834 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST, 
[June 1, 1901. 
TEA CULTI VATIO^^ : 
MANURING TO LIVE— AND MANURING 
FOR QUALITY. 
During the scare created by the excess of 
tea shipments to London, a great deal of 
nonsense was written about the injury 
done by " manuring", some writers— no doulit 
the owners of plantations on virgin soil — 
going so far as to recommend a prohibitive 
import duty on artificial manures. These 
gentlemen would probably have protested 
loudly, if they had been told:— "then, you 
want to ruin and snuff out your poorer 
neighbours with tea on old colfee land "; but 
such would have been the inevitable and im- 
mediate result of their policy. Liberal cul- 
tivation, including the application of a 
certain proportion of artificial manure, ac- 
cording to scientific principles, is an absolute 
necessity to make tea at all remunerative in 
certain old districts, and indeed we have 
lately had evidence put before us that it is 
equally required at an early stage in some 
of the younger districts if the crops are to 
be maintained and the bushes kept healthy 
and vigorous. What for instance do the 
opponents of manuring say to an authentic 
case of this kind : — 
" Orifiitially — was one of the finest estates 
in the Kelani Valley ; but some two or tliiee years 
ago, it was drifting into an exliaiisted, played- 
out condition, the flushes being poor, and the 
teas characterless, greatly wanting in body and 
Btrength. The line free loamy soil and forcing 
climate produced heavy crops for 10 years with 
consequent exhaustion of essential fertilising 
constituents, while the excessive rainfall added to 
the exhaustion by loss of nitrates, through the 
soil, especially so when root decay set in, the 
first indication of declining fertility. 
" Some 12 heavy crops were carried off on the 
older fields without manure ; no pruiiings were 
buried. The crops and prunings represent a 
loss of 1,052 lb. nitrogen, 850 lb, potash, and 
235 lb. phosphoric acid, apart from heavy mecha- 
nical surface wash and filtration loss by 
leakage of nitrates through the soil. It would 
cost to replace these essential ingredients by 
artificial mixtures R624 per acre. This represents 
the drain of capital in the shape of essential 
food constituents taken from the land, wliich is 
not returned in the case of tea by any ordinary 
natural process. The importance of buryinir 
prunings from the exhaustion point of view is 
clear, and can scarcely be gainsaid, as consider- 
ably more than half the loss would in this way 
be avoided. 
We suppose it will be agreed that the 
proprietor of this plantation ought to have 
"manured to live'"— to keep up his tea— from 
an early stage. No doubt the barying of 
prunings would have helped ; but that is not 
enough as experienced managers in the Agras 
division of Dimbula, for example, know well. 
Next as to " manure spoiling the quality 
of tea" instead of, when scientifically used, 
causing an improvement, we have a com- 
munication from a planter who ought to 
know a good deal experimentally on the sub- 
ject. He writes as follows : — 
" MANURE SPOILING TilK QUALITY OF TEA." 
A good deal has lieen written lately in 
regard to tliis. I have myself no evidence 
that manuring on the lines 1 have laid down 
lowers the quality, if elevation, soil and 
climatic conditions are similar, and the pluck- 
ing and condition of the bushes fioiii 
pruning, are identical. Until after iiepieuiber 
last year a large yield from more or less coarse 
plucking paid me best. Oa my return heie in 
Decemlj'ir last, however, I sound the^sys^tem com- 
pletely played out, — for the present any way if not 
for good and all, — and that finer pluckiiif^ must 
be adopted, if we are to realise a fair return on 
our capital. I gathered from my friei!<is in 
London, including one of the largest I lenders, 
that if Ceylon and India continued to glut the 
ni a ket wich common teas, they might any 
day become unsaleable and wi;!i ele:in, and sweet 
pekoe-sonchongs down to .3d lo '.i^il. per lb., 
we do not appear to be very far ott' this point; 
in view of this I altcied my whole syslem. 
Two breaks iiave been shipped to London and 
the balance up to 10th April has lieen sold 
locally and includes all teas m.-uie during the time. 
The whole of the teas has realised 41 cents per lb. 
average. This compares favourably with any of 
my nei;;:!ibours who are [ducking fine and who 
don't lOLU.are or manure lightly. The piices real- 
ised are nei:rly double compared to wiiat was re- 
alised for October, November and December teas 
plucked in the old way,— some 12:^,000 lbs of 
wliich sold for an average of 2.'? '36 cents per lb. 
This only showed f cent per lb profit over cost of 
production. So far as I have yet judgad we shall 
get 500 lbs per acre average ail rourjd an<l produce 
it with liberal cultivation, at 28 cents including 
the keeping up of the full manuring programme, 
against 800 lbs produced at 22 cents and 
probably only realising 23^ cents, if that; 
in the one case showing a profit of IJs 12 
per acre and in the other Rs. 65, I 
have on several occasions senc teas from 
the regularly manured fields on Pitakande, every 
two years since 1888-89, and have invariably 
had them reported on as better both in regard to 
strength and quality than teas from fields nn- 
mauured or manured only once — other condi- 
tions being . as near as possible the same, the 
valuations were J to -J per lb. better in favour 
of teas from the manured fields. I consider the 
" lowering" ot " quality" from " manuring" argu- 
ment absurd, if all otiier conditions are equal. Of 
course, the manures must be balanced to re- 
quirements. There is still considerable scope 
for investigation in regani to this. I have no 
doubt further improvements will be effected 
and the joint action of the esseiitial ingredients 
in regani to improvement iu quality belter 
understood. A good inany of us are working 
at the problem and we may safely iiope for 
good results when sufficient time has elapsed 
to test the various priints raised." 
There speaks common-sense as well as 
shrewd observation .vnd actual experience. 
Manuring cannot be dispensed with in many 
cases; but it can be soused, with fine pluck- 
ing, as to reduce the quantity of the crop 
— as in the above case — not iO, but 4o per 
cent ; while the quality and probable prices 
are improved 47 to 50 per cent ! 
Cacao Pods and Seeds.— Following up 
the discussion started by M". (Jarruthers in 
the Tropical Agriculturist a " Cacao Plan- 
ter sends us . a register of measurements 
kept by him which may perhaps be of service, 
in pursuing the enquiry. It will be found 
an another page. 
