THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  [March  i,  .897. 
that  inanuriiig  lias  been  started  licre,  it  will  take 
sometmie  yet  to  form  a eorreet  oiiinion  of  what 
It  may  or  may  not  do  in  the  intiire.  — Yours 
(h  T.  it. 
No.  Id. 
Kelani  Valley,  Jan.  20. 
Dkau  Sii!, — Keidying  to  your  circula'-  letter 
or  the  2(Jih  ultimo  : — 
1.  Manurin';  is  decidedly  on  the  increase  in 
both  old  and  new  di.stricts. 
2.  Very  little  hulky  manure  is  used  as  coolies 
cannot  he  s]>ared  to  look  after  cattle  or  to 
carry  out  the  manure  to  tlie  held. 
3.  The  ininciiial  manures  used  by  estates  are 
Oastorcake,  Ilonedust  and  Fish  manure. 
4.  In  my  oidnion  both  the  bushes  and  crops 
are  distinctly  improved  by  the  use  of  artilicial 
manure. 
5.  1' avourair'.y  in  every  way.  T believe  that 
manuring  would  be  done  on  a much  larger  scale 
than  it  is  at  jnesent,  but  for  the  insuliicient 
supiily  of  labour.— Yours  faithfully. 
J.  B.  C. 
No.  Lit. 
8t.  Leonards,  Nuwara  Eliya,  Jan  22. 
Dkar  SlK,— In  rejily  to  j’our  circular  re 
manure : — 
1.  Local  e.xperience  is  that  very  little  maimr- 
ing  is  (lone. 
2.  _On  this  e.state  vnhi  cattle  manure  has  been 
applied  ; no  arlihcial. 
3.  On  neighbouring  estates  some  Cake,  iJones 
and  Nitrates  are  being  applied. 
4.  Undue  use  (d  ft»y  .'-timulants  in  any  form 
must  in  time  prove  no.xious. 
6.  M here  soil  is  go(jd  the  eflects  of  manure 
are  not  noticeable  : old  wornamt  spots  are  much 
improved  Ijy  cattle  manure,  also  by  a judicious 
nii.xturc  of  Cake  and  Bone.s  In  Ibis  district— the 
upper  end  all  land  Is  comparatively  7icw  and  docs 
not  rc(itiire  manure. 
You  will  be  doing  a public  benclit  by  in  voigh- 
ing  .all  you  can  against  undur.  applications 
of  artificial  manures.  Planters  have  money  now 
ahd  are  not  av(U'.se  to  liberal  (?)  cultivati-on.  In 
a short  time  we  cannot  (xpect  the  same  pro- 
fits. ytarvation  cultivation  will  liien  be  ro.sortcd 
to,  and  tea  will  be  much  in  the  same  iiosition 
as  coffee  was. — 1 am.  Bear  .Sir,  Yours  faithfully. 
C.  II.  B.‘ 
No.  LI  II. 
Talawakele,  Jan.  24. 
Every  acre  now  in  cultivation  could  by 
manuring  be  made  to  yield  from  200  lb.  to  3o'0 
lb.  (on  a’l  line  soils  even  more)  per  acre 
additional  and  the  area  under  the  bush  could  be 
doubled.  Conceive  then  what  Ceylon  output  might 
be  ! Double  the  labour  force  now  in  Ceylon  and  in 
15  years  you  would  ship  2^  times  what  we  aie 
doing. 
The  ([uesBon  of  manuring  is  one  I here  need 
be  no  hesitation  in  facing,  liavii.g  regard  to  the 
fact  that  life  is  short, 
Unriueslionably  if  you  cut  holes  or  dig  about 
a bush  for  the  purpose  of  manuring  you  must 
cut  a certain  period  off  its  natural  life  as  you 
cannot  help  breaking  or  cutting  the  laige  roots; 
in  fact  any  artifici.al  method  of  forcing  loaf  or 
fruit  must  in  the  nature  of  it  interfere  with  the 
natural  (teriod  ol  its  life  whatever  that  may  be. 
My  view  of  it  is:  if  you  cultivate  your  bush 
you  will  take  out  of  it,  in  possibly  3U  or  40 
years,  what  it  will  give  if  not  forced  in  55  or  60. 
Few  p(jopl(3  Would  object  to  that,  il  thei'e  is  anything 
in  a Inrd  in  the  bamt  being  worth  two  in  the 
busli. 
Of  couit>c,  care  must  be  e.xcrcised  in  sclect’on 
of  leiti  izers  and  the  sooner  an  Ordinance  is 
p.asscd  the  better,  to  protect  jdantersfrom  spurious 
manures. 
1 see  inlinite  harm  being  done  in  manurin'' 
where  care  is  not  taken  in  cutting  loots,  as 
they  never  grow  again-I  mean  the  large  roots. 
J hen  as  to  the  (juestion  of  manuring  doin'' 
injury  to  the  (|uality  of  the  Tea  you  .nay  ju.-t 
as  well  say  that  lich  .soil  jirodnces  an  inferior 
i ea  to  poor  soil  ! 1 
S. 
No.  LIV. 
TT  . f . I alaw.ikole,  Jan.  1. 
Manuring  of  tea  is  yet.  in  its  infancy  and  we 
aie  all  nun  e or  le.ss  groping  in  ihe  dark— .so  far 
incduce  certain 
lesults  in  he  way  of  increased  Hush  and  that 
IS  al.out  all. 
What  is  wanted  is  a full  knowledge  of  .such 
manures  as  are  available,  and  wliat  their  eflects 
are  in  not  alone  increasing  Hush,  but  in  w,prov- 
DK/  QY  oUieiwuse  the  (juality  of  teas.  ^ 
To  liiid  out  this,  systcim'itic  and  carefully  con- 
dimted  e.xi.enments  on  a large  .scale  arc  necessary 
and  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  of  onr  wealthy 
proprietary  planters  will  take  the  matter  up 
— J'.  F. 
No.  LV. 
T-,  r.  r Kamhoda,  Jan.  20 
dkau  Siu,-.ln  reply  to  your  em,uiry  on  the 
subject  of  manuring  tea.  There  seems  to  be  .an 
inclination  to  put  out  bulky  manure,  if  procura- 
ble in  preference  to  artihcial. 
IWver  the  e.xpen.se  of  a cattle  , establishment 
and  the  occupation  of  so  much  good  hind  for 
cultivation  in  gia.'.s  IS  a |.reventivc  to  any  exten- 
siv’e  or  general  application  of  bulky  manlire. 
I believe  mo.st  of  the  V.  A.’s  .are  advocating 
faBhfuH>"^  itiliheial  manures  in  old  te.a.  — Yours 
No.  LVI. 
Ill  older  districts,  where  tea  has  supphuH^ 
collee,  Cas  (.rc.ake  and  B.medust  have  hlen 
applied  with  advantage,  and  the  .eturns  inc  caseT 
Cattle  bulk  and  compost  also,  but  the  latter 
manures  Pave  in  many  instances  proved  nmch  toi 
expen.sive  on  the  extra  returns.  Unless  facilities 
LaLS  v:’"”''" 
IVijonally,  I think  t he  le.ss  tonics  applied  where 
tea  IS  gi\  ing  a l.air  yield,  the  better  for  the  bushes 
.although  in  worn-rmt  soil  something  must  be  dorm 
to  encourage  Hushes.  I (piestion  very  niuch  if 
a lea  ly  serious  interest  has  been  taken  in  hav- 
ing the  soils  analyzed  to  enable  those  who  manure 
to  return  what  is  w.anting.  "nom.imiic 
"M*'-  R^l'vay-Baniber’s  Text  Book 
on  the  Chcm.istry  and  Agriculture  of  Tea 
l.e  of  valuaWe  ossi,„„,co  to  tl,„4 
"'’""“'I  'lie 
ut6tt  oc/  ui/fcc*~i  am,  jonrs.  '\y 
No.  LVir. 
My  c.xpcrienee  of  .Manuring  J’ea  is  so  Torv 
slight  that  It  IS  not  worth  while  publishin-'  'l 
only  manured  one  Held  with  Bonel  and  FVtor 
