794 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[May  I,  1897. 
Up  to  the  present  time  the  Experimental 
Farm  is  the  only  place  vhere  tea  has  been 
cultivated  ; it  lias  been  planted  in  many  places 
and  grows  well,  hut,  as  you  know,  a tea  plant 
to  )>ay  reijuires  something  more  than  to  he 
simply  stuck  into  the  ground- 
^Iany  of  your  readers  will  remember  the  Mr. 
Corson,  snokeu  of  in  the  cutting  : he  is  most 
enthusiastic  over  tea  culture  in  Mauritius  and 
1 think  he  has  every  reason  to  be  so. — Yours 
faithfully,  E.  11.  EDWARDS. 
TEA  CULTUllK  IN  MAUKITIUS 
At  the  time  that  the  Government  of  Mauritius 
decided  to  start  experirnentnl  farms  at  Curepipe  and 
elsewhere  to  test  the  suitaliility  of  soil  and  climate 
for  the  cultivation  of  products  other  than  that  of 
sugar,  their  action  received  the  unqualified  approval 
of  all  intelligent  men  interested  in  the  agricultural 
success  of  the  country. 
It,  however,  now  appears  that  beyond  the  essay 
made  in  the  culture  of  tea  little  has  been  done. 
This  is  to  be  regretted,  for  beyond  all  question, 
there  are  many  economic  plants  that  could  be  grown 
to  great  advantage  in  Mauritius.  It  is  true  that  at 
the  Royal  Gardens,  Painplcmousses,  there  are  spe-ii- 
mens  of  many  tropical  and  sub-tropical  plants,  but 
for  some  occult  reasons,  nothing  has  bejn,  or  is 
being  done  to  encourage  extended  culiivation. 
Sliortly  after  the  coinmeuccment  of  the  Tea  Ex- 
periment, the  Government  in  a commendable  liberal 
spirit,  sanctioned  the  eiig:;gemenl  of  a competent  tea- 
grower  and  preparer  in  the  person  of  Mr.  J.  A.  Corson. 
This  engagement  extended  over  a period  of  five  >ears 
with  an  understanding,  beyond  the  shadow  of  a 
doubt  on  Mr.  Corson’s  part,  that  at  the  expiry  of 
the  time  he  should  have  the  option  of  renewing  his 
engagement  for  a similar  term ; but  owing  to  a 
lamentable  want  of  foresight  in  his  own  interests, 
Mr.  Corson  neglected  to  have  the  precise  terms  com- 
mitted “ to  stamped  paper.”  The  first  five  years 
expired  in  Deccmbei  last,  when  he  was  told  his  ser- 
vices were  to  be  dispensed  with.  A short  time  pre- 
vious to  this  date  the  Government  called  for  toniiers 
for  the  lease  of  the  farm,  but  although  several  offers 
were  made,  none  came  up  to  the  requirements  of 
of  Government,  and  matters  remai;i  in  slalu  quo  for 
another  year. 
The  action  of  the  Government  in  entirely  ignor- 
ing Mr.  Corson’s  .alleged  right  to  the  option  of  a 
renewal  of  service  may  bo  wrong,  looked  at  from  a 
moral  point  of  view  ; but  we  think  the  time  has  come 
when  the  cultivation  of  the  farm  should  pass  into 
other  hands  than  those  of  Government,  and  thus 
obviate  the  necessity  of  the  latter,  (by  the  sale  of  its 
teas,  coming  into  competition  with  private  euterprize. 
The  object  of  tbe  farm,  so  far  as  tea  is  concerned 
has  been  attained.  Mr.  Corson  has  established  be- 
yond contention  that  tea  can  be  grown  in  Mauritius 
as  well  as,  if  not  better,  than  in  the  island  of  Ceylon 
and  the  provinces  of  India.  His  books  show  that 
the  fields  in  full  bearing  a ield  bOO  lb.  per  acre,  and 
this,  too,  on  poor  soil — while  the  value  of  the  pre- 
pared leaf  is  equally  satisfactory.  Mr.  W.  .1  Lloyd, 
a tea-tester  and  valuer,  of  tbe  firm,  Messrs.  Rariy 
& Co.,  Calcutta,  when  pas.siiig  through  Mauritius,  a 
short  time  since,  tested  Ihu  Farm's  teas  wit'n  the 
following  result  • 
s.  d.  per  11). 
Broken  Pekoe  15  per  cent  value  1 3 ,, 
Pekoe  55  ,,  ,,  10  ,, 
Common  DO  ,,  ,,  0 ., 
or  an  average  of  '.l  .buJ.  per  lb.  T'l^  av  'rago  for 
Ceylon  teas  for  the  List  year  ivas,  wo  believe,  8d. 
per  lb. 
With  such  satisfactory  results  both  as  to  yield  and 
value,  the  cost  of  production  only  has  to  be  souside.red. 
It  has  been  said  that  tbe  expenditure  at  the  Expori- 
nieutal  Farm  has  been  very  heavy  cousidoring  the  re 
turns.  This  is  so,  but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
Mr.  Corson  has  been  receiving  the  same  amount  of 
salary  for  looking  after  20  acres  as  he  would,  had  there 
been  200 ; buildings  have  had  to  be  erected  and 
machinery  purchased,  the  cost  of  which  it  is  scarcely 
fair  to  debit  to  two  or  three  crops.  Labor  is  nearly, 
if  not  quite,  as  cheap  in  Mauritius  as  it  is  in  Ceylon, 
and  the  cost  of  transport  from  almost  every  part  of 
the  island  is  much  cheaper. 
Any  further  assistance  on  the  part  of  Government 
in  the  sh.ape  of  culture  which  would  necessitate  its  teas 
coming  into  competition  with  private  growers  is  un- 
needed and  to  be  deprecated ; so,  without  wishing  to 
appear  ungracious,  we  think  it  should  retire  from  the 
field. 
Our  readers  may  think  we  make  a very  hazardous 
statement  in  saying  that  in  ten  years  time  the  output 
of  tea  in  Mauritius  will  exceed  that  of  Ceylon  Every- 
thing points  to  the  culture  of  tea  as  the  salvation  of 
Mauritius  as  it  has  been  of  the  sister  island.  But 
planters  must  go  cautiously  to  work  and  above  all 
thing.s,  not  rush  badly  prepared  teas  into  foreign 
raxrkets. 
A knowledge  of  the  cultivation  and  preparation 
of  tea  is  not  acquired  in  a day  and  when  acquired, 
has  to  be  carefully  applied.  Mr.  Clialmsrs,  of  the 
w'ell-known  firm,  Jlessrs.  Chalmers,  Guthrie  & Co., 
in  a small  pamphlet  which  he  has  written  on  the 
planting,  cultivation  and  manufacture  of  teas,  says  ; 
— ‘‘It  is  often  said  that  lea  is  made  in  the  field, 
and  this  is  true,  in  so  far,  that  good  carefully 
plucked  leaf  is  the  e.ssential  b.isis  of  good  tea. 
Manufacture  is,  however,  responsible  for  much,  and 
many  thousands  of  pounds  sterling  are  lost  annu- 
ally to  the  ow'uers  of  tea  property  through  neglect  in 
this  department.” 
For  tiie  future  success  of  the  tea  industry  in  Mauri- 
tius it  is  imperative  that  there  should  be  some  ex- 
perienced person  on  the  spot  who  may  be  consulted 
on  the  culture  itml  pieparation  of  the  leaf 
not  so  much  for  the  local  market  as  for  that  of 
England,  the. Continent,  and  America.  Some  locally 
made  teas  which  sell  freely  here,  were  valued  by 
Mr.  Lloyd  at  from  Id  to  5d  per  lb.  Were  these  to  be 
sent  to  Eugiaud,  a bad  impression  would  be  created 
as  to  the  character  of  tea  the  island  could  produce, 
and  of  the  capability  of  the  planter  to  prepare  it. 
Many  persons  who  recognise  the  advantages  to  be 
obtained  from  tea  culture,  hesitate  to  embark  in  it 
for  various  reasons.  The  principal  ones  are,  their 
ignorance  of  its  culture  and  curing,  and  the  expense  of 
the  necessary  building  and  machinery. 
The  culture  can  witli  care  be  mastered  by  follo'.ving 
the  instructions  of  an  experienced  man : the  pre- 
paration and  machinery  Ac.,  run  haud-in-liand.  A 
central  factory  would  relieve  both  large  and  small 
planters  of  all  apprehension  on  the  latter  score. 
There  is  already  the  nucleus  of  one  at  the  Experi- 
mental Farm,  which  Mr.  Corson  is  prepared  to  en- 
large to  meet  the  requirements  of  planters  within  a 
radius  of  (5  miles  of  Curepipe  provided  he  can  make 
an  angements  with  the  Government  to  have  a personal 
interest  in  the  farm  beyond  merely  that  of  Superinten- 
dent. It  will  be  a thousand  pities  if  the  industry 
hft  allowed  to  flag  through  the  Government  and 
M-.  Cor.son  not  being  able  to  come  to  some  mutually 
satisfactory  accord  ; to  lose  Mr.  Corson’s  services  at  the 
present  time  is  to  throw  away  the  money  that  lias 
already  been  put  into  the  I’arra. 
TEA  AND  INSECTS. 
Dartry,  Gampola,  April  !•. 
Deau  Sir, — f send  in  a separato  tin  box  .some 
poocliies  that  I found  amongst  my  tea.  'I’hey  are 
most  extraordinary  looking  things.  Can  you 
givemeany  information  about  tlieni'? — Yours  faith- 
fully, ■ d.  A.  ROBEKTS. 
[Mr.  Stauiforth  Green  is  good  encugh  to  report  as 
follows  on  the  insects  sent  to  us: — “Belong  to  the  family 
Piilgora.  The  species  emit  a while  waxy  secretion 
in  too  immature  state,  sometimes  t.aking  a cottony 
form.  Wo.-itwood  mentions  in  Ids  mo  lern  classifica- 
tion of  insects,  that  “ this  produciiou  is  collected  by 
the  Chinese  and  employed  in  the  niamifaoture  of  the 
line  white  wax  so  much  esteemed  in  the  East  Indies.” 
