July  i,  1895.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
35 
NEW  ERA  IN  TEA  CULTIVATION: 
THE  MANURING  OF  TEA. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  tliat  we  are  entering 
on  a new  era  of  cultivation  in  respect  of  our 
great  Tea  Industry.  For  some  years,  our  planters 
as  a whole,  treated  with  absolute  iuditt'er- 
ence — if  not  scorn — the  several  warnings  advanceil 
to  them  in  these  columns  l>y  their  good  friend 
and  prescient  counsellor,  Mr.  John  Hughes,  the 
London  Consulting  Analytical  Chemist  to  the 
rianters’  Association.  Mr.  Hughes  pointed  out 
that  it  was  impossilde  to  go  on  taking  from  \ 
to  2 tons  of  leaf  i>er  acre  from  tlieir  tea  i)lanta- 
(ions  without  making  anj'  special  return  save 
in  piunings  and  such  cursory  “tilth,"’  or  turning 
of  the  soil,  as  might  be  possible.  In  reply, 
many  of  the  planters  indicate<l  their  dread  of 
manure— artilicial  preparations  especially — as  being 
associated  in  their  minds  with  the  declension  and 
ruin  of  their  coffee  (although  any  connection 
between  the  outburst  of  hemihia  ra/tialrix  or 
“ green  bug”  andthe  applicationof  manure  hasnever 
been  demonstrated);  and  tliey  further  hinted 
tlie  proverb  “Sufficient  for  the  day  is  the  evil 
thereof  ” — meaning  that  they  meant  to  go  on  so  long 
as  their  trees  responded.  But  this  \vas  a short- 
sighted decision  and  its  folly  is  now  very  gene- 
ral!;^ acknowledged  after  the  most  practical 
fashion,  namely,  by  the  activity  which  is  visible 
in  reference  to  Manuring.  A very  short  period 
has  brought  Mr.  Hughes  his  revenge.  Of  course 
there  were  certain  longdieaded  men  amongst  us 
who  have  all  along,  more  especially  when  dealing 
with  old  coffee  land,  systematically  applied 
manure,  and  these  ha\  e not  only  been  reivarded 
with  better  returns,  Imt  find  their  trees  kept 
up  in  heart  and  vigour;  while  in  some  cases  at 
least,  their  neighbours  ha\  e had  to  complain  of  signs 
of  weakness  and  a falling-olf  in  croji.  However, 
it  is  no  use  “crying  over  spilt  milk,”  and  onr 
purpose  in  referring  to  the  subject  today  is  to 
introduce  a further  valuable  paper  sent  to  us  by 
Mr.  Hughes,  full  of  most  useful  and  practical 
sngg'estions  rvliich,  we  trust,  will  be  taken  into  care- 
ful consideration  and,  as  far  as  possible,  acted  on 
by  the  planters-  If  the  several  District  Associations 
took  up  the  experiment  indic.ated  by  Mr.  Hughes 
and  emleavonred  to  formulate  information 
from  reiiresentative  estates  within  their  bounds, 
we  feel  sure  that  the  value  of  their  work 
would  be  generally  ajiju-eciated.  As  regards  the 
handling  or  moving  of  the  soil — the  “ tilth  ” 
which  Dinilmla  veterans  so  well  recognise — we 
have  more  than  once  referred  to  onr  experience 
of  Horagalla-Ingrug.alla  coffee  estates,  Hantane, 
well-nigh  thirty  years  .ago.  How  Mr.  George 
Mackenzie  (of  Messrs.  George  Steu.art  &('o. ) h.ad  .ad- 
vised the  Superintendent  to  get  re.ady  a field  for 
the  .applic.ation  of  20  or  30  tons  of  manure  to  be 
sent  np ; how  the  latter  set  to  work  and  had 
a big  section  on  the  hillside  duly  holed  ; but  the 
manure  never  came  and  after  .some  time  the  holes 
were  filled  in  .ag.ain— but  what  w.as  the  result  .a  few 
months  .afterwards  ? An  immense  i7ui)rovejnent 
in  the  cofi'ee  which  so  arrested  onr  attention 
that  we  (mtild  not  believe  Mr.  Arnott  float  no 
m.annre  load  been  applied,  ,so  gre.at  w.as  the  con- 
tr.ast  between  two  fields  of  the  same  .age. 
Mr.  Hughes  .asks  ns  to  give  the  Railw.ay  retnnis 
for  mnmire  canitsl  n]>cf)unt7'v,  .as  so7ue  index  of 
Hie  adx'aiicR  in  c,uUivatio7i.  This  we  iire  ei7alded 
to  do  Ihrough  the  c.o77rte.sy  of  tin*  llailwiiy 
authorities  and  it  will  be  obseiaasl  tioat  the 
figures  for  the  past  si.\  years  indicate  very 
5 
sti'iki77g  progress— .an  increase  indeed  of  consider- 
.ably  over  lOu  jier  cent : — 
188t).  1890.  1891.  1892.  1893.  1894. 
tons.  tons.  tons.  tons,  ton.s.  tons. 
Manure  2,.572  3, .570  3,355  3,141  4,1.54  5,818 
Bi7t  the  jirogress  i77.ule  i77  the  currciit  year  i7i- 
dicates  <i  still  greater  ad\  ance.  Fro7i!  the  weekly 
tables  we  le.arm  that  i7i  the  jiast  fo7ir  7i707iths 
a77  7i7i7isu,ally  l.ai'ge  fji7a77tity  of  7muiu7'e  h.as  beei7 
ti';i77s|)orterl 
To»in  of  Manure 
January- April  1895  . . . . 2,381 
Do  1894  ..  .,  1,468 
Increase  . . . . 913 
He7'e,  710W,  is  M7-.  Hirghes’  bitest  paper: — 
THE  MANURING  OF  TEA. 
{Extract  from  Sir  Woi.  Uarcoart's  Biuhjct.) 
I will  now  turn  to  coffee.  The  co7isu7uption 
of  this  article  has  been  steadily  deci’casing.  In 
1885-0  the  revenue  from  it  was  ,f203,000.  Last  year 
it  was  only  i‘170,0(X)  cou7pa7’ed  with  t*3, 500,000  de- 
rived fi-07n  tea.  While  the  population  has  increased 
2,50tt,0(X),  or  7'8  per  cent  the  coffee  revenue  has  di7ui- 
7iished  10  per  cent.  Cocoa  07i  the  other  hand  is 
steadily  gi’owing  in  eonsu7nption.  There  has  been 
an  increase  in  the  last  year  of  3,383,0001b.  as  co7u- 
pared  with  1893-4,  giving  an  i7iiprove7nent  of  i'14,000 
i7i  the  revenue.  Ibpe  fruit  shows  an  i7icrease  of 
£30,000  over  the  previous  year.  These  are  articles 
representing  three-fourths  of  the  Customs  revenue, 
which  may  be  fairly  takeir  as  indicating  the  un- 
broken resources  of  the  large  mass  of  the  nation. 
The  last  nu777ber  of  the  Overland  Observer 
dated  Aj)ril  9th,  co77tained  an  article  on  the 
abov  e i77iportant  subject. 
The  state7ue77t  of  a planter  who  7nforii7ed  the 
Editor  thiit  he  had  give::  up  7na77i::'ing  owing 
to  the  depth  to  which  the  tap  roots  of  his 
te.a  pla:its  pe:iet7'iited,  wars  ve:'y  p:'o])erly  severely 
criticised. 
If  the  tap  roots  were  fountl  to  have  pei:e- 
tr.ated  the  soil  to  .any  U7:usual  de])th,  it 
wouhl  ii:dicate  \inusu.al  vigour  on  the  pa:'t 
of  the  idant,  and  a greater  depth  .a:id  poro- 
sity of  .soil  than  usually  occurs  o:i  Geylo:i  tea 
est<ates. 
Indeed  the  planter  hi7i:self  regarded  the  ca.se 
he  :nentioned  <as  quite  excei)tional,  and  i:i  his 
opinion  it  shonhl  not  operate  tow'.a7ils  dissuadi:7g 
tea  jilanters  froi::  the  practice  of  i7ia7iU7'i7ig.  That 
bei:ig  so,  it  see:ns  sc.arcely  :iecessary  to  have 
brought  the  subject  forward. 
The  Mir77uri:ig  of  Tea  is,  or  should  be,  a 77iatter 
of  jir.actical  experie:iee. 
If  good  crops  ca::  be  obtained  without  the 
,a]7i:lic.ation  of  fertilizei's,  planters  woiiltl  be  very 
foolish  to  incur  the  .additional  expense  cau.se'd 
by  7ua:iuring. 
If  however,  there  is  a n:arked  falli:ig-otl'  in  the 
quantiti!  or  the  (i^ualitji  of  the  leaf,  the  experi- 
enced plante:;  will  veiy  soon  understand  the 
neces.sity  of  instituting  a careful  enquiry  into 
the  process  of  mannf.acture,  tlie  mode  of  cultiva- 
tion .and  the  composition  of  the  soil. 
Th.at  tea  is  in  itself  an  exhausting  crop,  and  that 
the  repe.ated  and  often  seveie  pruning  to  wdiicli 
the  trees,  are  fi-om  time  to  time,  subjected,  is 
also  of  an  exhausting  natuie,  cannot  be  denied. 
How  long  the  soil  is  cajiable  of  withst.anding 
this  exhaustion  depends  u[)Oui  ts  chemical  coni- 
jiosition,  its  physical  ch.ai'.acter,  the  particular 
situation  of  the  estate  .as  to  exposure  to  wind 
.and  w.ash,  .and  the  general  clim.atic  condition.s 
of  the  loc.ality. 
On  i-cally  good  deep  soil  ju-otected  fiom  wind, 
under  good  management  and  in  .a  f.avoui'.able 
climate,  tea  ni.ay,  an<l  no  d.mbt  will  be,  pi'odnceil 
for  many  years  with  s.atisfactoiy  results  without 
