842 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
lJUNE  I,  1897. 
his  view,  “nothing”  to  do  with  the  fall  in  prices  ; 
less  attention  to  inanufacture  “everything.” 
The  ex])lanatiou,  thereof,  is  “ Sport  ! Sport  ! ! 
S])ort  1 ! !’  whi'e  sliortness  of  labour  accounts  for 
the  loss  of  about  10  per  cent.  leaf.  The  general 
verdict  would  seem  to  be  that,  if  there  could 
be  another  reduction  of  10  percent,  through  the 
same  cause,  prices  would  look  up  ! “\^.A.”may  be 
thought  to  prescribe  hard  measure  for  suiicrintend- 
ents,  but  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  sport — an  ex- 
cel'ent  ionic  in  ita  proper  jdace— absorbs  a little 
too  much  of  chc  time  of  some  men  and  boys  alike, 
and  that  it  is  a sore  temptation  to  those  who 
have  yet  to  learn  self-control,  self-denial  and  the 
merits  of  tlie  via  Dicdia.  While  .”  and 
“ A.  C.”  do  not  think  that  coarse  plucking  lias  had 
much  to  do  with  sending  down  prices,  an  “ Lx- 
Imlia  Planter”  has  little  doubt  that  coarser 
plucking  in  the  lowcountry  has  had  a great  deal 
to  do  with  i. ; but  in  the  higher  districts  the 
))lucking  is  not  to  be  beaten  for  iineness  and  regu- 
laiiiy  by  Assam  or  Darjiling.  Severe  iiruning  is 
only  .a  temiiorary  drawback,  and  is  practised  in 
India  w'  bout  permanent  effects  011  jtrices  ; but 
the  manager  should  be  oftener  than  he  is  in  the 
factory,  and  to  enable  him  to  drop  in  more 
frequently,  his  bungalow  shouhl  he  closer  to  tlie 
factory,  and  he  shouhl  no.  be  required^  to  be  his 
own  clerk.  “Sahib”  thinks  that  prices  have 
simply  gone  down  to  their  jiroper  level,  now  that 
Ceylon  Tea  has  ceased  to  be  a novelty  in  the 
ihiited  Kingdom,  and  has  ceased  to  be  boomed 
there  by  special  adveitisements.  “Old  Tea  Bush” 
confines  himse'f  to  the  (luestion  how  best  to 
manure  tci,  and  suggests  i/hat  it  be  buiied  deep 
as  near  the  taproot  as  )>ossible;  away  fiom  jhe 
attention  of  white  ants  ; but  do  white  ants  devoui 
all  tiiey  attack  and  do  they  nou  leave  behind  a 
pulverized  residuum  which  is  easily  taken  up  by 
th(*  roots  after  a shower  or  two/  Ileie  emleth 
our  review  of  the  letters  seriatim.  We  may  have 
a few  remarks  to  oiler  on  them,  as  a whole,  at 
an  early  date.  Meanwhile  we  have  to  thank  qur 
numerous  correspomlents  foi‘  the  leadiness  w ith 
which  they  responded  to  our  call. 
We  have  already  dealt  with  the  series  of  most 
interestim^  ami  insiructive  letter.s,  numbeiing 
eighty-three  in  all,  on  the  above  subject,  as  they 
aimeiired,  in  hatches  of  eight  to  twelve,  sum- 
nmrizim'-  th.  ir  more  salient  contents  and  otlering 
such  reniarks  on  them  as  we  thouglit  were 
called  tor  by  the  circuuistance.s.  No  .single  letter, 
so  far  as  we  are  aware,  escaped  our  notice.  It 
rema-'  is  that  we  should  take  a general  view 
now  of  the  series  as  a whole,  and  indicate  some 
of  the  chief  points  which  the  letters  have  brought 
out,  or  emphasized,  in  regard  to  the  great  in- 
dustry with  which  the  prosperity  of  the  whole 
islami  is  so  intimately  wound  up.  Me  do  not 
retend  to  offer  an  exhaustive  review,  or  one 
wliich  can  in  any  way  be  regarded  as  authorita- 
tive. We  know  that  among  our  readers  are  many 
men  of  high  attainments,  ami  of  far  greater  special 
k’lowleilge  than  we  can  lay  claim  to  ; and  we 
liavo  no  doubt  that  practical  planters,  as  not 
a few  have  alre.ady  acknowdedged,  have  noted 
the  weakness  and  strength  of  the  lea  Enterprise 
indicated  by  the  letters  under  review— so  full 
of  knowledge  and  yet  differing  so  wulely,  in- 
dicating such  keen  powcis  of  obseiwaBon  and 
vet  acknow  ledging  t lu^  need  of  more  light.  Still, 
a few  (diservations  Ironi  the  standpoint  of  a com - 
o.aralive  outsider  may  not  be  out  of  place— espe- 
,.i;illy  when  tliey  aie  inspiied  by  hearty  sym. 
pathy  with  the  entf'rprise  and  even  a deep  per- 
sonal interest  in  it. 
On  the  question  of  Plucking,  the  general 
conclusion  at  which  we  arrive  is  that,  while 
shrewd  and  experienced  planters  differ,  whether 
coarse  iducking  is  on  the  increase  or  not,  being 
chiefly  guided  in  their  ojiinion  by  the  practice 
of  their  several  districts,  there  is  ju  actical  unani- 
mity that  the  principal  cause  of  the  increase  of 
the  coarser  qualities  of  leas,  is  the  extension  of 
estates  in  the  lowcountry.  The  acreage  under 
tea  in  the  low’country  has  been  extending  much 
faster  llian  in  the  ’ hill  districts,  and  as  hot 
steamy  places  yield  quicker  and  heavier  flushes 
than  those  at  liigh  elevations,  there  has  been  a 
preponderance  of  teas  of  the  lower  qualities  as 
compared  with  high-grown  llavoury  teas.  M’hether 
that  fact  supiilies  a full  explanation  of  the  fall 
in  average  prices  may  be  doubted.  It  unques- 
tionably explains  the  fall  to  some  extent.  Among 
the  other  causes  must  be  mentioned  the  un- 
doubted fact  ihat  a large  numbei'  of  estates 
go  in  for  quantity,  and  the  equally  undoubted 
fact  that  scarcity  of  Iwbour  leads  to  delayed 
plucking  by  which  much  of  the  fi7iest  flush  is 
lost.  'J  lie  latter  fact  is  not  of  the  planter’s  own 
making.  Scarcity  of  labour  leads  to  alterna- 
tives— the  plucking  of  fields  at  longer  intervals 
than  one  would  of  choice,  and  the  abandoning 
of  some  fields  fur  a season,  wdth  the  immediate 
result  of  e.stimates  running  short.  It  can  scarcely 
be  expected  that  a superintendent  would  care 
to  incur  the  latter  risk,  except  under  express 
instructions.  It  may  be  as  much  as  his  place  is 
worth  ! Coarse  plucking  wdth  a view’  to  maintain 
a high  rate  of  yield  is  matter  of  choice;  and  it 
has  been  defendeil  on  the  ground  that  it  pays. 
That  the  system  is  more  renaunerative  than 
medium,  or  even  line,  plucking,  has  been  denied  ; 
but,  clearly,  there  can  lie  no  lyard  .and  fast  rule, 
and  the  phuddng  whndi  jiays  best  on  one  est.ate 
or  in  one  district  need  not  neces.sarily  be  more 
ji.aying  on  .'mother.  It  is  useful,  how'ever,  to 
remember  that  lo,U0Ulb.  at  (id  may  really  leave 
lessto  the  propiietor  than  9,0C0lb.  at  6Jd.  Against 
the  gross  g,ain— £0.  5s.— must  be  set  the  extra  cost 
or  plucking,  manufacturing,  p.acking  and  tr.an.sport 
of  1,0001b.  of  tea  which  may  swallow’  np  the 
w’hole  of  the  apparent  g.ain.  Apart  from  that, 
there  is  the  influence  to  be  reckoned  on  tlie 
market  of  <a  diminished  output,  and  of  an  im- 
proved average  (piality.  A reduction  in  the 
outturn  of  1,(’0'  lb.  liere  and  l,u001b.  there,  can 
scarcely  affect  the  general  aver.age  of  prices  for 
the  wdiole  island  ; but  tlie  reduction  of  the  total 
exports  by  one-tentli,  now  that  they  have  topped 
100  million  lb.  would  mean  an  apprecdable 
quantity  off  the  market. 
The  general  con.sen.sus  of  opinion  is  against 
severe  luuning  which  has  been  described  as  liack- 
ing,  and  which,  we  are  glad  to  learn,  finds  fewer 
adherents  ye.ar  by  year.  It  is  admitted,  however, 
that  at  intervals — the  longer  the  interval  the  better 
for  the  bush— tliere  must  be  a change  from  light 
pruning;  but  exjierienced  jilauters  distinguish 
between  heavy  pruning  and  cutting  down  or  hack- 
ing. Tliere  is  no  change  in  the  old  belief  that  the 
li([uor  is  weak  for  some  time  alter  jirunim'’ the 
w'eakness  and  the  duration  corresponding  To  (he 
severity  of  the  pruning.  Intimately  connected  with 
the  influence  of  pruning  is  that  of  jnanuring,  which 
Homewrilers  have. stated  lias  the  same eflcct  of  weak- 
enitig  the  liqu.  r.  The  balance  of  autiio  ity  seems 
to  be  against  this  view’.  Not  only  so,  but  also  in 
favour  of  the  (qdnion  that  the  li(|uor  is  strength- 
ened by  the  greater  robust nc.-s  of  the  iTush 
which  manure  induces.  This  strikes  us  as  the 
more  reasonable  view  ; and  our  explanation  of 
