2Q0 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Oct.  i,  1892. 
and  go  in  for  hoDest  thorough  methods ; for  if 
these  branches  are  to  be  conduoted  on  the  pre- 
sent hollow  system,  the  results  must  be  defective 
and  ridiculous,  disappointing  to  those  who  look 
for  their  advantages  and  discouraging  to  the 
workers. — I am,  yours,  X, 
COFFEE  TEA. 
Sir, — I do  not  know  if  many  of  your  readers 
are  aware  that  a large  quantity  , of  tea  is  made 
from  coffee  leaves,  and  that  some  2,000,000 
persons  are  said  to  drink  this  coffee  tea.  It  has 
been  estimated  that  the  percentage  of  theine  in 
the  leaves  of  coffee  was  1'26  against  1‘00  in  the 
berry.  It  is  a question  whether  it  would  not 
be  an  advantage  to  pick  its  leaves,  and  if  so, 
as  long  as  it  did  no  harm  to  the  berry  it 
would  greatly  enhance  the  value  of  coffee  estates 
to  be  able  to  get  this  double  crop  ; oertainly  I 
think  the  experiment  would  be  worth  a trial. 
H.  H, 
[Oertainly  not;  planters  would,  by  depriving  the 
bushes  of  their  leaves,  be  imitating  leaf-disease, 
and  with  a like  evil  effect  on  crop. — Ed.  T.A.] 
WEEDS  AS  MANURE  FOR  TEA. 
Marakona,  Sept.  15th. 
Dear  Sir, — I have  read  with  interest  the  con- 
versation between  Tom  and  Plaoid  Joe  io  your 
issue  of  13th  inst.  The  latter  is  on  the  right  track ; 
green  weed  and  turf  worked  into  the  soil  is  the 
best  food  for  plants  of  all  descriptions;  if  we  have 
the  seed  in  the  ground  let  it  grow,  if  not  scratch 
your  soil  between  every  second  lme  same  as  S in- 
halese do  for  their  kurakkan.  Sow  kurakkan  or 
other  weeds,  back  them  down  when  grown  up  six 
inches,  new  shoots  will  come  up  ; roots  in  ground 
will  spread  ; when  again  six  inches  high,  if  ground 
is  not  well  oovered  again  repeat  the  cutting  down; 
but  if  well  covered  then  turn  the  soil  (weeds 
under)  with  mamoties,  give  a top  dressing  of  stiff 
soil  with  lime  (even  in  tea);  if  light  soil  with  wood 
ash,  smoothing  surface  if  on  steep  land  and  sow 
the  seed  of  small  oreepers  a grasses  * we  have 
in  Ceylon  which  do  not  grow  high  but  cover  the 
land  like  a green  sheet  to  protect  moisture  in 
soil, — absorb  more  of  our  rain  and  save  wash. 
The  first  time  you  prune  after  that  make  trenohes 
in  your  other  line,  out  up  the  prunings  small,  mix  with 
a little  soil  and  put  in  trenches,  oover  and  give 
a top  dressing  of  lime  or  ash  or  any  other  manure 
you  are  able  to  add  as  may  be  required.  This 
treatment  will  give  more  crop,  strength  in  tea,  if 
carefully  femented  flavour  in  cup,  estate  more 
valuable,  and  save  tons  of  soil  at  a moderate  expense. 
I know  clean  estates,  good  crops  and  cheap  work 
is  what  proprietors  want  and  therefore  visiting 
agents  try  for  it ; but  what  about  long  life  to  your 
trees  or  bushes,  future  outurn  and  value  of  estate? 
You  can  run  a willing  horse  to  death,  same  has 
been  the  case  with  many  coffee,  cinchona,  cacao 
and  tea  estates  already.  I know  estates  in  the 
front  rank  which  eventually  had  to  give  way  to 
others  that  were  despised  but  which  oame  on  at 
great  speed  and  are  now  far  ahead  of  their  former 
leaders  and  giving  handsome  returns.  The  soil  is 
so  grateful  if  you  only  treat  it  properly  (assist  it) 
that  you  can  grow  almost  anything  with  success 
in  Ceylon  — Yours  faithfully,  J.  HOLLOWAY. 
P.  S. — I know  of  fair  caoao  being  condemned 
some  years  ago  near  Wattegama;  cacao  and  shade 
was  out  down  and  tea  planted  where,  i a 'it'.Ie 
extra  assistance^had  then  been  given  and  proper 
work  done  that  caoao  would  now  have  given  good 
* Names  of  grass  or  samples  l will  give  to  any  one 
writing  for  it. 
profits.  Now  the  tea  (also  without  help)  never 
came  on  and  does  not  pay;  holes  are  again  cut  for 
caoao  after  so  much  soil  has  been  washed  away 
and  shade  lost,  What  a waste  of  time  and  money  ! — 
doing  things  in  haste  and  repenting  at  leisure, 
while  adjoining  estates  near  it  with  came 
soil,  carefully  nourished  at  the  proper  time  when 
young,  now  give  good  crops  and  paying  handsome 
profit,  worked  when  young  as  I describe  above. 
[As  we  understand  Mr.  Holloway,  he  fully  carries 
out  the  system  he  describes.  In  that  case  full 
accounts  of  results  would  be  valuable. — Ed.  T.A-1 
TEA  CULTURE  : THE  BURYING  OF  WEEDS 
AND  PRUNINGS. 
Sib, — The  following  satirical  conversation  be- 
tween two  old  planters  was  held  in  an  upcountry 
bungalow.  DEBILITATED  TEA  BUSH. 
Placid  Joe.— Good  morning  Tom,  have  asmoke? 
'10m.—  (Just  in,  anil  dashing  his  hat  on  the  table.) 
Smoke  ?! — be  blowed ! — That’s  all  you  think  of ! Why, 
that  wretched  tea  maker  of  mine  has  not  only  smoked 
but  burnt  about  a thousand  lb  of  leaf  last  night  : if 
this  sort  of  thing  continues  I shall  be  ruined  before 
my  time ! 
P.  J. — “Keep  your  hair  on"  old  man,  take  things 
philosophically,  better  let  him  burn  some  more,  you 
are  the  gainer  by  it-- 
T.  — Gainer  ! how  ? 
P.  J. — You  can  t put  your  tea  in  the  Colombo 
market  under  46c.,  the  average  price  there,  by 
last  sales  was  40c.,  ergo  you 've  saved  a clear  6c., 
a pound  by  it ! ! ! 
I.—  Hum  ! — well — but  how  is  one  to  produce  it 
for  less  ? 
P.  J.— “ Old  Coffee  Stump'  in  the  Observer  has 
thrown  out  a hint  or  two,  why  don’t  you  act  up  to  it  ? 
T. — “Old  Coffee  Stump"  ? ! some  Indian  planter,  Iex- 
pect,  come  over  here  to  try  and  teach  his  grandmother 
how  to  suck  eggs;  why  does  he  not  give  us  a reason 
for  his  absurdities  ? 
P.  J. — Likely!  but  you'll  admit  that  the  Indian 
planter  is  taking  the  wind  out  of  our  soils,  and 
probably  “Old Coffee  Stump  ’’  is  not  paid  to  give  his 
reasons. 
T. — Yes!  but  the  Indian  men  have  the  soil,  which 
we  lack. 
P.  J.— All  the  more  reason  why  we  should  make, 
the  most  of  the  little  we  have.  Scientists  have  proved 
that  the  principal  constituents  necessary  for  the  pro- 
duction of  good  tea  are  “potash”  and  “nitrogen,” 
from  the  analysis  of  the  soil  on  yrur  own  “totum," 
shows  that  it  is  woefully  deficient  of  both. 
T. — Granted,  but  how  am  I to  make  more  of  the 
wretched  soil  than  I do  ? I can’t  run  to  manure, 
that  ’s  fiat ! 
P.  J, — Why  keep  your  “totum”  so  free  of  weeds  ? 
T. — Good  Heavens!  surely  you  would  not  be  so 
idiotic  as  to  suggest  allowing  any  to  grow  ? There 
is  hardly  sufficient  nutriment  left  in  the  soil  as  it 
is  to  help  put  a little  flush  on  the  bushes,  yet  you 
would  have  me  grow  weeds  to  exhaust  the  soil  still 
more ! to  say  nothing  of  spoiling  the  look  of  my  estate. 
P.  J. — If  you  buried  the  u-eeds  in  green  you  would 
return  far  more  to  the  soil  than  they  took  out,  you 
would  return  what  has  been  taken  from  the  soil, 
plus  those  chemicals  (nitrogen,  &c.)  that  the  weeds 
have  absorbed  from  the  atmosphere,  leaving  aside  the 
! saving  of  wash.  Supposing  I were  to  clear  an  acre 
( of  jungle,  keep  it  free  from  weeds  and  drain  it  care- 
[ fully  without  growing  anything  upon  it,  do  you  mean 
: to  say  that  by  the  end  of  ten  years  that  land  will 
! have  improved?  Why,  the  sun  and  air  combined  con- 
j tinually  acting  "on  the  soil  would  tend  to  evaporate 
those  chemical  constituents  that  tea  soils  owe  their 
| fertility  to ; tea  4x4  does  not  use  all  the  soil  round 
1 it,  but  only  a little,  and  the  remainder  lying  idle, 
S I say,  becomes  barren.  I thought  profits  was  what 
you  were  working  for,  not  looks. 
' T. — That ’s  all  skittles  ! no  one  dees  it  in  the  island 
P.  J. — Well  they  do  it  in  India,  and  it  has  been 
* found  to  pay  there,  and  where  the  rainfall  is  far 
