March 2, 1S91] 
Tpr TROPiCAL AQRIOULTURIST. 
627 
TEA CULTURE IN CEYLON, 
Yield op Tea and Cost of Preraeation in Matale 
East on Old Coffee Land and on Virgin 
Forest Land, 
We are indebted to Mr. Joseph Fraser of Dam- 
boolagalla — one of the finest of Matale East coffee 
estates thirty to forty years ago — for affording us 
once again the very carefully prepared and most 
interesting annual statement of his experience as a 
tea-planter which we append. We suppose there 
has Seldom, if ever, been published, so detailed 
and elaborate a return and all interested in our 
Tea industry may well feel obliged to Mr. Fraser 
for the trouble he has taken and his readiness to 
give publicity to his figures. The statement chiefly 
applies to last year ; but we have added comparative 
figures as given for the previous three years. 
The steady increase in the yield year by year 
over all the fields will be specially noted and 
also the much heavier crops gathered from virgin 
soil, and land only cropped with oinohona, than 
from old coffee land. Next the extremely moderate 
expenditure in proportion to crops, the average 
cost of 164,964 lb. f. o. b. being only 2S’2802 cents, 
per lb. notwithstanding that more than 16 per 
cent, of that is for “manuring.” With so good 
a margin, Damboolagalla crop could not fail to pay 
well. Indeed, we may mention that the net return 
for the whole crop of 1889 f. o. b. is such as 
to make the peroeutaga of profit on outlay, we 
should think as good as that of any of our celebrated 
Tea Companies. What Mr. Fraser says about his 
manured fields will be carefully noted and indeed 
his figures and remarks altogether cannot fail to 
afford much food for comparison and reflection 
by practical planters who are striving as well as 
they can to make the tea industry a profitable one. 
Damboolagalla Estate, Matale. 
' Statement of Made-Tea secured, yield in lb. per 
acre, and actual cost per lb. for year ending 31st 
December 1890, with rainfall, and comparative yield 
per acre for 1887, 1888 and 1889 : — 
Total Yield of 381 Acres and Cost per lb. f.o.b. 
COLO.MBO IN 1890 
Cost per lb. 
Total 
Cost. 
Superintendence 
Tools 
Lines 
Stock 
Roads 
Clearing np Ravines 
Fire Insurance 
Timber Trees .. 
Coiitliigencles 
.Suiiplylng 
Manuring and linryliig I 
Draln.s 
AVeedlng 
I’rimliig 
Tea Factory ... 
Plucking and Baskets . 
Manufacture ... 
Fuel 
Packing Cases, Lead Ac. 
Tea House Sundries and 
Transport to Colombo 
Shipping ... 
cts. 
R. 
c. 
. 
...3-7834 
6,802 
83 
... ’20-59 
319 
01 
... -0159 
24 
68 
... ’0-97 
138 
91 
... ’1983 
307 
30 
... -0999 
154 
81 
... 
188 
75 
... *1301) 
280 
34 
... -n-iHS 
850 
40 
... *22t55 
351 
02 
^rnnlngs ... 
...47G72 
7,387 
38 
... ’41)7 
690 
GO 
...2D119 
4, .058 
88 
... ’0913 
1,07.6 
92 
... -loua 
170 
31 
...8-I77I 
12,(171 
G-S 
... '7702 
i,19J 
GG 
... -’ISOl 
74.3 
91 
...2'2.')90 
3,501 
GO 
Upkeep of Machinery ’Z.^OO 
397 
70 
...1-3723 
2,120 
51 
.. 
... -5342 
3.^7 
37 
l-’ii.goi lb. Tea 
ff 28-2802 
•13,821 
10 
Rainfall 1800. 
Jan. 
Feb. 
March 
April 
May 
June 
Inches 
... 8-13 
8 -.32 
1.34 
14-87 
3-43 
11*05 
No. of days 
... 13 
14 
8 
21 
10 
19 
July Aug. 
Sept. 
Got. 
Nov. 
Dec. 
Total . 
Inches 
10-36 6-27 
9-00 
7-20 
11-90 
9-62 
101 60 
No. of days 
22 20 
21 
22 
24 
15 
209 
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Note. — N. P. not pruned within the year. P. pruned 
within the year. P. P. Part pruned within the year 
M. manured within the year. P. M. part manured’ 
Oyer the whole pruned area the prunings were buried ’ 
Fields 1, 3 aud 7, part of la and part of 6 wer® 
pruned late in De ember 1883, the pruning therefor? 
chiefly affected the yield in thisyeir. Manure. — .Allowing ^ 
weeks after applioitiou for the manure to tell I find the in' 
crease in yield over the comparative field is 19.) lb. per acre 
the first year and 100 II). per acre the second, rntlie second 
oxiioritnent Iheincreasc was 2211b. per acre the first year. 
