620 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST 
[March  t,  1897. 
is  most  important  to  mix  well  with  plenty  of  soil. 
5.  No  comparison  in  old  cotl'ee  land,  yield 
doubled  and  mure.  T.  KOKO. 
— Beware  of  the  practice  of  Ijuryinr;  prun- 
lugs.  No  tree  feeds  on  its  own  refuse,  or  the 
result  would  be  as  in  animal  life?  (by  analogy, 
and  probably  experience  will  piove  the  truth 
later  on  if  men  are  not  careful.)  Absit  omen  ! 
Vegetable  typhoid  in  tea  would  be  a fell  follower 
of  Hemileia  va.'itatrix  in  coll’ee. 
No.  XLl. 
Dear  Sir, — Replying  to  your  inrjuiries  re 
manuring  tea,  I am  sorry  I cannot  tell  you  much 
about  it  as  very  little  has  been  done  in  that  line 
as  yet  in  the  district  ; but  there  can  I think  be 
very  little  doubt  about  the  benelicial  eifects  from 
the  manure  already  applied.  In  my  opinion 
manuring  is  in  many  cases  delayed  too  long  on 
lowcountry  estates  and  artilicial  manures  do  not 
seem  to  have  much  or  any  eflect  on  its  worn-out 
soils.  A stitcli  in  time  would  save  nine. — Yours 
truly,  L.  A.  W. 
No.  XLl  I. 
Kandy,  Jan.  14. 
Dear  Sir,— The  mamuing  of  estates  in  this 
District  is  being  tackled  as  the  state  of  labour 
will  permit.  As  far  as  one  can  judge  moving 
about  the  country,  older  districts  are  getting 
more  attention  than  new.  Labour  is  more  plenti- 
ful in  the  older  districts  than  new. 
II.  Bulk  manure  unfortunately  is  a too  scarce 
and  expensive  luxury. 
III.  Castor,  Kish,  Bones,  with  a small  ])inch 
of  Nitrates  added,  are  the  manures  most  in  vogue. 
Not  so  much  Nitrates  added  last  year  owing  to 
unfavourable  exchange. 
IV.  In  older  districts,  on  onr  side  Tea  will 
derive  benefit  from  manure  of  any  kind.  Bulk 
and  artificial  or  either  ap])lied  singly. 
V.  Where  manuring  has  been  carried  out 
systematically  over  a tenn  of  years  on  the  Kandy 
•side,  manured  tea  takes  the  upper  seat.  Manured 
tea  will  easily  show  returns  of  550 — 600  as  against 
300 — 350  on  unmanured  fields. 
In  a forcing  climate,  it  would  be  risky  to  say 
if  Tea  of  a very  high  jat  will  give  the  results  that 
an  ordinary  hybriil  jat  will,  after  an  ap[)iication 
of  artificial  manure. — Yours  faithfully, 
A NORTHEKN  PLANTER. 
No.  XLfIL 
Udapussellawa,  Jan.  11. 
De.AR  Sir, — I have  done  no  manuring  yet  with 
Artificial  manure  to  our  tea  ; but  my  neighbours 
have  and  are  doing  a good  deal  and  1 am  much 
interested  in  watching  the  results.  A contro- 
versy will  be  most  interesting  if  ue  can 
get  the  opinions  of  men  who  liave  watched 
tlic  results  of,  say,  4 years.  From  what  I 
hear  the  (juantity  is  largely  inen'ns.d  without 
sacrificing  (|uality  ; l)ut  al'tei  the  dca<lly  cfl'ect 
that  artilicial  manures  had  on  our  coffee,  parti- 
cularly salts  of  sorts,  I should  like  to  know  more 
about  its  effects  on  tea  before  applying  it  to  a 
large  acreage. 
Tea  made  off  say  9-3'ear  old  bushes  never 
nianure<l  should  be  coiii])ared  with  tea  made  off 
bushes  of  the  same  age  that  have  been  manured 
say  twice  during  the  last  four  j'ears.  The  yiehl 
will  be  recorded  in  the  books.  CjllERiyT. 
No.  XLIV. 
Jan.  11. 
Sir,— In  reidy  to  your  circular  re  manuring  of 
tea,— 
I have  very  little  experience,  as  I very  sel- 
dom have  time  to  travel  about  ; hut  from  what 
1 know  and  hear,  1 should  say  that  very  few 
estates  in  what  may  be  called  the  new  districts 
or  very  few  estates  anywhere  would  use  manure 
of  any  kind  so  long  as  the  trees  weie  of  vigorous 
growth  and  tea  yield  satisfactory.  If  any  manure 
were  used,  nothing  hut  cattle  would  be  applied 
in  such  case.  On  the  contrary  on  old  wo>-n-out 
land  in  the  old  districts  manure  both  cattle  and 
artificial  has  no  doubt  been  of  great  benefit  in 
increasing  the  3'ield  and  in  building  up  the  frame- 
work of  the  trees.  When  the  land  is  not  worn 
out  and  tea  is  yielding  .well,  I think  manure  of 
any  kind  is  a mistake.  In  old  disiiicts  and  on 
worn-out  estates  the  result  of  manures  both 
cattle  and  artificial  has  been  most  marked  both 
in  growth  of  the  trees  and  increased  return  of 
leaf,  but  I think  the  leaf  is  produced  so  much 
more  rapidlj^  that  the  tea  is  inferior  to  that  ob- 
tained from  unmannred  fields.  Good  fields  on 
good  soil  on  the  place  that  I am  in  charge  of 
I have  not  manured,  nor  would  I think  of  manur- 
ing, unless  there  was  a most  pronounced  falling- 
off  in  the  yield. 
Those  people  who  have  good  yielding  estates  and 
apply  artificial  manures  will,  1 believe,  kill  “the 
goose  that  lays  the  golden  eggs.  ” I cannot  see 
liowever  that  it  is  possible  for  any  harm  to  be 
done  by  the  u.se  of  cattle  manure. 
Those  people  who  have  estates  planted  on  worn- 
out  land  can  no  doubt  by  artificial  manure  very 
largely  inciease  the  yield  : in  fact  in  many  cases 
double  it,  but  whether  artificial  manure  can  be 
applied  beneficially  for  a long  series  of  years  is 
a ))roblem  that  has  yet  to  be  solved. 
I am  sorrj'  I have  not  answered  under  the 
different  headings : but  it  is  most  difficult  lo  do 
.so  and  write  anything  l)ut  pure  generalities. — 
Yours  faithfully  W.  J.  G. 
No.  XLV. 
Matale,  Jan.  20. 
Jle  manuring  tea,  about  30  to  50  acres  have 
been  manuied  with  cattle  manure  on  this  estate 
every  year  for  the  last  six  j'ears  with  very  good 
results.  No  patent  manure  has  been  tried  as  ^-et. 
No.  XLVL 
Jan.  14. 
Dear  Sir, — I am  afraid  1 am  rather  late  in 
replying  to  _your  queries  rc-manuring  of  tea. 
(1) .  1 tlo  not  think  the  manuring  of  tea  has  yet ' 
become  general  in  any  District,  though  it  is  likely 
to  become  more  of  a necessity  in  the  near  future 
esiiecially  in  the  older  Distiicts. 
(2) .  Only  a comparatively  .small  number  of 
Estates  liave  facilities  for  obtaining  and  applying 
bulky  manure  in  any  (juantity.  It  is  decidedly 
preferable  to  artificial  manure,  and  gives  very 
satisfactory  results  where  it  can  be  regularly 
and  cheaply  procured,  an  application  of  about 
24  tons*  per  acre  being  sulHcient  for  three  years 
at  least. 
(3) .  I am  not  in  a position  to  give  an  opinion. 
(4) .  I have  not  heard  of  harm  being  done  in 
any  case  by  the  use  of  aitificial  manure.  Of 
course,  such  manuring  would  have  to  be  kept  up, 
* Sie  in  cojiy ; but  our  correspondent  means 
surely  “cwt. — Ed.  T.A, 
