June  i,  1897.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
875 
ton’s  experience  is  of  a few  trees — and  not  even 
a few  acres  cacli  witli  80  trees  per  acre  ? In 
Ceylon  we  can  show  wonderful  results  from  a 
few  ti ees  or  smal  1 gardens,  but  our  statistics  aie 
based  on  plantations  of  from  100  up  to  500  acres 
each. — Ed.  T.A.'\ 
OUR  AMERICAN  TEA  COMMISSIONER 
AND  HIS  GOOD  WORK. 
New  York,  April  1. 
Dear  Sir,— I send  you  a copy  of  the  report 
prepared  by  experts  for  the  new  tea  standards 
liere.  Dust  and  Fannings  are  to  have  a bad  time. 
I also  enclose  a few  of  our  advertisements 
for  this  week.  ^ 
I note  that  in  his  speech  at  the  Planters’ 
meeting,  Mr.  Sackville  said  “ Canada  has  for 
many  years  been  receivinq  funds  from  the  Thirty 
Committee  and  its  predecessor  the  Tea  Fundf 
is  this  correct?  Many  years  ? Did  tlie  Tea  Fund 
give  anything  for  Canada?  The  Committee  did 
not  begin  subscribing  till  late  in  1895. — Yours 
truly,  Wm.  MACKENZIE. 
P.S.— Fear  of  a duty  may  partly  account  for 
the  increase.  Be  that  as  it  may,  Sheppard's  tea 
circular  gives  the  following  ligures ; — 
Direct  ' shipments  to  North  America  fiom 
London  of  Ceylon  and  Indian  teas. 
Jan.  and  Feb.  189(i  ...  262,000  lb. 
,,  ,,  1897  ...1,202,000  1b. 
Your'  papers  show  now  a large  direct  shi'p- 
ment  increase  from  Colombo. 
[The  report  on  the  new  tea  standards  will  be 
found  in  another  column.  The  advertisements 
are  of  the  usual  attractive  character,  one  being 
trom  the  “ Youth’s  Companion  ” regarding  which 
our  Commissioner  remarks  that  it  is  the  “ second 
dearest  paper  in  America,  the  “ Lady’s  Home 
Journal  ” being  the  first.  This  advertisement 
costs  about  £48  an  issue  in  this  paper.  Nearly 
all  homes  take  those  papers.  As  to  the  direct 
shipments  of  tea  from  Colombo  tlie  last  table  of 
exports  and  distribution  issued  by  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  shows  that  the  export  to  America 
this  year  up  to  27th  April  was  213,201  lb.  as 
against  90,907  lb.  in  1896. — Ed.  T.A.'\ 
“ROSES-ROSES— ALL  THE  WAY.” 
Upcountry,  15th  May. 
Dear,  Sir,— That  letter  on  Rose  Culture  by 
“ Practical  Horticulturist  ” is  most  interesting  and 
ou"ht  to  be  of  great  use  to  all  amateur  rose- 
growers.  There  are  acres  and  acres  of  abandoned 
land  that  might  be  turned  into  rose  gardens, 
and  gallons  of  perfume  might  be  distilled  there- 
from ; all  we  want  is  some  capitalist  to  take  the 
initiative  in  planting  acres  of  ro.ses,  and  then  get 
an  expert  to  show  us  how  to  extract  the  valuable 
attar  of  roses.  The  climate  of  Ceylon  is  so  diver- 
sified that  the  resources  of  the  island  as  to  New 
Products  are  endless  ; in  favoured  spots  plums  of 
sorts,  tigs,  raisin,  vines  &c.  might  be  grown  most 
prohtably.— Truly  yours, 
^ UPCOUNTRY. 
PLUCKING  TEA  IN  APRIL:  A GOOD  THING 
BUT  REQUIRING  MORE  COOLIES?  ! 
Dear  Sir, — To  continue  my  letter  of  the  5th 
inst.,  I am  convinced  that  were  all  estates  to  have 
sufficient  labour  to  keep  the  bushes  closely  plucked 
in  April  and  May,  the  result  would  be  that  the 
Ceylon  output  would  be  15  to  20  per  cent  higher 
than  it  is  at  present,  so  perhaps  it  is  as  well  wo 
can’t  get  sufficient  coolies  though  the  quality  would 
be  better  if  it  could  be  manufactured.  Again 
had  we  sufficient  labour  in  those  2 months,  what 
would  we  do  with  the  coolies  in  the  non-flushing 
months  ? 
It  is  in  April  and  May  that  the  cry  is  for 
coolies  ; in  most  other  months  there  is  an  over- 
sutliciency.  Now  there  is  a well-known  estate 
that  has  solved  its  labour  difficulty.  It  prunes 
the  whole  of  the  tea  in  February,  March  and 
April  ; there  is  therefore  no  work  in  April,  and 
the  tea  comes  into  bearing  from  June  onwards, 
when  better  prices  prevail,  and  they  have  an 
even  output  throughout  the  year.  Surely  that  is 
solving  the  difficulty  ! 
All  estates  (below  1,200  ft.  where  they  mostly 
prune  once  a year)  might  not  care  to  do  this,  though 
it  seems  a sane  idea,  but  at  any  rate  men  ought 
to  try  and  get  a minimum  of  their  tea  in  full 
bearing  in  April,  and  not  prune  so  much  in  July 
and  August  so  as  to  get  a maximum  of  tea  in 
bearing  in  April  which  they  can’t  possibly  pluck 
or  manufacture  properljn  Some  men  lose  about 
30  per  cent  of  tfieir  yield  by  this  means,  they 
leave  so  much  on  the  bushes,  that  the  tea  has 
to  be  pruned  before  it  would  flush  again.  So 
they  go  on  year  after  year,  crying  out  for  labour 
in  April,  and  wanting  to  lend  coolies  half  the 
other  months. — Yours  faithfully,  S. 
P.S. — Once  a bush  gets  out  of  hand  it  is  doomed, 
and  has  to  be  pruned,  it  will  give  fine  results 
for  a tew  weeks,  then  comes  the  “banjy”  and 
then  the  knife.  Besides  a man  who  builds  a 
factory  for  say  100,000  lb.  of  tea  doesn’t  supply 
machinery  and  withering  accommodation  fer  say 
35,000  in  2 months. — S. 
TEA  PLUCKING  IN  APRIL  : A 
COUNTERBLAST. 
May  17. 
Sir, — In  your  issue  of  11th  instant  there  is  a 
letter  signea  “ S.  ” on  the  subject  of  “ Plucking 
tea  in  April. 
Half  the  output  of  Ceylon  is  produced  at  an 
elevation  of  4,000  ft.  or  upwards  where  lushe* 
of  leaf  are  so  very  exceptional  that  there  is  little 
or  no  difficulty  in  securing  the  whole  lot  1 
That  the  other  half  of  Ceylon  could  turn  out 
an  extra  .30  or  40  million  lb.  annually  I don’t  be- 
lieve, but  even  were  this  pos.sible,  1 think  it  a 
wise  dispensation  of  Providence  that  the  labour 
question  steps  in  to  save  those  lowcountry  men 
from  ruining  themselves  and  their  bushes  by 
«uch  awful  overproduction.  Were  all  estates  to 
follow  the  advice  of  “ R ” and  have  no  work 
whatever  during  April  (as  per  that  well-known 
estate  which  is  evidently  managed  by  a man 
smart  enough  to  take  advantage  of  his  neighbour’s 
idiosyncrasies  and  doubtless  makes  them  pay 
through  the  nose  for  his  labour  during  that  month) 
we  should  be  in  a nice  fix,  .as  though  Ramasamy 
can  appreciate  taking  it  easy  as  much  as  any 
one,  lin’d  look  somewhat  asUance  when  told  he’d 
have  a month’s  holiday  at  his  own  expen.se  and 
that  there  really  was  no  pay  whatever  for  April 
in  Ceylon  as  by  “ 8.  ” established. 
The  idea  of  pruning  the  whole  of  an  estate 
either  below  or  above  1,200  ft.  all  at  once  is  a 
most  insane  idea;  but  1 know  there  are  men,  or 
machines,  who  believe  in  and  do  this.  The  rc» 
suit  is  3 days’ work  a week  foi months  and  then 
7 days  a week  are  not  sufficient  for  the  rest  of 
the  year.  At  one  time  the  tea  is  simidy  rubbish 
and  at  another  far  above  anything  it  ever  fetches 
and  yet  Ave  arc  told  this  is  the  way  to  maintaiq 
an  even  outturn  throughout  the  year ! 
