Jan. I, 1894O THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST, 
No. XXVII. 
Deae Sie,— I agree with the South of India 
Observei-'a correspondent that tea of pnre China 
jS,fc if in good soil, highly cultivated, carefully 
pruned and plucked and the leaf carefully 
manufactured can be made to pi-oduce a tea equal in 
appearance to Assam Hjbrid, but not equal in strength 
or flavour or likely to reilise as high prices. 
I further agrea vfith him that a good hy- 
brid is the most suitable and most profitable 
for bill cultivation at least in Ceylon. China 
or any poor jat may give fair returns when 
young and if in good soil, but the roots spread 
to rapidly, and throw up so many shoots that 
yield and flavour must fall off and the cost of cultiva- 
tion increase especially with regard to pruniug 
to keep the bushes in bearing and out of blossom 
and seed. I do not think that Assam Indigenous is 
suitable for hill cultivation in Ceyloo. It grows long 
ehoots resulting in slow and poor flashes and a poor tea. 
The valuable information on tea that Mr. Ruther- 
ford has supplied us with must make every one 
interested in this product, welcome him back to the 
country, not only for what he hea already done but 
for fresh advice he is likely to be able to give us. 
He may see or think of changes in the style of 
cultivation, plucking and manufacture and any 
opinions of his would be of very great interest and 
value, especially on the point of how to get the 
most profitable return from estates, good, bad and 
indifferent. 
The question of whether high prices with a 
smaller yield or lower prices with a larger yield pays 
best, Btill seems rather uncertain. 
Could Mr. Rutherford be induced to add to our 
obligations to him by giving us any fresh opinions he 
may form from his Tisit before he leaves for the old 
country again. J. S. T. 
No. XXVIII, 
Dear Sib, — "25 Yeara a Planter" is right inhis ideas. 
Oiven an estate, with good jat, good soil, and high 
elevation, its teas are boand to fetch a good price with 
very ordinary manipulation. 
With coQstant care in the field and factory its teas 
will always give a stand-out price. 
By sacrificing quantity such an estate might almost 
at any time be (jalleried in the London market. 
These are conditions, however, with which only a 
fen estates here and there have to deal. 
Ordinary jdt, moderate soil, and medium elevation 
represent the bulk of Ceylon estates. 
Jat undoubtedly gives strength, and is of much 
importance. 
Good soil gives quantity ; but I don't think it has 
anything to do with flavor, or so little that it may be 
dismissed from our calculations. 
To get strength and flavor combined which will 
Rive prices, we need an exposure and elevation that 
prevents the tea flushing too qv.icklij ; the longer a 
shoot is in coming to maturity without getting bard, 
the better will be the quality of the tea made from it. 
This I think is the reason why so many of the high 
estatfls get a uniformly better price than the low- 
country and medium elevation places, whose teas 
flush 80 rapidly that they are (so to speak) in the tea 
pot, while the leaf on the higher estates (it may be 
in equally large quantities, because there are a greater 
number of buds and shoots on the bushes) is developing 
into that delicate pleasant flavour, which will always 
command a high figure. 
The best tea I have tasted was on a Kandspola 
estate ; its exquisite quality I attributed entirely to the 
length of time the shoots had been in maturing on 
the basil. 
Medium elevation estates can get large returns per 
acre and good prices, but can only be (jalleried at the 
expense of quantity, and that to an extent that will 
never pay. OLD HAND. 
61 
No. XXIX. 
DeAb Sm, — " 25 Years a Planter " says the three 
desiderata— good tea, good prices and good yield — 
are only obtainable under the three conditions of: 
good jat, good soil and elevation, and that the 
absence of any one of these conditions will certainly 
prevent their combined realization ? It ia an open 
question whether there do not exist many known 
exceptions to this rule. But, as a rule, the said 
three conditions are good and desirable things ; 
though in the nature of things they are not, and 
cannot be, possessed by nine-tenths of the Ceylon 
estates. We must strive to secure the good prices 
and good yield, without at least one of them—' 
elevation. 
1. Soil should give quantity everywhere. 
2. Elevation do quaJity. 
y. Soil and 
elevatien do quantity and qnalityi 
This almost irrespective of jat, though good jifc 
improves the yield if not the quality. 
The question then seems to merge into one 
of jat. 
Quantity. — I do not think " only China," or mixed 
China and Assam will ever yield anywhere auch 
large pluckings as onlij good Assam. 
Quality. — I think " only China " fields will give 
as good i/ualiti/ as only good Assam yields. But 
mixed China and Assam can scarcely give such good 
quality as only the one or the other, because of 
the fundamental difficulty of obtaining a good and 
even wither from leaf of many textures, and good 
tea depends very much upon an even wither. 
" 30 YEARS A PLANTER." 
No. XXX. 
Dec. 5. 
Deae Sib,— I agree with " 25 Yeara a Planter," 
but would add good shelter aa an essential to seoura 
the beat prices with best returns per acre. Poor soil 
with poor jdt will never pay, no matter what tha 
elevation. A good jat in poor soil will change its 
character and very indifferent results : at a high 
elevation. A medium classed hybrid tiushes best ; a» 
a low elevation the higher the jfit the finer will bo 
the returns. A. F. S • 
No. XXXI. 
Dec. 5. 
Dear Sir,— With regard to the letter from " 25 
Years a Planter " there is no doubt that high eleva- 
tion, good soil and good jat are the most important 
factors in obtaining both large yields and good prices. 
But I think also that climate has much to do with 
it and is it not a fact that as a rule June, July, August 
and September are our best months for good teas, 
both in Dimbula and Udapussellawa, although in 
Dimhula it is wet and in Udapussellawa it is dry 
during those months ? 
Is it possible that the south-west monsoon carries 
tea flavour? Why do teas from the same estate 
vary considerably during the twelve months ? 
For good prices also it is essential that a quick 
good wither should be obtained, and I have rather 
a strong belief that the situation of a factory (and at 
all events of its withering rooms) is of more import- 
ance than is generally suppased. The wither I look 
upon as the chief point iu the factory work though 
every stage is of importance. My ideas may be all 
wrong, but such aa they are I give them.— Yours truly 
IGNORAMUS. 
No. XXXII. 
Dear Sir,— From what I see of tea at » medium 
elevation and in fairly good soil, really good jit 
piys much better than Hjbrid or China ; but whit 
I stand in need of here ia a good Factory lo be able 
to alwayi turn out good tea. This ii only a matter 
of m ney, but these trifles are not alw*;ii easilj 
overcome.— Your truly, MEDIITM KLEVATION. 
