774 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
the  dest  bushes  in  the  end.  Being  by  habit  a 
tree,  the  most  of  the  strength  goes  to  the  original 
stem  if  left  long. 
This  style  of  pruning  must  be  supplemented  by 
very  careful  plucking  at  the  beginning  of  the  season, 
so  that  in  the  3 inch  now  wood  left  there  will  not  be  a 
“plucking  knot,’’  ibis  being  the  fatal  thing  to  leave  in 
a bush. 
Now  all  this  looks  very  simple,  and  the  men  using 
big  knives  and  slashing  across  the  bushes  at  a 
particular  height  for  all  of  them,  will  argue  that 
they  cannot  go  wrong  if  they  use  a measuring 
stick,  and  cut  to  that  every  year,  but  not  being 
great  little  tin  gods,  wo  cannot  insist  on  each  bush 
growing  to  order,  nor  can  we  be  absolutely  certain 
that  every  one  ha.s  been  correctly  plucked,  neither 
can  we  be  sure  that  in  tlic  slashing  a little  too  much 
or  a good  deal  two  little  wood  may  be  cut. 
Year  by  year  the  bushes  al'.er  their  character, 
though  apparently  havin;;;  the  same  treatment.  Now 
comes  in  the  necessity  for  small  knives  and  dis- 
criminating pruning. 
This  pruning  can  best  be  done  by  the  women,  and 
indeed  they  have  the  most  interest  in  it  as  soon  as 
they  are  got  to  understand  that  on  their  good  work 
depends  tlie  amount  of  leaf  got  in  the  season.  On 
my  garden  I have  certain  lines  called  by  certain 
women’s  names,  that  have  been  pruned  badly  by 
tho  o women.  These  lines  are  kept  as  “buksis  ” for 
them  in  the  plucking  season,  and  they  don’t  like 
it  at  all. 
The  aim  of  the  light  pruning  is  to  leave  only 
straight  wood,  and  not  too  much  of  that,  taking  out 
all  plu  king  knot.s  and  crow’s  feet.  Tire  small  haiiji.i 
inside  may  be  left  alone  ; if  they  are  taken  out,  the 
bushes  will  be  just  as  full  of  them  the  next  season, 
showing  that  some  of  tho  strength  of  the  bush  has 
been  wasted  in  reforming  tlieui,  and  besides  they 
form  a protection  to  the  bark  from  the  sim.  Neither 
should  t le  loaves  be  taken  off  as  they  (with  the 
small  batijis)  are  the  lungs  of  tho  plant,  and  strip- 
ping the  bush  o:ily  reailers  it  more  liable  to  disease. 
Pruning  and  plucking  give  shocks  enough,  without 
any  necessity  for  emphasizing  them. 
LIV. 
Diiiibula,  I'eh.  21. 
(1)  Would  you  .say  how  far  you  think  Coarser 
Plucking  of  Leaf  may  have  had  to  do  with  it? — 
More  care  is  taken  to  secure  good  leal  now 
than  was  formerly  tho  case,  so  thi.s  is  not  one 
of  the  leasons. 
(2)  Or  the  more  prevalent  attention  to  manur- 
ing tea  ? 
In  iny  opinion  artificial  manure  does  destroy 
“ quality  ” in  tea,  wliile  increasing  quantity  ; hnt 
it  has  not  been  universally  n.sed.  .Many  estates 
which  have  had  none,  arid  on  which  the  management 
and  style  of  mannfaclnre  remain  unchanged,  have 
nevertiieless  had  their  prices  drop  of  iate  ; so 
in  addition  to  manuring  there  is  some  other 
agency  at  work. 
(.3)  Or  severe  pruning — cutting  the  bu.shes  too 
far  down  ? 
Severe  or  constant  pruning  is,  in  my  humble 
opinion,  a fatal  error,  and  has  ]iossibly  done  as 
nmcli  to  bring  down  prices  as  anything  out- 
side the  factory. 
(4)  Or  le.ss  attention  to  careful  preparation  in 
the  factory  ? 
No.  Tlie  tendoncy  seems  to  he  to  give  niann- 
facenre  a good  deni  more  attention  tiian  it  for- 
ineriy  got,  hut  yet  a large  amouiit  of  poorly 
marie  teas  is  constantly  put  on  the  market  tuid 
the  reason  for  this  will  be  fontid  among  the  fol- 
lowing 
I — VV’ant  of  snilicient  factory  room  on  machin- 
ery or  both. 
[May  I,  1897. 
II. — Stinginess  of  Proprietor  or  Agent  in  not 
allowing  .snilicient  funds  to  .secure  a suit.alile  tea- 
maker. 
III.  — Cheap  and  tlierefore  inelticient  manage- 
ment, and  cheap  .and  nasty  work  to  suit  estimates 
framed  by,  say,  Messrs.  Jabez  Barabas  & Co.,  wlio 
want  to  show  tlieir  “friends”  how  economically 
everything  is  done  on  Pitclii  Kadu  Tottnm. 
IV- — Inability  on  the  part  of  the  V.  A.  or 
Bo.ss  to  give  tlie  young  Superintendent  a practical 
lesson  in  teamaking  or  show  him  his  errors  and 
how  to  make  tlie  most  of  his  tea. 
V. — Want  of  encouragement  to  Superintendents. 
It  seems  strange  at  first  siglit  that  proprietors 
slionld  be  willing  to  let  their  tea  suli'er  from  any 
of  the  above-mentioned  and  easily  iireventible 
causes,  hnt  still  many  do  so  and  the  result  is  as 
migiit  he  expected.  One  can  only  suppose  that 
absence  from  Ceylon  or  ignorance  of  the  condi- 
tions necessary  for  producing  a liigh-class  tea  pre- 
vent their  grasping  the  true  situation. 
Tlie  day  cannot  he  far  distant  now  when  it 
will  he  recognized  as  it  should  be,  that  the 
manufactnre  of  high-class  tea  is,  like  brewing, 
work  for  .an  expert  and  that  an  estate  Inspector 
is  ivorse  than  useless  unless  he  be  a practical 
planter  of  wide  and  real  exprieiice — a trained 
taster  and  tea  expert,  and  posse.ssing  a thorough 
knowledge  of  all  iiiachinery. 
5.  I should  say  a sliortne  s of  labor  would 
ali'eet  prices  to  some  extent,  but  not  so  much 
as  shortness  of  factory  room  for  instance. 
6.  A favoiite  complaint  of  some  Agents  is 
that  tea  “ thongli  well  made,  is  not  suited  for 
the  market,”  and  if  this  is  the  ca.se,  agents 
slionld  keep  their  Superintendents  well  posted 
np  in  what  is  wanted  and  so  .secure  teas  suited 
for  the  market  and  inaxiinum  prices  for  pro- 
prietors. 
To  sum  up: — I think  tlie  deterioration  of  our 
teas  iiri.ses  from  various  causes,  viz  : — 
Aqe. — We  cannot  make  such  a good  article  from 
hushes  over  12  years  as  under.  Manure  as  I 
have  stated.  Severe  pruning.  Bad  manufacture 
from  file  causes  mentioned. 
B.  r. 
No.  LV. 
Balangoda,  Feb.,  25,  1897- 
I do  not  think  that  either  common  plucking, 
manuring  or  pinning  has  much  to  do  with  lower 
averages.  I think  the  chief  re.ason  is  tlie  larger 
area  of  low-grown  tea  now  coming  in,  as  com- 
pared witli  ]irevious  years,  also  tlie  much  larger 
quantities  that  have  to  be  pa.ssed  throngli  small 
factories  without  snilicient  power  or  machinery, 
and  in  con.seqiience  less  caiefully  made.  Rush 
of  leaf  and  insullicient  labor  also  all  tend  to 
lower  averages. 
Good  leaf  can  most  certainly  he  spoilt  in 
factory. 
No.  LVI. 
Central  Province,  Feb.  25. 
DitAK  Snt,— In  my  opinion  tlie  recent  falling  ofl 
in  quality  and  conseiinenlly  price  of  Ceylon  tea 
is  greatly  due  to  insnllieieiitlv  equipped  factories, 
so  far  as  both  ni.achinery  and  withering  accom- 
modaiion  are  concerned,  especially  the  latter. 
Very  many  estates  in  Ceylon  have  of  late  years 
been  manured  and  in  many  cases  the  yield  has 
increased  from  350  lb.  per  acre  to  500-GU0  lb. 
