July 1, 1899.1 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
17 
FACILITIES FOK MAKING GOOD TEA :-VI. 
It is perhaps, a good sign that even the 
new districts declare that better tea might 
be made with better soil ; for although the 
declaration may be regarded as a confession 
of universal poverty of soil, we prefer to 
look on it as a recognition of the truth, too 
ofteii forgotten, or ignored, that the soil re- 
quires to he liberally treated if it is to yield 
of its best. What if our soil as a whole is 
poor? It has yet shown its suitability for 
the profitable cultivation of tea ; and it .'s 
far better to know its deficiencies and to 
supply them, by the aid of agricultural 
chemistry, than to live in a fool's paradise, 
or deliberately to conceal facts in a way to 
imperil a gi-eat industry, while injuring in- 
dividual interests permanently. It is in that 
view we welcome the declaration from Mas- 
keliya that the "want of richness in the 
soil" is the great drawback to making better 
tea. The up-to-date planters of a progressive 
district are not the men to make a declara- 
tion like that, and then to fold their hands 
and expect the soil to improve under con- 
templation. No ; it will be their endeavour 
to give the soil what it lacks. With the 
jat of the bushes "fairly good," they will 
not be discouraged by the knowledge that 
the soil is "rather inferior, generally speak- 
ing" ; and we are not surprised at the con- 
clusion that manuring should be resorted tc, 
to keep the bushes in heart, and enable 
them to bear the constant plucking to which 
they are subjected all the year round, though 
doubt is expressed if direct profits are real- 
izable through manuring "with present 
prices." But that was written early in Oc- 
tober ; and since then prices have advanced ; 
while there is reason to hope, with the grow- 
ing demand, especially outside the United 
Kingdom, for Ceylon tea, that prices will 
not run down again to the lowest point 
reached last year. The factories are, as a 
rule, well-provided witji withering room, 
machinery and motive power ; and that must 
he a great help in the endeavour to produce 
good tea; while, with the labour force 
ample, and pruning practised with the wis- 
dom which avoids severity on the one hand, 
and postpones the use of the knife too long 
on the other, nearly all the facilities for 
making good tea are present. The prices 
which Bunyan and Ovoca estates fetched 
only a few days ago in the open London 
market, proclaims the high position which 
Maskeliya enjoys as a tea district, and only 
confirms the correctness of the reply to our 
circular which claims that the soil, despite 
its deficiencies and its appearance, grows tea 
well, though large yields and high quality 
cannot be expected in combination, and that 
the climate and the rainfall further contri- 
bute to the popularity of the district for 
residential and agricultiu'al purposes. 
In Bogawantalawa, among the drawback 
to making better tea, are mentioned coarse 
plucking, want of care in plucking, and defi- 
cient withering space. The jat of tea varies 
on different estates, but on the whole it is 
fairly good. The soil, too, similarly varies 
— estates which had grown coffee being more 
or less worn, while the soil on others is 
good. The district, we are surprised to learn, 
is a stranger to manuring — the cost of trans- 
port, we fancy, proving an obstacle ; but 
confidence is expressed that the application 
of manures would be of advantage. Wither- 
ing space is declared to be decidedly deficient 
on some estates, and so with machinery; 
hut most estates have sufficient motive power, 
except dining a severe drought when water 
power fails. Like almost every other dis- 
trict, Bogawantalawa has had labour enough, 
and more than enough, during the past 
year; but matters, we suspect, are different 
now. Severe pruning is held accountable 
for reduced prices, though the yield has 
been increased by severity; but in some 
cases fields have been spared a taste of the 
knife too long; and in such cases it is 
claimed that flavour has been maintained. 
Is it not the case that pruning too long 
neglected must be generally followed by 
severe handling? And does not the bush 
suffer from such treatment? It is no un- 
certain claim that is preferred on behalf of 
Bogawantalawa— that it is well adapted for 
tea ; and, given good factory accommodation 
and other aids to manufacture, its teas 
should be as flavoury as those of any other' 
district of a like elevation. False economy 
in plucking and in manufacture is held res- 
ponsible for disappointing prices on som« 
places. 
NOTES FROM OUR LONDON LETTER. 
London, May 5, 1899. . 
The 
KLANANG PRODUCE CO., LD., 
of which 1 sent a forecast last mail» 
issues its prospectus tlii§ Week; The shafg 
capital is £20,000, divided intet 20,(100 onte 
pound shares, and the present issue is 
£13,.500, of which 7,500 fully paid-up shares 
will be issued to the vendor in satisfaction o{ 
the purchase ijrice, and 7,800 shares at par 
are now ottered for subscription payable 2/6 
on application, 2/6 on allotment and th«^ 
balance as required. Mr. F. H. Wiggin, of 
Ceylon and Woolstone, Cheltenham, is Chair- 
man, and the three gentlemen mentioned 
last week, viz., Messrs. Ed. Walker, Jas. 
M. Caine and David K. Michie, of Ceylon, 
are directors ; bankers, the National Bank 
of India ; solicitors, Messrs. Murray, Hutchingj 
Stirling and Murray, 11, Birchin Lane, E.C,; 
Secretary, Mr. A. M. Currie ; offices, 17, Phil* 
pott Lane, E.C. The Company is formed to 
take over, carry on and develope the KlananPT 
and Beaumont estates in the Federate^ 
Malay States of Selangor. Klanang is planted 
with 206 acres of coconuts and Liherian coffeti 
five acres of cacao, 14 months old ; four of 
coconuts alone, half being in bearing ; and 41 
acres are to be planted with tea, for tea 
seed ; while from 1,705 to l,924i acres remain at 
present, jungle reserve. On Beaumont there 
are 90 acres of Liberian coffee, two yeais 
old ; 148 cleared and drained, but not vet 
planted, and 156^ to 3944 still in jungle. Cocc 
nuts grow well and ai-e extremely produc- 
tive in the Klanang district, and it is in- 
tended to pay special attention to that pro* 
duct, but coffee, rubber, ramie, etc., willafl 
probably be included in the cultivation and 
development of the Company's estates. The 
two estates have been valued by Mr. E. V 
Carey, who put the Klanang estate' at 
47,645 dollars, and the Beaumont nroner^v 
11,008.50 dollars, * ^ 
