were in Ceylon in the days (1854 to 1866) when 
the average yield for the whole country, with the 
old districts in their prime, never exceeded five, cwt. 
per acre. Mr. Stalkartt, one of the oldest Tea plant- 
ers in Northern India, and a great advocate for work- 
ing up a small area well rather than treating a large 
extent indifferently, assured us three years ago in Eng- 
land that he got from some of his best gardens 7 to 
8 maunds steadily ; but the said gardens were, per- 
haps, 30 to 40 acres in- extent, and seldom exceeded 
50 acres, so that the manager was really able to 
give special attention to the cultivation of almost 
every individual bush. For the districts in India, as 
a whole, the average yield is much lower. Thus, in 
1875-76 the average yield over all Assam from tea in 
full bearing was 229 lb. per acre ; in 1876-77 it was 
228 lb. ; in 1877-78 it rose to 286 lb. Darjeeling, in 
the latter season, gave an average of 350 lb. per acre, 
and Chittagong 395 lb., the highest district average 
recorded in the official returns. In season 1879, we 
have a return of twelve of the principal Indian Tea 
Companies, and the average yield of their properties 
ranged from 191 lb. over 2,000 acres (old and young 
tea) belonging to the British Indian Company, to 346 lb. 
the average over 6,000 acres belonging to the Assam 
Company, and 485 lb. (or 6 maunds) per acre (the 
maximum) which was got from 740 acres old and 
young tea by the Borelli Company. Another analysis 
shews that the Borelli Company got 491 lb. per acre 
over old and young cultivation, and declared a dividend 
of ten per cent in 1879. The dividend of the Assam 
Company in 1878 was 27 per cent, and next year 
it was 10 per cent. This latter profit was made from 
tea which cost Is 5gd per lb, all over, including sale 
charges, and which sold in the gross for Is 7|d, the 
profit being, therefore, ljd per lb. on an average, or 
16s 4d per cwt. as coffee planters would put it. In 
1878, the clear profit of this Company was a fraction 
over 6d per lb. In 1876, the Dehra Doon Company 
with 351 acres under cultivation gave an actual out- 
turn of 197,210 lb. of manufactured tea, or 562 lb. 
per acre. A Darjeeling planter writing to the Tea 
Gaz*Ue insists upon it that the average for that 
district for field cultivation is 370 lb. per acre, while, 
as regards garden cultivation, the yield has been up 
to 11 maunds (880 lb.) per acre ! He adds as follows: — 
Besides making some of the finest tea in the world, 
we in Darjeeling can make it in quantity. Here is the 
yield of two of my small gardens — 
One of 34 acres in 1875 gave 384 mds ) , . 
The other 25 „ „ „ 265 „ j about 
11 maunds per acre. In 1876, these gardens gave 10 
maunds per acre ; but I have another garden, 980 
acres, which gave less (5 maunds per acre). This re- 
duces the average much. However, in 1876, 143 acres 
old and 30 acres young plant gave 1,161 maunds, or 
530 lb. an acre. That properly cultivated, well filled 
up and manured land, can yield very largely there 
is no doubt. In Assam, I believe, it has given 17 
to 19 maunds per acre, and the highest yield in 
Darjeeling from a small area (5 acres) of land, yielded 
this year at the second flush at one pluck (there are 
at least 12 plucks in the season) 1,050 lb. : this is 
210 lb. per acre. The great thing is to make all the 
plucks yield like this one. A careless day's pruning 
or plucking lessens the average, sometime as much as 
25 per cent, for the next yield. 
The editor remarks : — 
Some of our correspondents seem to think 6 maunds 
a good yield per acre, but we know of a factory in 
Upper Assam which yielded last year (1876) 11^ maunds 
per acre, and others in the same district which yielded 
10 and 8 maunds. 
And another planter "Mac" is still more em- 
phatic : — 
I do not see why 1,000 lb. of tea should not be the 
average arrived at per acre. When one comes to look 
at it, it is only 4,000 lb. of green leaf per acre. True, 
it represents the young sprouting leaf, still I don't 
think it is too much. One bush of indigenous — or 
almost pure— was fenced off, and plucked separately. 
It was not otherwise attended to specially, and it 
produced 13| oz. of made tea. With similar bushes 
planted 5" x 5", this represents 1,500 lb. per acre. As 
this bush was not specially treated, I do not see why 
1,000 lb. per acre should not be made with ordinary 
care. 
Colonial Money is equally explicit as to what may 
be done: — 
/ have never thought 10 maunds per acre as at all 
impossible. It has already, I know been done on 
parts of gardens in India, but on the whole of a large 
garden, never yet. I hope to accomplish it on the 
gardens I work, as they are in a favourable tea locality 
but they are young yet. This, merely to show that 
to my mind there is nothing improbable in ten maunds 
to the acre, off even one. thousand acres. 
And now to close these extracts, taken from the 
'■' Tea Cyclopaedia, " we may give one which, to a 
