Sept. 1, 1899.J THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 163 
FACILITIES FOR MAKING TEA IN 
CEYLON : 
IN CONCLUSION. 
DIVERSE OPINIONS ON THE VALUE 
OF MANURING; PRUNING AND JATS. 
We find three returns from weil-known 
planters have escaped attention in our series 
of summaries on this subject. One of these 
writers who has had much experience in the 
systematic manuring of coffee as well as tea, 
in answer to our enquiry, " Would manuring 
improve the tea and be profitable in your 
opinion?" says: — "Yes, manuring is profit- 
able. I can't say it improves the tea: but 
it makes you pretty independent of the 
weather, for manured tea flushes, when the 
other through cliijiatic causes has got shut 
up" ; while a second, also a practical ob- 
servant Manager replies: — "Yes, both in 
quality and yield, and systematically car- 
ried out, manuring is profitable, with 
decent prices." The third answer comes 
from a v isiting Agent with a wide area of 
observation, who remarks: — "Manuring im- 
proves quantity of yield, but it is disputed 
as to its improving quality. It is only pro- 
fitable where estates yielded a profit pre- 
viously." Here then we have perhaps the 
last word upon "Manuring" until the scien- 
tists and especially Mr. Kelway-Bamber de- 
monstrate how both quality and quantity 
may be secured by carefully adopted man- 
tu'ing and appropriate cultivation. By the 
way, there is a rumour that in regard to the 
kind of application suited to Ceylon tea 
estates, there is a good deal of difference of 
opinion among Analytical Chemists, each of 
whom have testimonials from different dis- 
tricts as to the good effect of diverse manures. 
All will, no doubt, be made public in due 
season, and perhaps the old saying may come 
true that in "a multitude of counselloi's, 
there is safety." 
As regards other elements towards success- 
ful cultivation, it is noteworthy that while 
our "V.A." critic considers that machinery 
as a rule is now sufficient to the needs of 
factories— some, of course, being better pro- 
vided, especially in regard to withering room, 
so getting a higher average, — he adds that 
there are really very few factories in the 
island that have a sufficient reserve of 
withei'ing accommodation to cope with "the 
rush of leaf" which is experienced in most 
districts during one or other month of the 
year. In the same gentleman's opinion there 
should be no complaint of want of sufficient 
"motive power" now-a-days, in view of the 
great improvement in oil engines and the 
grant of a Customs rebate ou machinery 
oil. About "pruning" the same authoi'ity 
does not tliink that planters use the knife 
before there is the necessity nor that they 
prune severely where lighter pruning should 
suffice. In other words we have arrived at 
the stage in Ceylon where the superintend- 
ents of tea i^lantations have— through in- 
sti'uction, example, observation and experi- 
ence combined — acquired that practical ac- 
quaintance with their work in all its details, 
which in years gone by, placed them or 
their predecessors in the very forefront of 
the world's cultivators of coft'ee. Of course 
there are exceptions ; but we take it this 
is what our correspondents generally mean 
to imply. As regards "jat" we are shrewdly 
reminded that "a good jat tea as a rule 
gives more strength ; but medium jats give 
a better ap^jearance and sometimes better 
flavour" — to which may be added the fact 
that "indigenous" and so-called high class 
jat tea, has undoubtedly been found in 
Ceylon more subject to "blight" than the 
hardier Assam-hybrid. In judging of the 
older planting districts, we must always re- 
member how most of the estates 'were 
made out of old coffee or scrub land, and 
yet a good authority declares that estates 
within a ten mile radius of Kandy can hold 
their own as i-egards " quantity," though the 
average price for their tea can never be a 
high one. Tea of a good fair medium strength 
(says a planter within the radius) can be 
made ; but there are too many competitor's 
in the same grade, to benefit much thei-eby. 
On the other hand, he adds : — " we have the 
advantage of cheap transport which is not 
enjoyed by some other medium districts." 
The influence of "fine plucking" as regards 
quality and of particular seasons as respects 
both quantity and quality, must not be over» 
looked; while no doubt from "Diin to 
Beersheba" the cry of "the poor but honest 
and industrious planter" will find an echo, 
when he says:— "We can all grow tea, 
but it is a hard struggle to grow it so 
as to leave a margin of profit with low 
prices and high exchange." Nevertheless, 
let us hope that an increased demand 
for Ceylon tea in North America, Russia 
and the Continent generally may make the 
"margin" a real and constant factor; for 
as the old song has it :— 
" We've lippen'd aye to Providence, 
An' sae will we yet. 
Only the tea planters of Ceylon know well, 
and act on the knowledge, thi.t Providence 
generally helps those who help themselves 
— so, let the "Tea Cess" continue to be 
wisely administered and may our Indian 
planting neighbours do their best to get 
a similar Cess collected on their tea, so as to 
secure the means for driving out "China's and 
' Japan's ' from North America and the Conti- 
nent ,of Europe, at the earliest possible date. 
Manuring Fruit-trkes in Holstein.— A 
metliod ot fertilising fruit-trees in vogue in Hol- 
stein i'' suggestive, and not unworthy of a trial. 
Tlie trees, it is said, receive no cultivation, and 
tue fruit is large, sound, and produced in aliutid- 
aiice. Every two years a few iioles "re dug in 
the giouud about 4 or 5 feet from the trunk of 
the tree, and about I f(jot deep, closer and shal 
lower HI the case of young trees. These boles 
are liUed with liquid-manure about four times 
during tlie v.dnter months, and for young trees 
this IS diluted witli water. If there is mora liquid- 
manure than is wanted, it is distributed over 
tlie surface of the orchard, using an old street 
sprinkling-waagon for the purpo.se. There js no 
leason why manure water should not be used 
onec or twice after it is seen what the crop ia 
likely to be; of course, not affording any at that 
season to trees not bearing a crop, or which are 
carrying only a few fruits, as to dose them would 
be to encourage, probably, an unnecessary growtii 
of shoots. But in this matter, the cultivator must 
be guided by the condition of the trees, and of 
the soil. 
