July i, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
acres in extent, in the Western Provinoe. The 
Boil of which naturally a poor light sand, more 
Buited to cinnamon than oooonut, has been much 
ameliorated by cultivation and liberal manuring. 
STATEMENT EEFEBEKD TO. 
Field A extent, 15 acres. 
Trees in full bearing, about 45 years old. .1,123 
,, partial bearing, 12 to 15 yea's old 141 
Total trees , 
..1,265 
Field B extent 10 acres. 
Trees in full bearing, 45 years old . . 658 
„ partial bearing, 12 to 15 yews old 66 
In 
Total trees 
A. 
Fields : 
1889- 90... 52,322 nuts. 
1890- 91... 65,055 „ 
1891- 92.. 60,650 „ 
1892- 93... 65,324 „ 
724 
B. 
29,422 nuts. 
36,329 „ 
32,383 „ 
38,025 „ 
Total ...243,351 „ 136,158 „ 
Average for 4 years... 60,837 „ 34,039 „ 
Per tree per aonum... 48 ,, 47 ,, 
The gross return from the larger of these fields in 
1892-93 was B2,751'47, and the cost of production per 
1,000 nuta B1215, leaving a net profit of about R130 
per acre.—Youre truly, POLGAHA. 
THOMSON'S PATENT TEA PLUCKEKS IN 
CONNECTION WITH STALK IN TEA. 
Dbab Sib,— In the conolusion of your leading 
sniole of 5th May last headed "Stalk in Manu- 
factured Tea," you quote what you term a very 
Bensible * extract from a letter from Mr. Coobran 
in which that gentleman says "when patent 
clippers are used I oould easily understand an 
undesirable amount of stalk being tab en along 
with the leaves." In reply to an enquiry from 
me Mr. Cochran informs me that be has seen a 
pair of patent clippers, but be does not reply to 
my enquiry as to whether be ever eaw them being 
used. Mr. Cochran went home about the middle 
of last year and very few pluckers bad been sold 
up to that date. He is good enough to say in bis 
letter to me that given practised bands and trees 
in the proper trim, the pluckers are capable of 
doing excellent work. I enclose a letter from 
Mr. J. Ashington Thompson, the inventor and 
patenter of the patent pluckers, on the subject. — 
Yours faithfully, E. B. CREASY, 
Agent in Ceylon for Thompson's " Patent Tea 
PlnokerB." 
Calcntta, May 14. 
Deab Sib, — My attention has been called to a lead- 
ing article in the Ceylon Observer of the 5th inst. 
under the heading " Stalk in Manufactured Tea "; in 
which it is suggested, that an undesirable amount 
of stalk being discovered in some samples of tea ex- 
amined by Mr. Hughes in London, were possibly 
owing to their having been prepared from leaf cut 
by a "patent placker." As I believe mine are the 
only "patent pluckers " in use in India and Ceylon, 
these remarks are calculated to prejudice my patent, 
and I trust you will take an early opportuB'ty to 
correct the idea that my patent pluckers can only 
pluck coarse leaf. 
A planter using my patent pluckers has as much 
control (perhaps more) over what sort of leaf he 
* But our " very seDsible" applied to the whole 
extract in which Mr. Ooobraa said a good d«al 
^eiidcB, his refoTfnco to the " pIuoker»" I— Ed. T.A • 
will pluck than he who plucks in the old style — 
say he wants 2 leaves and the bud (which is the 
common plucking now in India), — well I he puts my 
patent pluckers on the bushes as soon as 2 leaves and 
the bud are grown ; and it is surprising how regular 
and even the flushes rise, when the bushes have been 
some 2 and 3 months under the pluckers. As only 2 
leaves and the bud are grown, he cannot get any- 
thing coarser than that ; though he can, and does, 
get a good deal of leaf that is finer than 2 leaves and 
the bud. 
If my patent pluckers are used according to my 
instructions, the planter will find after six montha, 
that he gets as good leaf as by hand picking, with 
more tip in it, and at a much cheaper rate, while his 
bushes will have spread, completely covering the 
ground, and making it one even sheet of tea. 
But why aU this fuss about stalk in tea ? It is 
nothing new in Indian tea— there is generally plenty 
of it in strong Assam Pekoes ; and it is not disapproved 
of by the majority of planters, who consider that the 
stalk when young and succulent, improves the flavour of 
the tea. The " Observer's correspondent writes that 
" both the Indian and Ceylon teas gave a larger pro- 
portion than did those of China, and that singularly 
enough, it was among the more expensive teas that 
the greater proportion of stalk wag found." 
But there is nothing lingular in this. The Indian 
and Ceylon teas show more stalk than the China, 
because they are manufactured from a superior "jat," 
or variety of plant ; take a vigorous high class 
Munnipuri or Assam indigenous bush, and it will be 
found that there is sometimes as much as 3 to 4 inches 
of stalk between the pekoe and souchong leaf, whilst a 
low class China wiU only have some J inch of stalk. 
Then in the sorting, the stalk being thin and wiry, 
naturally goes all Into the pekoe and broken pekoe 
classes : and so it happens, not "singularly" but 
naturally, " among the more expensive teas that the 
greater proportion of stalk was found." — Yours 
faithfuUy, J. ^SHINGTON THOMPSON. 
SUPERINTENDENTS AND THEIR 
SALARIES :— AND LOW EXCHANGE. 
May 29. 
Dear Sib,— We have recently and lor some time 
past been treated to articles and letters on exchange, 
dearness of money, and the blessings (or other- 
wise) of cheap commodities (vide your moraing 
comemporary on May llib for this latter article), 
and there has been plenty of food for thinking men. 
But no planter seems to have got npon one very 
warm scent in the hunt after causes and effects, 
though we have most of us been feeling the effeota 
for some considerable time now. 
The effect of low exchange on the Ceylon planter- 
superintendent is that salaries are one-third to one- 
fourth less than they used to be when exchange 
ruled at Is 61 to Is 8d. The cause is that we do 
not draw our salaries in sterling. 
A simple remedy commends itself. Let all the 
Branch Associations of the P. A. take this matter 
up at once (the newly formed Northern districts 
one might take the lead and earn the gratitude of 
every Sinna Durai and many a Peria Durai too), 
and recommend that in future 
Superintendents be allowed to draw at least half 
their salaries in sterling, and while on leave the 
whole amount. 
It is a reasonable request. For wa only aek a 
half of our pay in sterling, recognising that exonange 
does not affect a few items of living, such a« 
country-made shoes, drill and cloth, and rise and 
curry. 
It is reasonable because proprietor Companies and 
individuals reap most of the advantages of low ex- 
change, while we supermtendents lose all of them 
severely. Our work as tea planters and factory 
managera is harder, more oontinaoaB and »nziou8 
