566 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [Feb. 1, 190L 
PER CONTRA. 
Amherst, Udapussellawa, Jan. 10. 
Sir, — In the footnote to my letter (t; icZe local 
" Times " of 14th) it is said that very little 
manuring of any sort is done in India, and 
that forcing manures are practically un- 
known there. If this is the case it only 
strengthens my argument, as it is quite 
absurd to think that India will join us in 
the abandonment of 10 per cent, of bearing 
tea as long as we go on glutting the market 
with artificial aids. Why don't people who 
are crying out against the Over-production, 
Fut it down to its real cause, viz , mamtre. 
know estates at high elevations (4,8u0 ft. to 
5,000 ft.) that have nearly doubled their yield 
from fields that would give 450 lb. to .500 lb. 
naturally and, pace Mr. W. D. Bosanquet, 
there are very few estates that have reached 
the stage of manuring half every year 
their whole bearing acreage. A few may be 
doing so, and they are more than anything 
else the curse of Ceylon and the tea industry. 
Mr. Kelway Bamber in his pamphlet page 74 
says : "There is little doubt that the present 
crop of Ceylon could be increased by J or 
more, and this without the employment of 
very expensive, though somewhat stimu- 
lating, manures. But prices would drop, 
&c., &c." With estates at liberty to use 
manure ad lib, the mere fact of abandoning 
10 per cent, of our acreage will have abso- 
lutely no effect on the present output and 
we should be worse off than ever. 1 would 
suggest : — 
1. Put a stop to manuring by a prohibitive 
duty. Then abandon 10 per cent, if necessary. 
2, Get Ceylon and Indian Governments to 
put a stop to further increase of area under 
tea— Yours, &c., 
NORTH C. DAVIDSON. 
THE SILVER OAK -A QUERY. 
Delta, Pussellawa, 19th Jan., 1901. 
Dear Sir,— Can you give me any informa- 
tion about the silver oak ? Is it a quick- 
growing fuel tree or merely ornamental and 
About what size does it grow ? Yours faith- 
fully, A. L. F, 
[In a list of over fifty kinds of oak with pop- 
ular English names, we cannot find "the 
Silver Oak. ' Does our correspondent mean 
* the silky oak " of Queensland, which is 
the well-known grevillea robusta that ought 
to, and no doubt does, grow rapidly to be 
a very large tree in the delightful climate 
and soil of Pussellawa ? There is besides 
the " silver tree " (Leucadendron argenteum) 
or " Witteboom" of Cape Colonists; but it 
is a small shrub useful for fuel.— Ed. T.A ] 
OVER-PRODUCTION AND THE 
REMEDY, 
Jan. 23. 
Sitt,— -Mr. Rosllng's jnoposal, which I have 
written in support of, is certainly not put 
forward from the altruistic point of view, 
nor does it ask anyone to give away a part 
of his profit for someone else's benefit, or 
it would deservedly earn Mr. Wiggin'a 
title of "Puerile." The essence of the pro- 
posal is that the letting of 10 per cent of 
the acreage of India and Cevlon run un- 
plucked, will reduce the output of tea by 
25 million lb., and that 25 million lb., taken 
off the market, will raise the price of tea 
Id i)er lb. Granted the correctness of the 
above premises, and the rest is capable 
of proof, and each estate can work out the 
result for itself. 25 million II). is about seven 
per cent, of ihe probable yield for 1901. I 
give a few examples of how the plan would 
work and each estate can correct the 
hgures in the light of its own estimate. 
My own belief is that the high estates would 
benefit more than the low, and that the 
rise in teas of high quality would be more 
probably Ud per lb., as their loss would be 
more felt in the market— Yours etc.. faith, 
fuUv, 
WILLIAM D. BOSANQUET. 
Take 3 average estates ot 500 acres giving at 
present 500 lb. of tea per acre at three elevations. 
HIGH INSTATE. 
500 lb. per acre at 9d nett or 
54cts=250,000 lb ... =K135.000 
Expenditure, at 30c ts per lb. =K 75,000 
Profit ... R 60,000 
50 acres at 400 lb. per acre taken 
out=20,000 lb. 230,CU0 lb. of tea at 
lOd ncLt of 60cts ... --ill.38,0:o 
lixijenditure, less sax inj,' on 
50 acres K5,000 ... =1{ 70,000 
Profit ... R 68,000 
MEDIUM ESTATE. 
500 lb. per acre at 6Jd nett or 
39cts=250,000 lb. ... =K 97,500 
Expenditure, at 26cts per lb. ... =11 65,000 
Profit ... R 32,000 
50 acres at 30O lb. per acre 
taken out=15,000 lb.; 23.5,' 00 lb. 
of tea at 75d nett or 45cts ... =R105,750 
Expenditure, less saving on 50 acres =li 62^000 
Profit ... R 43,750 
LOW ESTATE. 
500 lb. per acre at 4Jd nett or 27 cts 
=25t,t00 ib.=R 67,500 
Expenditure at 22 cts per lb. ... =K 55,mo0 
Profit ... R 12,500 
50 acres at 300 lb. iier acre taken out 
= 15,000 lb.235,000 lb. of tea at 5Ad 
nett or 33 cts=R 77,550 
Expenditure, less saving on 50 acres =K 63,000 
Profit ... K 24,5.59 
FINALLY TAKE THE BEST ESATE I KNOW. 
500 acres at 800 lb. per acre at 8^d or 
61 cts=R2n4,000 
Expenditure, at 24 cts per lb. ... =K 96,000 
Profit ... RIOS.OOO 
450 acres at 800 lb. =360,000 Jb at 
g^d or 57 cts=R205,200 
Expenditurej less saving on 50 acre-, iR 90,000 
Profit ... R115,200 
The figures are, of course, only approximate. 
W.D.B, 
