566 
thk  tropical  agriculturist. 
[Feb.  I,  1S97. 
V.  Manured  tea  li.as  tlie  great  advantage 
that  it  Hlishes  more  evenly,  and  steadily  all 
through  the  year,  being  less  allected  by  varia- 
tions in  the  weather. 
What  we  want  all  over  the  country  are 
more  roads,  and  more  lahoitr  ; then  manuring 
will  be  general,  and  the  country  far  more  i)ios- 
perous. 
I wonder  how  many  of  your  readers  have  read 
the  articles  in  your  issue  of  Dec.  21st  and  22nd  : — 
“The  Germ  Life  of  the  Soil,”  and  “Finger  and 
Toe  in  Turn’i)s.”  Alter  reading  those,  I think 
few  men  could  continue  that  ol.)jectionable  habit 
of  poisoning  the  soil,  by  burying  tea  primings: 
burn  and  manure  with  the  ashes  if  you  like;  but 
failing  this,  leave  them  on  the  ground,  the  sun  will 
very  soon  destroy  any  harmful  matter,  and  the 
leaf  covering  left  on  the  ground  is  benelicial  in 
retaining  moisture,  and  [ireventing  wash. 
Cacao  Planters  will  learn  in  time  to  jiay  at- 
tention to  the  refuse  husk  of  the  pods  after 
taking  out  the  beans.  It  is  a source  of  danger 
always  ; the  only  safe  way  to  deal  with  it  is  to 
throw  them  all  into  a pit,  and  cover  with  a 
good  dressing  of  qiiiek-linic,  a supply  of  which 
should  always  be  on  liand  during  the  crop  season, 
but  it  must  be  freshly  burnt. 
If  it  takes  5 or  ti  years  to  destroy  the  harm- 
ful etl'ects  of  refuse  from  the  turnip  shed,  what 
must  be  the  results  of  burying  cocoa  hu.'k.s, 
almost  fresli,  year  after  year  in  the  same  soil, 
and  to  the  same  tree  quite  sullicieiit  to  ac- 
Cituut  for  the  serious  bark  disease  of  which 
we  hear  so  little,  but  which  is  doing  incalcu- 
lable harm  to  the  Cacao  In^iusti3^ 
OLD  rLANl'EU  IN  OLD  DISTKICT. 
No.  XXL 
Knuckles,  .Jan.  2nd. 
Dear  Sir, — In  reply  to  your  circular  of  2(Uli 
December,  I bog  to  liand  you  the  following; — 
(1)  Manuring  is  jiretty  general  over  all  this 
district,  i.e,  on  all  tea  fields  planted  on  old  coll'ee 
land.  I have  not  as  yet  heard  of  any  one  man- 
uring tea  planted  on  virgin  land.  Many  of  the 
estates  here  manure  regularly  from  oU  to  lUO 
acres  per  annum, 
(2)  Bulk,  i.e.  cattle,  manure  is  being  used  le.ss 
aud  less  every  year. 
(3)  Bones  .and  castorcake,  either  mi.ved  or 
separately,  seem  to  be  the  favourites.  I my.self 
have  e.xtensively  gone  in  for  fish  (whole  fish  from 
Tellicherry)  ajiplied  in  the  form  of  a compost 
made  of  fish,  mana-grass  and  ravine  .soil  with 
the  best  results. 
(4)  I can  see  nothing  <as  yet  but  good  result- 
ing from  manuring. 
(5)  Tea  manured  from  the  commencement  is 
fitter  today  than  ever  it  was.  I doubt  if  it 
would  have  been  in  cultivation  without  such 
a.ssistance.— Yours  faithfully,  T.  D. 
No.  XXII. 
Lower  Ma.skeliya. 
Dear  Sir, — Replying  to  your  circubar  of  the 
26th  ultimo  : I should  not  say  that  manuring 
had  become  general  but  it  is  on  the  incre.ase 
and  there  certainly  is  a jireference  for  artificial 
of  sorts.  Fish  manure  seems  to  be  gaini  ig  in 
favour  ; but,  in  my  ojiinion,  its  properties  are  such 
that  it  doesnotgive  such  good  vaincforits co.stasca.s- 
torcake.  To  bring  tea  into  heart  carl  tie  manure  is 
decidedly  the  best,  but  for  forcing  crop  its  action 
is  not  so  immediate  or  pronounced  altliongh  more 
lasting.  A free  use  of  bones  1 am  decidedly 
averse  to  although  a smn// .admixture  with  castor- 
cake  is  advantageous.  Much  depends  on  the  spil  to 
wliich  manuie  is  added  and  where  and  hoiO  it  is  ap- 
plied— judicious  manuringis  certainly  most  desirable 
and  remunerative  notwithstanding  that  it,  for  a 
time,  somewhat  depreciates  quality.  W. 
No.  XXIII. 
De.vu  Sir, — Manuring  tea.  M’e  have  done  little 
.at  that  here,  but  are  to  have  a try  this  year  with 
73  .acres.  1S9G  is  the  best  year  we  have  had:  over 
4801b.  per  acre.  ' DIKOYA. 
MAN  LIKING  OF  TEA: 
LETTERS  XIII  TO  XXIII  REVIEWED. 
We  find  that  letters  (XIII  to  XXIII)  support 
generally  the  conclusions  of  the  twelve  letters  we 
had  first  noticed.  The.se  come  from  Lower  Amba- 
gamuwa,  Balangoda,  Matale  N.  E.,  Kadugan- 
nawa,  Hatton,  Upper  Maskeiiya,  Uva-side, 
Old  District,  Knuckles,  Lower  Maskeiiya  and 
Dikoya;  and  from  none  of  them  do  we  le.arn 
that  manuring  has  decreased,  that  any  one 
has  had  reason  to  lo.se  faith  in  the  efficacy 
of  fertilizers  or  that  hann  has  come  from 
their  application.  The  note  from  all  .sides 
is,  that  manuring  is  going  ahead,  tliat  ex- 
lieriments  have  begun,  or  are  about  to  com- 
mence, on  places  which  have  not  hitherto  tried 
manures,  and,  in  faet,  that  manuring  is  becoming 
general  throughout  the  Tea  Districts.  This  is  the 
key-note  of  the  letters  now  under  review.  With 
scarcelyan  exception.  Thescarcily  of  bulkjMuanures 
seems  to  be  as  deeply  regretted  as  it  is  widely 
experienced,  only  estates  in  close  proximity  to 
Bazaars  being  in  a position  to  secure  a supply.  A.s 
we  noticed  [ireviously,  cattle  establishments  seem 
to  be  things  (jiiite  of  the  jiast.  There  is  something 
jiathetic  in  the  experience  cf  an  Old  Flanter  in  an 
Dili  District,  whorejioits  that  even  Tava lam  cattle 
have  vanished  from  the  scene — so  that  the  new 
districts,  being  better  provided  with  cart-road  trans- 
])ort,  enjoy  greater  facilities  for  manuring 
than  the  old. 
While  there  seems  to  be  a very  gene- 
ral, almost  universal,  preference  for  cattle 
or  bulky  manures  over  all  others  for  the  leaf- 
crops  which  are  now  the  mainstay  of  the  planter 
and  the  countiy  ; yet,  .as  a matter  of  ex- 
perience, artificial  manures  have  generally 
to  be  used.  Though  the  use  is  in  most 
cases  fiom  necessity',  not  choice,  the  gener.al 
verdict  is  that  the  result  fully  answers  expectations. 
G.  H.  G.,  however,  from  the  Uva  side,  utters  a 
word  of  warning,  lest  the  use  of  artilicial  manu'es 
without  analysis  of  the  soil,  may  work  harm  ; but 
he  himself  is  in  the  happyu  exceptional  po.sitiou 
of  having  cattle  manuie.  We  certainly  do 
not  underrate  the  importance,  and  even  abso- 
lute neces.sity  in  some  cases,  of  soil  analysis  ; 
but,  so  far,  the  ordinary  comiiinations  of  c.astor- 
cake,  bones  and  (ish  have  not  been  found  to  be 
in  any  way  injurious  to  the  trees.  And  th.at 
livings  us  to  the  very  emjihatic  testimony  of 
“A  Novice”  from  Hatton,  who  protests  that 
“ castorcake  and  bonedust  hurt  the  flavour  of 
tea.”  It  is  in  connection  with  an  opinion  like  this 
that  the  value  of  analytical  work  becomes  niani- 
f.-sl— not  only  that  the  chemist  may  furnish  a 
careful  analysis  of  the  soil  ojierated  on  and 
the  special  ingredien'.s  of  tiie  manure  .‘iiiplicd, 
but  tliiU  he  may  find  out  wherein  fhe  teiV 
