February 2, i8gi.] 
HE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
595 
and is therefore readily taken into the roots of plants 
Copperas, or green vitriol, is composed of tLis low. 
or protoxide of iron and sulphuric aci l. On exposure 
to air for a time, this low oxide takes in more o.xvgen, 
forming what is called se&qui-oxide of iron which is 
insoluble in water. The subsoil which has never been 
stined to admit the atmosphere freely, contains the 
low oxide, and when first turned up, if sown or 
planted soon, the roots of the crops trke in this 
poisonous soluble compound of iron and a^e much 
injured if not killed outright.— Agriculturist 
Now may I apply all this to tea cuHivaliou ? 
As far as I have seen the best soils for tea are those 
that have a stiff subsoil into whioh the tea'-ap-rooc 
descends, like the Ghaut evergreen foieU tree, and 
yields a large return of leaf or flu.sh. If there are 
good manurial qualities in this siil all tho bi tter. 
Then the next best soil is thit of Matale or Haputale 
of high manorial quality and of good consistency 
combined with favonrabU climate. 
Then the next is that of Kelani Valley and Kulufara, 
where the subsoil has good consistency, and though 
the manurial qualities are defloieut, yet the climata 
is steamy and forcing. 
After this acmes the general run of old coffee lauds 
in the Central Province, where there are pockets and 
valleys which possess favourable conditions for tea. 
But in all this will it be said that manure i< not 
wanted ? Government must help the planting enterprize 
and allow manure ti bo carrii d at very low rates. You 
will see in a icw year.s, that a universal revival of 
manuring (fidi orpooiixc) will arise in the Ceylon tea 
districts. Let me quote 2'ropical Agriculturist, Vol. II- 
page 418; — 
“It is assumed, fut not proven, that electricity 
nitrifies the azote of the air in the interior of the soil 
by a union with hydrocarbon iceous matters : or effect 
a similar end in toe interior of plants ly their starch 
sugar, &c- We know however that the azoleoui matters 
in the soil can be nitrified, but that is not im aug- 
mentation of richness. *■ » » 
“The extent of vineyards in France is million 
acre-i. One quarter of this area is invaded by the 
phylloxera, and the now r.iv.nges of the insect are esti- 
mated at tho rate of 200,000 acre.s annually, 'three 
official remedies arc rec-.-guised. Snip, cnrhji.ate 
of pota.ssiura and sulpburet of carbon, fub- 
mer.sion, and American stocks for grafting o:i the 
affected vinos. To these mu,--t be added a relativtiy 
high manmiug. It has been found that partly niiro- 
geuous manures as wool-clippiog-s, ham-paring.', dried 
blood, oil cakes, &o., develop the vino at the expense of 
the fruit; but farm yard manure, or a composition of 
potash salts, solulde phosphates, and a proportionate 
dose of azoteous matters have the opposite effect.” 
Hero now — •' devdopes the vine at the expense oj' the 
fruit." That is what tea planters have to attend to. 
They have to develop the tea bush at the expense of 
the seed by applying purely nitrogenous manur, s snob 
ns fisb, oil-cakes, &o. ; whi'o cac so planters must use 
farmyard manure to develop the valuable fruit on 
which their efforts dep-nd. The Tropical Af/ricultuiist 
is a treasury of richness to the planter who is beyond 
tlie reach of libraries. It is a library in itself from 
whose shelves one may gather much knowledge if he 
only lock.s for it. 
Tliero were Mr. Carter's experiments which are well 
worth studying. In ref. reiico.to those Mr. Hughes says 
(!’. A.. Vol. V., page 465) ; — “ In my rematks upon Mr. 
Carter’s experimenta I pointed out ihe probable reusoii 
why the results of the applicitiou of castor-poonac had 
proved more sati-sfaclory than those obtained from the 
use of boiu -dlls'-, namely, that, inssranch us nit: ogeu 
w.is the principle maiiuro ingredient roqnirtd by the 
tea plant, it, was only nas"iaMo to conclude t'idt the 
f ertilizer which supplied the largest proportion of this 
V iluiihle coiialitni iit in a form suit.ihlc for nssiniilution 
was tho nio't snituh’o and economic,;! nmnuro for lea 
plaMtiit'Ous. ” See the reff of hii remark-'. lie 
concln 'e.s as followi ; — "'rh’.t tea plantations will 
rr quire mamiro soom r or later, there can ho no doubt 
whatever, ai,d the poorer the soil and the more forc- 
ing the climalo (lowoountrv planters please attend), 
the more immediate neoessity will there be ftr its 
application, hence the importance that planters should 
select these manures which arc likely to prove prac- 
tically the most economical.” 
Mr. Garter recommended manuring at the rate of 2-1 
cw t. of poonac per acre every three or four years. The 
great object in tea cultivation is to do evei’ything 
ill our power to keep the soil moist and prevent 
drying up or pulverization of tlie soil which will 
check the necessary evergreenness of the tea bush- * 
Thus forking and digging are ina-ivisable in ordi- 
nary soils, still more in light sandy soils. But in 
very adhesive soils digging is noceesary to enable the 
soil to retain moisture. You all know how sticky 
clayey or loamy soils ate in wet weather and how hard 
and metallic they are in dry weather, these soils 
should be dug, forked, turned over and kept broken. 
Why ? Because you intrcduce large quantities of air 
between the lumps, and this prevents the process of 
evaporation by the sun in dry weather, from drawing 
every drop from the soil. On tho other hand it pre- 
vents saturation and stagnation of tho surface in 
wet weather, which temis to rot the fibres of tlie 
piint. Thus it is only an adhesive soil that should 
be forked or dug. Of course wilh a soil like Udugama 
where there is a poisonous protoxide cf iron present 
the turning up the soil and admitting air will do 
good. Mr. Cochran {Tropical Agriculturist, Vol. 
VII, page 569) says: “Protoxide of iron is converted 
into the harmless or beneficial peroxide by aerating 
the soil by mecbfinical working or by liming." Liming ! 
j surely this is the only case where lime is wanted. 
Lime is the bane of a tea planter. It promotes long 
inter-nodes of wood and rapid run to flower and seed, 
because it renders fooil more quickly available to the 
plant, and this is useful for fruit-growers. Why is it 
that on im old coffee estate which has been converted 
into a tea estate, those fields where crops were heaviest 
in coffee will not giow t-a satisfactorily ? Some might 
say that was because coffee had exhausted those fields. 
No, the reason is that generally the foils where coffee 
did not flourish are the soils where tea yields leaf 
most freely. Of course, this rule does not apply all 
round, as there are places (Dambullagalla and Naya- 
bedde) which were mines of wealth in coffee and 
are mines of wealth in tea. That is because, ta- 
king for granted tiie soils are rich, yet they contain 
constituents aud meet conditions wbich are favour- 
ah'e t) tea growth, namely — they have nitrogenous 
elements freely available and the subsoil is sufficieutly 
adhesive. Thus you have the necessary vigour which 
would go to fruit or seed if allowed, but, being 
checked, allows a full crop of leaf to be taken. But 
a soil like this must be supplied with lots of nitro- 
genous manure to make up for this heavy exhaustion 
of certain elements. 
Thus flat land, adhesive yet manurial subsoil (well 
hrked), forcing damp and hot climate is the best for tea. 
Flatness saves dislurbanco of the main roots of tea 
which are sensitive of injury. f Adhesiveness of the 
soil (if forked) with good manurial properiies promotes 
evergreemiess and luxuriant tol age. 
Damp boat is kuown everywhere to he a forcing 
agent in promoting vegetation. I have, perhaps, 
wearied you by these imperfect notes. But if I have 
even in a small way, helped to aronse the Ceylon 
phuiiers to the necessity of manuring, my object will 
have been attained. 
“ 18Y3.” 
The Wynaad Planters’ Association has 
suggested to kindred bodies that a prize of at least 
£20,000 should be offered for a practical cure for 
Hemileia, the cause of coffee leaf disease. The 
French Government has a standing offer of 300,000 
francs for a practical cure of phylloxera. 
* In coffee we had to check the evergreenuass of 
the bush to foroe out fruit buds 
t To prove how sensitive the side roots of tea are it 
is a fact that youug tea plants will not tolerate “ trim- 
ming ’’ the roots when taken from a nursery ; whereas 
this treatment benefited youug coffee plants. In 
forking adhesive laud care nuut be taken not to go 
near the plants. 
