752 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[May 1, 1900. 
planted land ? I tliink that yonr Directory appa- 
rently shows tliat it lias, and tliat not only has it 
kept np but that tlie yiehl has increased per acre, 
as I endeavour to sliow. Be^innirif; in 1883, the 
first year tliat the export, exceeded 1,000,0(JO 11). 
I (ind that the exports amounted to 1,665,708 lb. 
The acreage of tea in cnltivalion in same year is 
32,000, friun this I would deduct the acreage 
planted duiintc the three previous years, as cer- 
tainly not in besrinu;, this aniounts according to 
Directory to 25,500 acres leaving 6,500 acres 
yielding 256 lb. per acre. In 1888, cr five year.s 
after, the acreage planted is 18.3,000, deductin? as 
before the tea ])lanted dwrinf,' the previous throe 
years whi'^h amount to 1 10,000 acres there remains 
77,000 acres, export for the year is 3,820,723 lb. or at 
the rate of 309 lb. per acre. In 1893 or after another 
period of five years, the acreage under tea is 
27.3,000, including 63,000 acres planted during the 
previous three years, deducting this the result is 
205,000 acres, export 82,269,353 lb. or at the rate of 
401 lb. per acre. In 1893 there are .364,000 acres of 
tea, deduct 75,000 acres planted during the pre- 
vious three years leaving 289,000 acres, exports 
are 119,769,071 lb. of tea or 414 lb. per acre. 
Taking 1899 with (an estimated) planted acreage 
of 375,000, 70,000 acres was plante.l during the 
previous three years, .subtracting this there re- 
mains 305,000 acres with an export accoi ing to the 
Chan:berof Commerce returns of 129,894,156, or at 
the rate of 425 lb per acre, or, put siinply.llie above 
comes to the following :— 
Year. Acres of Tea in bearing. Yield per acre. 
1883 .. 6.500 ... 256 1b. 
1888 .. 77,000 .. 309 „ 
1893 .. 205,000 .. 401 „ 
1898 . . 289,000 . . 414 „ 
1899 . . 305,000 ... 425 „ 
Of course an important factor to be taken into 
consideration with the increase of yield, is when 
the bulk of the tea in the loWcountry came into 
bearing, this would give the yield per acre for the 
whole island a perceptible rise. There is no doubt 
as yet that the lowcountry tea has not gone back, 
in spite of sporadic attacks of grey blight. 
(2) Is it well to manure Tea on virgin soil ?— If 
the " virgin soil " was suitable for opening in tea, 
(I exclude patna and eiiena land-s), and was pro- 
perly drained wlien opened it should not require 
manure for at least fifteen years and I question if 
there is much tea planted in such land in Ceylon 
of that age. With regard to those estates you 
mention " formed out of virgin land doing weli, 
and in good heart, or if shewing any slackness 
only of a few months duration, due to .seasonal 
influences. Should they be manured ?" One would 
imagine that the obvious answer to this would be 
no but that there is someihing wrong with the 
tillage which could be remedied without applying 
manure, though it is now extensively believed, 
and we have good authority for it, that the syste- 
matic burying of prunings — with possibly the addi- 
tion of basic slag — will do a great deal towards 
keeping up the yield of tea. Of course, however, 
il Mr. Bainber is successful in his attempt to im- 
pregnate tlie soil with the lower oxide of iron, in 
an active condition or so tliat it can be assimilated 
by the bushes, and wliieli he shows raises the 
price of made tea pence per lb. according to the 
quantity i)resent in the soil naturally, the answer 
would be " Manure by all niean.s." 
GEO. THOENTOJS PETT. 
No. III. 
Uva, March 20. 
Dear Sir, — E fully agree with you when you 
say you think it is a mistake to manure tea 
planted in virgin soil ; it is I think a gre it error. 
Manuring, unless we can open new markets for 
our product, tends I think, to become the curse 
of Ceylon. The way it is being shovelled in to 
such fine estates as there are in ihe Agras, 
Dimbnia, Bogawantalawa and on the Nuwani 
Kliya side appears to me to be folly. No doubt the 
jicople who are doing it do not tliink so. Manure 
old cnd'ee estates where the tea is finely grown 
and is simply at a stand still, because the soil 
has become exhausted. Of course another point 
of view must be taken besides the yield one gets in 
manuring. It is whether tea regularly manured 
is le:-fi apt to be affected by the blights it is said 
to be subject to. Personally from what little I 
have seen I ain inclined to think that a wc!l- 
cultivared estate is not affected so much as an 
unmannred one. fn Haputale, however, it may 
be said in argument against this opinion and very 
rightly too, that little or no manuring h«s been 
done so far (except oti Lipton'.s group) in this 
district, I think I am right in saying that so far 
not a single estate here has had a bad attack of 
blight, such as has been exjterienced in .<iome 
parts of Dim hula and the lowcountiy, I think 
burying prunings with lime or, better still, basic 
slag, where land is not too steep, an excellent 
practice. Then six months after, where soil 
requires, add a mixture to keep the tea np to an 
average yield of 500 to 60 ) lb. an acre. Furthe 
than this I would not go. — Yours. 
LOOK AHEAD. 
No. IV. 
1883. 
183,000 acres ... Yiehl 133 lb. per acre. 
102,00 ) acres in bearing— crop 24,381,296 lb. 
Average yield, including home consumption, 
say ^40 lb. per acre in bearing. 
1893, 
273,000 acres ... Yield 309 lb. per acre. 
220,000 acres in bearing— crop 84,406,064 lb. 
Average yield, including home consumption, 
say 390 lb. per acre in bearing. 
1899. 
375,000 acres ... ^ield 346 lb. per acre. 
330,000 acres in bearing— crop 129,854,156 lb. 
Average yield, including home consumption, 
say 395 lb. per acre in bearing. 
"Given" a decent soil, etc., etc.— Quite true; 
but foHnnately the island <loes not consist of that, 
or u e should have a crop of 150 to 160 millions. 
You don't want to increase your crop if you get 
500 lb., but what about the 250 lb. per ar-re 
places. To live they must manure. 
Re Loolecoiidera, — Remember the old field 
quoted may give 400 or 500 Ih. per acre ; but look 
at the acreage of the whole place and crop. See 
Wilson, Smithett's yearly circular. I forget the 
acreage of this field, but I believe under 30 acres. 
Mr. Bamber, a.; you doubtless know,, visited 
Loolecondera. 
" We are leaving out of view" para. — How big 
a proportion of wliole ? You seem to be raiding 
bogies only to knock them down 
Table I. shows on your own figures crops gradu- 
ally increasing on whatever figures you base it. 
