April  i,  1897.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
709 
the  labour  market.  In  heavy  flushing  weatlier 
it  takes  twelve  or  more  days  to  get  round — in 
slack  times  the  round  is  completed  in  7 or  8 
dayi  when  very  fine  leaf  is  the  result.  In  tact 
plucking  is  generally  carried  on  nosv  as  it  has 
ijeen  conducted  any  time  during  tlie  last  ten  years. 
2.  In  my  opinion  manured  tea  lacks  strength 
as  well  as  flavour. 
.S.  Can  have  no  po.ssible  eflecton  general  prices. 
Pruning  is  being  carried  on  in  t wenty  ditlerent 
w.ays  every  month  in  the  yo-'t’r on  one-twentieth  of 
the  total  average  of  tea. 
4.  No. 
5.  Shortness  of  labour  supply  h.as  never  atlected 
work  in  any  Factory  as  far  as  I know.  It  can 
never  fit  in  perfectly  with  flush  demand. 
(j.  I can  think  of  no  other  possible  cause  but 
over-production.  N.  A. 
No.  XXI II. 
Prices  have  fallen  hut  it  does  not  follow 
that  quality  has  deteriorated.  In  fact  one  of 
the  annual  Brokers’  Circulars  recently  issued 
states  that  quality  has,  if  anything  improved. 
If  in  particular  instances  quality  has  not  been 
maintained  it  is  probably  due  to  (a)  Coarser  Pluck- 
ing with  the  object  of  an  increa-sed  yield;  (b) 
irre^^ular  plucking  from  want  of  labour;  (c) 
inacninery  and  withering  space  not  being  kept 
up  to  requirements.  Our  knowledge  of  tea 
making  is  empirical;  but  is  always  increasing  and 
Planters  are  always  ready  to  spread  the  latest  tip. 
Though  Superintendents  may  not  spend  as  much 
time  in  the  factory  as  formerly,  they  have  wel[- 
trained  tea-makers  who  are  competent  under 
supervision  to  attend  to  the  details  of  manu- 
facture.   O.  Y.  A. 
No.  XXIV. 
I do  not  think  the  cause  lies  in  the  tea  it- 
self ; but  in  the  increased  supply,  say  overproduc- 
tion. 
The  leaf  plucked  is  no  coarser  than  it  was. 
Manuring  has  not  become  so  general  as  to 
be  responsible  for  it,  nor  severe  Pruning. 
If  anything,  the  manufacture  receises  more 
attention  than  it  ever  did,  though  this  cannot 
overcome'  bad  plucking. 
Shortness  of  labour  is  felt  more  in  field-work 
than  crop,  though  it  leads  to  some  coarser 
leaf.  The  market  holds  the  real  reason.  W. 
No.  XXV. 
The  Country  Generally,  Feb.  16. 
1.  From  what  I have  seen  the  plucking  is 
finer  in  all  districts  than  a few  years  ago. 
In  reply  to  your  queries  from  Nos.  2 to  6 the 
soil  alone  is  to  blame  for  the  loss  of  the  Ceylon 
rtavour  which  brought  the  teas  from  this  i.sland 
into  favour.  Few  planters  Avill  agree  with  me, 
perhaps,  but  the  above  is  iny  conviction,  the 
bushes  get  no  tro|)ical  winter  such  as  they 
have  in  India  and  there  is  no  recuperation — no 
rest  ! I fear  manure  will  not  bring  back  the 
fiavour.  “ H.” 
No.  XXVI. 
Passara,  Feb.  16. 
1.  So  far  as  I am  concerned,  I pluck  the 
same  now  as  I did  3 years  ago. 
2.  Very  little  tea  is  yet  manured  in  Uva, 
but  I should  think  manuring  extensively  would 
affect  the  quality  of  the  tea  detrimentally  : the 
flushes  would  be  heavier,  come  on  more  quickly 
and  consequently  the  leaves  and  shoots  would 
be  more  sappy  and  succulent. 
3.  The  same  applies  to  severe  pruning. 
19 
4.  Here  I think  we  touch  the  spot.  I am  con- 
vinced were  we  to  follow  more  closely  India 
in  this  respect  and  have  more  continuous  Euro- 
pean supervision  in  our  factories,  our  prices 
would  improve.  Far  too  much  is  left  to  native 
supervision.  There  is  little  doubt  that  the  best 
and  most  carefully  plucked  leaf  is  often  spoiled 
in  the  manufacture,  or  at  least  not  done  justice  to’ 
5.  This  has  not  much  to  do  with  our  poor 
lu’ices  I consider.  P- 
No.  XXVH. 
The  Country  G-enerally,  Feb.  16. 
Causes  which  have  brought  down  the  average 
prices  for  Ceylon  teas  : — 
1.  What  is  called  ‘coarser  plucking’  wliicli 
is  really  sensible  plucking.  Had  it  been  possible 
to  send  100  millions  lb.  of  the  .same  tea  as  once 
was  supplied  by  Bookwood,  Ilooloo  and  Agar's 
Land,  prices  would  have  fallen  to  the  same  level. 
Fine  plucking  produces  only  a fancy  article  insipid 
and  unsuited  to  the  taste  of  the  million. 
2.  Manuring  has  only  to  do  with  quantity 
not  quality. 
3.  Neither  does  severe  pruning  affect  the 
quality— only  shortens  the  life  of  the  bush. 
4.  Oh,  yes.  Preparation  has  much  to  do  with 
it  and  the  quantity  of  red  leaf  and  muck  sent 
to  Colombo  sales  is  a scandal.  I quite  endorse,  by 
the  way,  all  that  Mr.  Green  writes  re  “small 
breaks.”  Those  brokers  are  enough  to  break  the 
records  of  small  proprietors. 
5.  Shortness  of  labour  may  affect  the  quantity  ; 
but  no  judicious  Superintendent  would  allow’  it 
to  affect  the  quality.  Ergo  in  that  case,  prices 
ought  to  go  up. 
6.  Production — I do  not  say  over-production 
yet.  S. 
No.  XXVIII. 
Pussellawa. 
(1)  Coarse  plucking  is  a curse  causing  over- 
production &c.  ami  undoubtedly  spoiling  our 
market. 
(2)  1 don’t  think  manuring  has  been  general 
enough  or  carried  on  long  enough,  as  a rule,  to 
much  affect  bulk  of  Ceylon  teas  as  yet,  although 
my  impression  is  that  it  gives  quantity  at  expense 
of  quality. 
(3)  We  always  found  in  old  days  that  a severe 
pruning  spoilt  our  teas  for  the  season.  I fancy 
nearly  as  many  men  prune  light  now-a-days  as 
heavy,  i,e.  go  to  the  other  extreme  and  merely 
slash  across. 
(4)  With  present  large  quantities  turned  out  of 
factories  I fear  the  preparation  is  not  so  careful, 
and  more  is  done  by  rule  of  thumb  than  before. 
(Good  tea  is  made  by  attention  to  detail  in  everi/ 
proce.ss  connected  with  manufacture.) 
(5)  Shortness  of  labour  should  not  affect  tlie 
manufacture  much.  It  pays  better  to  abandon  a 
field  for  months  than  to  struggle  round  the  pluck- 
ing in  15  days  or  so  and  get  bad  leaf, 
(6)  Not  particularly. 
I. 
XXIX. 
Maskeliya,  Feb.  13. 
1.  I do  not  think  planters  as  a rule  are 
plucking  coarser  than  before. 
2.  Manuring  certainly  aff’ects  the  tea  to  a 
certain  extent,  but  w’lien  bad  jat  is  manured,  the 
leaf  improves  in  softness  and  by  getting  a better 
leaf  to  manipulate  in  the  factory,  l”  think  a 
great  deal  of,  or  all,  the  evil  effects  of  manure,  are 
done  away  with. 
