July 2, 1894.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
49 
TEA CULTIVATION : 
EXPERIMENTS IN MANURING. 
We sent Mr, John Hughes, the eminent Analytical 
Ohemist, a oopy of Mr. Kelway-Bamber's new book j 
on tea, published under the auspices of the Indian 
Tea Association, feeling assured that Mr. Hughes 
would take a speoial interest in the contents of j 
the volume and favour us and out tea planting 
community with his critioism on the same. That j 
our anticipation was well-justified, Mr. Hughes' 
interesting, though only preliminary, letter 
(see page 57) fully shews. His ready sei- 
zure of the weak points in the author's Manur- 
ing Experiments, his shrewd observations, and his 
keen, critical analysis of the same, cannot fail to 
impress all careful readers. The Indian Tea Asso- 
ciation and the Assam planters who ara inclined to 
regard the new book as a standard authority — and 
very valuable it is in many departments — should 
be obliged to Mr. Hughes for shewing them where 
the Experiments reoorded therein, are deficient. 
For ourselves, we have all along regarded most of 
Mr. Kelway-Bamber's deductions in respect of culti- 
vation, and in connection with some others of his 
experiments, as based on too limited a period of 
observation and record. We must have in Ceylon 
experience in manuring and results, more valuable, 
if not more trustworthy, than those recorded in 
the volume under notice, because carried on 
systematically, over a greater number of years. 
On Mariawa'to plantation for instance, and on the 
" K.A.W." group, and under the careful direotion of 
the managing proprietor of. Dambullagalla and 
Pitakanda, and again under the auspices of the 
experienced Manager of Great Western — than whom 
no man in Oeylon or Iadia knows more of prao- 
tioal agriculture or believes more in due cultiva- 
tion and "tillage," — manuring has been oarried 
on for a long time, the reoord of which, if 
published, oould not fail to prove of the greatest 
value for general guidance. But managers and 
proprietors in suoh cases oftsn do not feel justified 
in goiog directly into print, though we feel sure 
that to an agent of the Planters' Association, 
the results would be given for bi3 guidance and 
for indirect reference. 
Wo mean that the time has coma for the Planters' 
Association of Ceylon to follow the example of the 
Indim Tea Association and to institute experi- 
ments both by analysis of soils and experimental 
manuring plots, suoh as Mr. Hughes has so often 
pressed on the attention of the Ceylon planters. 
The experimentalist, if he visited our different 
tea districts, could pick up, from planters of the 
stamp referred to, a great deal of information 
bearing on his work, and without giving names, 
he could well utilize the results in his Report, 
Turning more particularly to the contents of 
Mr. Hughes' present letter, it will be observed 
that he considers, in the Chittagong experiments, 
the manures— apart from results— were too con- 
centrated and applied in too large a quantity. 
So much was this the case, that " wasteful 
and positively injurious" are the terms applied; 
while Mr. Hughes is confident that judicious 
(that is moderate) and regular manuring of tea 
will be found to pay, inasmuch as it tends to 
permanently improve the fertility of the soil. In 
the oase of a good many of our tea planters of 
the present day— who pooh-pooh the idea of ap- 
plying manure to their tea so long as they see no 
appreciable difference in their crops, — is there not 
the danger of delaying too long? When a marked 
difference in the crops ccrncs to be observed, it may 
be too late to apply manures after '• the moderate, 
judicioua fashion" recommended by Mr. Hughes, 
beoausa both the soil and trees have been ne- 
glected so long that they are nearly played out 
Of oourse, there are very greit differences in soils, 
and full allowance has to be made for the effect of 
tillage in burying pruniDgs and other rubbieh, 
and for the benefit derived from our highly-charged 
tropical rains and atmosphere ; but allowing for 
all this, it cannot be right to go on taking, year 
by year, heavy crops per acre of made tea from 
Oeyjon tea plantations without doing something by 
way of return, in moderate, " judicious and regular 
manuring." 
COCOA AND COCOA CURING. 
JAMAICA AND TRINIDAD COMPARED. 
INTERVIEW WITH A PROMINENT THINIDADIAN. 
Of increased importance has become in these latter 
days what are called " the minor products " of 
Jamaica. The declension from its former status of 
the b'.nana trade, the decadence of the sugar and the 
comparative failure of oranges, has kd the agri- 
culturist of Jamaica, to devote more of his attention 
than formerly to the smaller forms of trade. Of 
these minor products the cocoa or cacao is the chief 
and highest in commercial value. 
Wo in Jamaica have not devoted much of our at- 
tention to this most profitable product, and what 
attention wa have displayed, and the results arising 
therefrom, have not beeu of much material commer- 
cial benefit to ourselves. "We can grow the tree 
better probibly better tb.au any country in the world; 
our seeds for plumpness and size come well oat of 
the comparison, but our methods of curing — in drying 
and fermenting — ara carried out with suoh a com- 
bination of careless' ess and ignorance thst our cocoa 
has neither a name in the market, nor can com- 
mand a competitive price with the produot of other 
countries. 
Trinidad is the home of the cocoa. Here is it found 
in all its variety and excellence, and the cocoa seeds 
of the Trinidad exporter find a readier buyer and a 
higher price than thoso of their competitors. 
A Gleaner reporter had the pleasure of an inter- 
view yesterday with Mr. Edwards George Kipps, a 
proxiueht solicitor and planter, and one of Trini- 
dad's most ardent champions of constitutional liberty, 
who is at present on a visit to Jamaioa for the pur- 
p sa of bringing to the attention of planters here the 
enormous possibilities of proper cocoa cultivation. 
" I do not see why," siid Mr, Kipp3, "Jamaica 
cocoa should not in the course of a few years acquire 
as high a reputation and become so profitable a trade 
as it is in Trinidad at present. You have here the 
very clima'e requisite for its growth, your extent of 
land is more and your country more populous. Cocoa 
will only grow within a certain zone or belt of 
temperature, and you in Jamaica have in my opinion 
a nea er approximatiou to the proper climate than we 
have in hotter Trinidad. It wou'd not grow well of 
course oo your high hid ranges, bat in your temperate 
valleys and splendid 6oils it would find a lucrative 
borne. Iu Jamaica you have besides the advantages 
of bananis as a trade. We plant bananas as shade 
trees for our cocoa, but we cannot utilize them as a 
trad-3 and h'lve simply to throw them aside. Here 
you can enjoin the two industrie?, and make a 
profitable trade of both. 
"What is your opinion, Mr, Kipp?,-of the Jamaica 
bean as compared with the well known Trinidad 
varieties ? " 
" Cocoa of coursa is like mangoes, sugar caDe, etc, 
ditrercnt species result from different classes ot soils, 
under different conditions and with different climates. 
I thiuk so far as tho bean is concerned Jamaica 
variety will naturally outatrip the Trinidad kind. It 
is larger, contains as much essouiial oils, is as rich 
and delicate. Bui. wuoro wo havo the advantage is 
that we have a proper and scientific By stem of "curing. 
You have not. 
