9 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [July 1893. 
Tanni7i %n Tea. 
The amount of tannin in Indian and Ceylon 
teas has bee» made a special subject of in- 
vestigation by Mr. David Hooper, f.C.s., F.I.C. 
The process he employed is that known as the 
acetate of lead process. His results were com- 
manicated in a paper to the Cheiiik-al News, 
1890. Of prior determinations of tannin he says : 
"Mulder's determinations of tannin in teas are 
often quoted in text books ; his figures for black 
tea are 12 88 and 17'80 per cent. JJragendortt" 
found in teas of Russian commerce 9 42 to 12-70 
per cent; Janke obtained a maximuni of 9'14 
and a minimum of 6'92 per cent in eigliteen 
samples. Wigner analysing some astringent teas 
reported as much as 27'7 to 42'3 jier cent. 
Hassall gives as the average 15-24 in l>hick and 
18'69 per cent in green teas ; Clark found from 
$ to 19 per cent; and Geisler, an American 
chemist obtained 14-87 as the average percentage 
of tannin in a large nuniber of packages of 
Indian teas imported into New York." 
Mr. Hooper enumerates 29 deterniinations of 
tannin in >filgiri teas grown at elevations varying 
from 3,100 to 7,800 feet. The amount of tannin 
found varied from I0'14 per cent in Aratapara 
congou (3,400 feet elevation) to 24-;<7 in (Ireen 
Mandarin broken pekoe (4,000 feet elevation). 
In si?c samples of Travancore tea grown at 
elevations from 2,500 to 2,600 feet, the tannia 
varied from 17 '37 per cent in Poonnmddie pekoe 
(2,600 feet elevation) to 2122 percent in yeafield 
broken pekoe (2,500 feet elevation). 
Three samples of Coorg tea at an elevation 
of 4,000 feet yielded 15-15 to 16-93 per cent. 
In Darjeeling tea, at an elevation of 3,000 feet, 
the range was from 13 61 in orange pekoe to 
17'74 in broken pekoe. 
In Assam tea, grown at an elevation of 600 
fe^t, he found from 1618 per cent in pekoe 
souchong, to 20-80 per cent in broken pekoe. 
The following are the results Mr. H<)oi)er 
obtained from 13 samples of Ceylon tea : — 
Determinations of Tatmm in Ceylon Teas. 
(Hooper.) 
.2 
C x 
No. 
Napie of ijstate. 
Description of 
Tea. 
> ^ 
O 
H - 
1 
Gtlenorchy . . . 
Broken pekoe 
5,700 
19-00 
2 
Do 
Pekoe 
4,000 
17-90 
3 
Brpwnlow ... 
Do 
20-80 
4 
Do 
Do 
19-22 
5 
Ancombra ... 
Broken pekoe 
2,500 
18-40 
6 
Yellangowry 
Pekoe 
15-67 
7 
Do 
Do souchong 
15-00 
8 
Bandarapolla 
Broken pekoe 
1,600 
18-53 
9 
Do 
Pekoe 
17-40 
10 
Do 
Do souchong 
17-20 
11 
Kanangama . . . 
Broken pekoe 
2')0 
20-87 
12 
Do 
Pekoe 
) » 
17-18 
13 
Do 
Do souchong 
15-il 
Average of thirteen determinations 
17-91 
From his analyses Mr. Hooper chaws the 
conjjjusions " that the finest teas are those that 
conif^ijp piost tannin, that there is a gradual 
decj,^iqn of ^his principle as we approach the 
souehongs ^nd congoifs, and that elevation does 
not appear to affect the an^ouat lof taiioin as is 
coniroonly j^qppoatsd, " , , . i 
Tea Pruuiitys. 
Tea buiiheit are pruned about once in eighteen 
months. The prunmgs may lie buried, left lying 
on the ground or removed either U) \>t aadei 
directly or after burning to the eonipuat heap. 
In any case it is interesting to know tli« amount 
of fertilising matter contained in the prunings. 
Estimation of Ffrtiliainy inuttir and Oxide 
of Mungumav in Tea-pruningn. 
The following is an estimation of tiie amount 
of fertilising matter and of oxide of manganese 
in tea prunings based upon an analysis of the 
prunings of ten trees from .Madulkelle Estate, 
Ceylon. The prunings were received made up 
into two j)areeU for separate analysis, one of 
which contained leaves, twigs and a few »et)d«, 
the other the stronger portions of ihe bnuicUes 
together with some twigs. 
Analysis of I.eactM, ISriys and Seeds. 
When drie<l the parcel wa« found to contain 
,56-67 ounces of dry matter. The dry matter 
yielde<l 2 794 per cent of nitrogen and 6-02 |km- cent 
of a«h. The asU liad the following comiHwiiiou;— 
Aiuily^tn of Anil of Tea fji-uuiugs 
f Lea vex, Tirign and Seeds J. 
Lime 
Potash 
Phosphoric acid 
Bed oxide of Manganese 
Other constituents 
15-61 
22 13 
.5-91 
2-91 
53 44 
100- (0 
The total weight of each 
grediPiits in the 56-67 ounces 
follows: — 
of the above in- 
of dry matter was 
therefoie as 
Nitrogen .. ... ... 1'583 ounces. 
Lime ... ... . . -533 ,, 
I'otiish ... ... ... '755 ,, 
Phosphoric acid ... -202 ,, 
Red oxide of Manganese .. '099 ,, 
Other constituents of Ash .. 1-823 ,, 
Total .\sh 3-412 
Analysis of Branches and Twigs. 
When dried this parcel was found to contain 
46-257 ounces of dry matter. The <lry matter 
yielded 126 per cent of nitrogen and 2 05 per cent 
of a-sh. The ash hati the following comjiosition:— 
Analysis of Ash of Tea prunings 
(Branches and TtoigsJ. 
Lime ?0-300 
Potash 25-600 
Phosphoric acid ... ... 9-350 
Red oxide of Manganese ... ... 2-420 
Other constituents ... ... 42-330 
100 000 
The total weight of each of the above in- 
gredients in the 46-257 ounces of dry matter 
was therefore as follows: — 
Nitrogen . ... . 583 ounces. 
Lime .. ... ... 192 
Potash ... ... ... -243 
Pliosphoric acid ... -89 
Red oxide of j\Iangaue.se .. -023 ,, 
Other constituents of as!) -401 ,, 
Total ash... ... -1)48 
The following then givf.s in taijular iorm the 
amounts of the important ingredients of plant 
food contained in the prunings of ten tea trees 
and also in the prunings of tea per a^re of 
3,110 trees:— 1 
