UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 AT LOS ANGELES
 
 ESSAY 
 
 CULTIVATION & MANUFACTURE OF TEA, 
 
 LIEUT.-COLONEL EDWARD MONEY, 
 
 FOR WHICH THE PRIZE OF THE GRANT GOLD MEDAL AND 
 
 Rs. 300 WAS AWARDED BY THE AGRICULTURAL 
 
 AND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF INDIA 
 
 IN THE YEAR 1872. 
 
 SECOND EDITION, 
 Corrected and. much enlarged, 
 
 PRICE R S. 4-. 
 
 WYMAN & Co., PUBLISHERS, 
 
 5, COUKCIl HOUSE STREET, & 10, HAKE STREET. 
 
 3827 1874-
 
 CALCUTTA : 
 
 A. ACTOS, CALCUTTA CENTEAL PBESS COMPANY, LIMITED, 
 6, COUSCIL HOUSE 8TEEET.
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 . Chapter. 
 
 Past and present financial prospects of Tea ... ... I- 
 
 Labor, local and imported ... ... ... II. 
 
 Tea districts and their comparative advantages. Climate, soil, 
 
 &c., in each ... ... HI. 
 
 Soil ... ... . - - IV. 
 
 Nature of jungle ... ... ... V. 
 
 Water and sanitation ... ... ... ... VI. 
 
 i Lay of land ... ... ... ... ... VII. 
 
 Laying out a garden ... ... ... ... VIII. 
 
 Q Varieties of the Tea-plant ... ... IX. 
 
 Tea seed ... ... ... ... ' ... X. 
 
 \ Comparison between sowing in nurseries and in situ ... XI. 
 
 ^ Sowing seed in situ, id. est. at stake ... ... ... XII. 
 
 Nurseries ... ... ... ... ... XIII. 
 
 V Manure ... ... ... ... ... XIV. 
 
 \DistancesaparttoplantTea-bushes ... ... ... XV. 
 
 ^> Making a garden ... ... ... ... XVI. 
 
 , Transplanting ... ... ... ... XVII. 
 
 ^ Cultivation of made gardens ... ... ... XVIII. 
 
 "Pruning ... ... ... ... ... XIX. 
 
 ^ White-ants, crickets, and blight ... ... ... XX> 
 
 Filling up vacancies ... ... ... ... XXI. 
 
 Flushing and number of flushes ... ... ... XXII. 
 
 Leaf-picking ... ... ... ... ... XXIII. 
 
 Manufacture. Mechanical contrivances ... ... XXIV. 
 
 Sifting and sorting ... ... ... ... XXV. 
 
 Boxes, packing ... ... ... ... XXVI. 
 
 Management, accounts, forms ... ... ... XXVII. 
 
 Cost of manufacture, packing, transport, &c. ... ... XXVIII. 
 
 Cost of making a 300 acre Tea garden ... ... XXIX. 
 
 How much profit Tea can give ... ... ... XXX. 
 
 The past, present, and future of Indian Tea ... ... XXXI.
 
 PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. 
 
 . THE following Essay was written with, firstly, the object of 
 cornDdtingTor the Gold Medal and the Money Prize offered 
 by the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India for 
 the best treatise on the cultivation and manufacture of Tea ; - 
 and, secondly, with the view of arranging the hundreds of 
 notes on these subjects, which, in the course of eleven years, 
 1 had collected. 
 
 During all these years I have been a Tea Planter, making 
 first for myself and others a garden in the Himalayas, and 
 for the last six years doing the same thing for myself in 
 the CliHtagong^ktr.ict. 
 
 Whenever I have visited other plantations, (and I have 
 seen a great number in many districts), I have brought away 
 
 notes of all I saw. Up to the last, at every such visit, I 
 
 c*%<f^e^ tflf 
 
 have learnt something, it. rarely /nothinor to follow, some- 
 ax t^vtW**^; J fttJiAtjfef 
 
 thing at least to avoi^T I 'nave now tested/all and every- 
 thing connected with the cultivation and manufacture of 
 Tea by my own experience, and I can only hope that what 
 I have written will be found useful to an industry, destined, 
 yet I believe, in su?t^Df the late panic, the natural result of 
 
 &#*&+< JJLV*fjt. fe>M? . / 
 
 wild speculation, toTpJay an impoimnt part in Indian ff /+ 
 
 aXn^&bt' 1 J a^e^i^f^-rik^fi^' ^fiJttAf^^' 
 
 I have/ endeavored to/adapt this Essay to the wants or a 
 beginner, as there are many of that class now, and may yet 
 be more in days to come, who must feel, as I often have, the 
 want of a really practical work on Tea. 
 
 To ihosg^who have Tea properties in unlikely climates and 
 unlikely si%s, I'would say two words. No view I have taken 
 of the advantages of different localities, can in any way 
 affect the results of ent erpr^ejah'e^dv^entered upon. But 
 if the note of warning, soutSfeaffi the following pages.
 
 ii PREFACE. 
 
 ^*^ a^+^^Jfrt-f***^ / 
 
 checks further losses^in Tea v already/? so vast, while it fosters -^e* 
 
 &hf^*~n&^. A-J&kfjiJ^ 
 the cultivation on remunerative/ sites, I shall not have 
 
 written in vain. 
 
 EDWARD MONEY. 
 SUNGOO RIVER PLANTATION ; 
 
 CHITTAGONG, 
 November 1870. 
 
 PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION. 
 
 THREE years' further experience, and visiting two- Tea dis- 
 tricts I had not seen before, has enabled me to amenowhat- 
 ever was faulty in the 1st Edition. The whole has been 
 revised, and much new matter^js> added throughout. A new 
 Chapter at the end on the past, the present, and the future of 
 Indian Tea will, it is hoped, be found interesting. An Index 
 (a great want in the 1st Edition) is added, so that all infor- 
 mation on any point can be at once found. The manufac- 
 ture of Green Tea, which I was ignorant of when I last 
 wrote, is given, and the advisability of that manufacture is 
 discussed. 
 
 In its present form I hope and believe this little work will 
 be found useful and interesting to all connected with Tea. 
 
 EDWARD MONEY. 
 
 DARJEELING, 
 May 1874.
 
 ADDENDA. 
 
 SINCE iliis second and enlarged edition went to Press, some 
 facts and information have been met with by me, and I give 
 them here. 
 
 DISSOLVED PERUVIAN GUANO, 
 
 This is a manure highly spoken of in England, and for which 
 Messrs. Ede and Hobson are the Agents in Calcutta. It 
 appears to be a highly concentrated article, and it may be that 
 it will prove very beneficial to 'the Tea-plant. It should cer- 
 
 rgafsn+t.Yt' > 
 
 tainly be /tried' by planters; I am trying it myself, but regret 
 that as I have only just applied it I cannot speak as to the 
 results. 
 The following is the description given by the manufacturers : 
 
 DISSOLVED PERUVIAN GUANO, 
 
 PBEPARED BY OHLENDOEFF & Co., 
 LONDON, ANTWEKP, HAMBUBG, AND EMMERICH-ON-RHINB, 
 
 GUARANTEED 
 
 TO CONTAIN : 
 
 Nitrogen equal to 10 per cent, of non-volatile ammonia, 
 
 20 per cent, of soluble ) 
 
 , , , > Guano Phosphate. 
 4 per cent, of insoluble J 
 
 Our Dissolved/Peruvian Guano has, since we first^iutroduced 
 
 it ten years/ago, met with such unqualified success^ on the 
 
 ConfeinenJ, and more specially in Germany, that we are 
 
 /^itfaced to come forward with it before the British public, and
 
 ii ADDENDA. 
 
 with this purpose in view we have errected works at Plaistow, 
 near Victoria Docks, London. 
 
 General character of the Dissol^jgl Peruvian Guano. 
 This manure is prepared from genuine Peruvian Government 
 Guano, treated with sufficient, sulphuric acid to fix the ammo- 
 
 ?r>J*&tC&* 4?nrfr<r4'Vftsut- trt*tG/vfeaev*stKs&i~^cie* 
 
 nia, and to convert the insoluble, fertilizing constituents oL^the 
 
 ** CtHVtJSi/irJL. 4**4ts&40sue. <rib<t>* 'fft^ui Jf<*.+**e+* f +/*C~~~-ill 9 , 
 
 raw Guano into readily available soluble compounds. It sup- 
 plies the farmer with the means of deriving the greatest econo- 
 mical advantage from the use of Guano. 
 
 It is offered for sale as " Dissolved Peruvian Guano" in a 
 nicely-prepared and dry condition, and of an uniform strength, 
 guaranteed as above. 
 
 Peculiar merits of the Dissolved Peruvian Guano. 
 
 The following are some of the merits of the Dissolved Peru- 
 vian Guano which have, been -fully recognised by all persons, 
 
 -fc^^7x-^ &cJijt-& *f*^i&* &* -fafot^\<>{ 
 
 who have had fair onjrortjimties to become practically acquainted 
 with this valuable and concentrated manure : 
 
 1. It contains a very high percentage of ammonia the 
 most valuable fertilizing constituent of most natural and 
 artificial manures. 
 
 2. All the ammonia occurs in Dissolved Peruvian Guano in 
 
 a fixed or non-volatile, and at the same time readily soluble and /? 
 
 " A a-vaiTable condition. Dissolved Guano for this reason loses,,, , 
 
 , .. . 4*^*Ze&^~. 
 
 nothing whatever by exposure to the air, nor even by exposure (/ 
 
 to a burning sun. If kept in a dry place its fertilizing pro- 
 
 K*~ 07<*es r ~ T *^~' / v 
 perties remain unimpaired for years in all climates. 
 
 3. It is as rich in soluble phosphate as good superphos- 
 phates and most dissolved bone manures, and thus combines 
 the fertilizing properties of phosphatic manures with those of 
 raw Peruvian Guano, and of other ammoniacal manures. 
 
 4. In addition to a high percentage of non-volatile ammonia 
 and of a large percentage of soluble G uano phosphate, Dissolved 
 Peruvian Guanoco^tai.^ a us ef demount, of insoluble Guano 
 pltosphates to supporOhe healthy gr^vthof cultivated plants 
 at tli/ later stages/pt tlieir development ; and it further con- 
 tains soluble silica, a large proportion of nitrogenous organic
 
 ADDENDA. Ill 
 
 matters, and a considerable/amount of soluble salts, of potash, / 
 
 Ket 644-0% <**< * **! ^<zvftx^*r eb ff-K&Ast.C&c-fSC 
 
 eoda, and magnesia. It thus embodies ap/the essential organic 
 and mineral elements of plant-food which are required to 
 encourage the healthy and luxuriant growth of our crops. 
 
 5. Inasmuch as Dissolved Peruvian Guano contains all the 
 elements of nutrition to favor the abundant yield of all kinds 
 of agricultural produce, it is more useful as a fertilizer for 
 general agricultural purposes than special artificial manures, 
 whose efficiency depends entirely upon the amount of soluble 
 phosphate, or of potash, or of ammonia, or of any one 
 particular fertilizing constituent, for which many artificial 
 manures are specially recommended./? / / / v x 
 
 a ^Ctftf^tr' <*f*-<t * /CJra-*>y~* 
 
 6. It is prepared and sold of/ ujrfform strength guaranteed 
 to contain 
 
 Nitrogen equal to 10 per cent, of non-volatile ammonia, 
 
 20 per cent, of soluble ) 
 
 ... ... > Guano phosphate. 
 
 4 per cent, of insoluble ) 
 
 In respect of this guarantee we hold ourselves bound by the 
 result of Analyses of the Chemists to the three great National 
 Agricultural Societies, i.e. 
 
 DK. AUGUSTUS VOELCKER, Consulting Chemist to the 
 Royal Agricultural Society of England, London. 
 
 PBOF. THOS. ANDERSON, Chemist of the Highland and 
 Agricultural Society of Scotland, Glasgow. 
 
 DK. JAS APJOHN, Chemist of the Royal Agricultural 
 Society of Ireland, Dublin. 
 
 7. Dissolved Peruvain Guano is a ^7 anjJ finelyvprepaml 
 manure, which requires. no Z ^pr t e^Dus'*breaking / ,^p, si|mig/aucf ^ 
 siipHar manipulation, before it can be applied beneficially to the 
 crop for which it is intended. -/SL^a^nof- 
 
 8. It may be sown brpadcastfand left on the surface of the 
 
 land exposed to the air and su.n, without losing any of its/er- 
 j.^.-_:_. ,-, . ~S**iff' <obJti&*jff -(r^eG^^e. 
 
 and neeqfnot be ploughed IH or harrowed /' 
 
 but the operation of mixiue: it with the surface soil 
 22r?l , ^z*^ttJ - 
 
 in at 
 
 by a ligfit hap^virjg in may be djgferred to a period most con- 
 venient to the farmer.
 
 ADDENDA. 
 
 9. For the//convcnience of dealers the Dissolved/Peruviau 
 Guano is made up iu bagsoFuuiform weight of JLGOlbs.g&oss eaph. / 
 
 For further particulars wecravervfercncejfo our pampjrfet, con* 
 taininy certificates from ilie most prominent English and Foreign 
 Agricultural Chemists, ivith their opinions of /our Dissolved 
 
 -&*' OA* >l ^t-CLC^^, 
 
 Peruvian Guano ; this pamphlet ivill be sent free pn application. 
 
 OHLENDORFE & Co. 
 110, FENCIIURCH STEEET, E.C., 
 LONDON, October, 1873. 
 
 The Imports and Deliveries of Indian Teas into Great Britain 
 have been as following during the last four years : 
 
 
 1873. 
 
 1872. 
 
 1871. 
 
 1870. 
 
 Imports 
 
 18,367,000 
 
 16,942,000 
 
 15,457,000 
 
 13,14.8,108 
 
 Deliveries 
 
 18,187,000 
 
 16,276,000 
 
 13,706,000 
 
 13,472,800 
 
 The above shows that the deliveries have kept pace with the 
 imports, and shows, moreover, that the increase in the imports 
 during that time is under two millions of pounds yearly. The 
 estimate of produce for 1874 (see page 176) of "not far short 
 of twenty millions of pounds" will now, I think, be scarcely 
 attained, for the last weather accounts from Assam are far from 
 good. If so, the increase this year (1874) will be again 
 considerably under two millions. 
 
 The following regarding Tea cultivation in Java is inter- 
 eating : 
 
 MESSES. THOMA.S WATSON & Co. report that the quantity 
 of Tea grown in Java and imported into Holland has largely
 
 ADDENDA. 
 
 increased. The imports of Java Tea into Holland amounted 
 to 2,541,0008)8. in 1869, and 6,023,50011.8. in 1873. 
 
 The following from the "Indian Economist" regarding Indian 
 Teas in general, and Neilgherry Teas in particular, js not out of 
 place here. At the same time I do no1>agre.e with the writer, for 
 
 ^^^jt^/J^i 
 
 I believe that in the strength and pungency of Indian Teas con- 
 sists their value : 
 
 INDIAN TEA. 
 
 r 4*6*'l4r 
 
 " That the Teas of India have at length come to be fully appre- 
 ciated in England may be taken, we presume, as an admitted 
 fact ; and it is of importance that planters should direct their 
 attention to modifying, their methods of manufacture so as to 
 suit the public taste, and, if possible, turn out an article free 
 from the objections still advanced against the Indian leaf as a daily 
 
 <*>,*,< -6<a^ ^f^e^w 
 
 beverage. There are, we know, those who argug 
 
 has been done, and that consumers will acquire a taste for the 
 produce of our gardens in time ; but we have daily evidence that 
 
 <7-C*4^-r? x *4-?vT x Fjtsrrvi^r*- 
 
 in thef mosly/tfrjvial ^natters there is no greater tyrant than the 
 public. It benoves those then wbo 'c^ter^7br*^1iis tjrant to 
 .consult its taste and satisfy its demands, however exacting and 
 
 y may be. The remarks we are about to make 
 
 As*t<++4~* *^ rU**.^***^ ~****-. 
 
 are based on .experiments and enquiries extending over some 
 years in this country and in England, and we leave those 
 engaged in the enterprise to estimate their value. All Teas 
 grown in the plains of India are known to the trade in London 
 under the general .name of Assam, and are chiefly used for 
 mixing, seldom reaching the consumer in a pure state. When, ' 
 they do, the objections raided are. that the leaf is too pungent \f 
 
 2 *^Vj/>-> V^C"-^^-^^ '&#~&4to-fi-'t 
 
 and rough for most palates '>&& purchasers ^eip ^he^uibit 
 of mixing it with China to tone/ opwn? those astringent qualities. 
 
 ^MMCfJIf jf <Cc r *je~<**i 
 
 In other words, it wants the dpiicacy of ijrivour which is the 
 chief characteristic of the Chinese leaf, meaning of course
 
 Vi ADDENDA. 
 
 .^Cje^t-t <#<fi 
 
 that vended by respectable houses, not the Abominable trash 
 that formed part of the cargoes of the Lalla JRooH, and Sarpedon 
 containing, according to Dr. Letheby's Analysis, " 40 to 45 per 
 cent, of iron filings and 19 per cent, of silica." Nor is this Jack 
 of delicacy of flavour to be lightly regarded, for. the efforts of 
 our. manufacturers have been .directed unvyittify and indirectly 
 
 j*^^ *<** *iftsru**ISif4*r A**** <** rf* <*/ 
 
 to foster the peedliarity, as the test* oflndiau Teu Jiashitherto 
 
 been its streugtb and pungency, to fit it, for salting weak, thin. 
 
 ***^^ -'*-^W, . . &*+*&*&* 
 
 inferior sorts of China. This is what the de<fl0rs have/demanded, 
 
 > F ,u c ]<*W2J,*W"r i '**. 'n 
 
 and what, consequently, brokers in their turn have insisted 
 on, with the result that the outturn of our Assam and Cachar 
 
 plantations, is now, if anything, too powerful to suit public/ 
 
 tirf?*^ / *^**4*Bf ***<<#* ??*/*" '"^ 
 
 taste. Whether means of manipulation may be hit up.on by 
 
 which aroma can be retained without sacrificing strength, we 
 leave those most interested to determine ; but it is worthy of 
 
 , note that this objection to strength and roughness is almost 
 /.^^yiot- f ^eS*^**^ . . 
 
 /confined to women, the sterneivsex preferring As^am unmixed, 
 
 while the work ing. classes of both sexes are unannnousin favour/ 
 
 e>~+v*'&x+>*X4tf* . ZZlv^*-*~> v*X*j v^irtc 
 
 of the unadulterated Indian article. Experiments were further 
 tried by substituting Neilgherry Tea, and after a short interval 
 the verdict of the majority was in its favour. We need now 
 only point out the difference in the manufacture between the 
 two Teas, leaving others to decide questions regarding the bearing 
 of climate or altitude. Up to thejtime of finishing rolling the 
 manipulation of the leaf is identiom, care being taken to retain 
 the juice ; but that made on the hills instead of being almost 
 immediately placed over choqlas was spread out thinly on tables 
 all night, in a temperature of 54 deg., sustaining*conseo^^t*loB r 
 of strength by evaporation, but developing an aroma that 
 established it at once in favour. So successful has this Neil- 
 gherry Tea been at home, that offers are now received by planta- 
 tion proprietors for their produce at half a crown per Ib. .free 
 on board,n_ Mdras. This would te^i' r to" indTcate that _ the 
 
 / 
 
 . b*&*+MvM . 
 aroma is generated by theaptioii of % cold upon the 
 
 while in a state of 'Wtspendedjrernmpfction;'' for, previous to 
 experimenting with consumers, the samples were submitted to
 
 ADDENDA. 
 
 *<JV*jt<*tl' <,r - ,^ 
 
 Mincing Lane brokers and pronounced -douncl, in corroborating r 
 of which opinion theljijlk from whichijiey were taken sold at 
 auction for 2*. 2M., so that fermentation, i.e. (Sourness) 
 
 jnfX &e>*\f " f*4f^**f <**** 
 
 had been carefully avoided. We know that the^limate of 
 Assam and, ^temperature of the Tea-hpuses'render the, keeping 
 
 -.VSfJff (Spe/ r .,nzr*/S,^fif -****-***<^^W Y 
 
 carolled leaf even for an hour fatal to/soundness ; but should 
 the development of this aroma be really due to "suspension 
 
 of fermentation," is, it'., not worth whilo /adopting spine 
 tv~4V3-w*4 ^&^c^ ^to^&fy.**^** 
 
 contrivance for coming down a chamber s^r aside for the 
 
 purpose of spreading out the rolled leaf to the temperature 
 required ? 
 
 " The question whether delicacvjs due to^vltitude alone and 
 not to manufacture might be asjzertainecTby experiment. Let 
 a quantity of green leaf be sent down from one of the Neil- 
 gherry gardens, and worked up in the plains at the foot of the 
 hills, and an equal quantity sent up from one of the Assam 
 gardens, say to Shillong, and manufactured on the Neilgherry 
 principles there, and the result then compared. This experi- 
 ment would cost little and determine a not unimportant 
 
 question: for all engaged in/Tea are interested in usin 
 
 /^^MW*.. J^*W^^r~ * 
 
 best / eimeaw)rs t# lit it tor public consumption, and to guard 
 
 1(WWMI* 
 
 it against China in anjs^shape or form whatever." 
 
 That "delicacy of flavour," and " want of strength" with it, 
 is due to att^nde has long ago been admitted, and any experi- 
 ments on that head would, I think, be quite unnecessary. The 
 experiments as to manufacture on the Neilgherria are interest- 
 ing, and should be further looked into. 
 
 The following extract from the "Darjeeling News" of May 
 30th, 1874, describes (and describes well) "Jackson's Boiling 
 Machine," the last rolling machine invented : 
 
 '* We have had the advantage of seeing one of Jackson's Tea- 
 Eolling Machines at work during the week, and as we know that
 
 Viii ADDENDA. 
 
 several have been ordered, and are actually on their way out 
 for different estates in this district, a short description of the 
 way in which the machine gets through its work may be 
 interesting to some of our readers, who, like ourselves, take an 
 interest in the application of machinery to Tea manufacture. 
 
 shines, 
 
 uni 
 
 necessary to take the rolled leaf away, thus forming ^jr 
 
 plane from which the leaf can b^swqpifmto the trays. The 
 
 . chief peculiarity of the table is, that in the centre there is a 
 
 " rS-es^&f some few inches in depth ; this is an improvement on 
 
 the cross pieces fixed on Kininan's table. Motion is given 
 
 from/the fly-wheel to the upper portion of the machine by 
 
 one crank behind having a direct front-and-back action, while 
 
 another/crank is connected witli/fne side of the machine by a 
 /.J ^^ -^f^y jf jg-c-iAto'* <r f 
 
 ball ano^rcketjgnit. The upper part of the machine by 
 
 which the rolling is done is a square box, having a piece of. 
 corrugated iron, shaped like the upper-shell oT a turtle/cou- 
 nected to the inner and lower sides ; this box is suspended from a 
 rectangular iron frame by four iron uprights, each upright having 
 two. baH and socketjoints. These are the principal points which 
 wou!dstri^6 96 observer when the machine is 'at rest. The 
 motions of the upper portion of the machine seem to be a^ombina-/ 
 tion of a circle and an oval, though by substituting a different cog 
 wheel it is capable of being made to go through no less than 
 twenty-sevendifferent motions. The machine does not appear 
 to sca/ter the leaf, when it /begins /rolling, nearly so much 
 as the others do ; it does not crush the leaf in the same way 
 even if, as is often, the, case, the latter be hard ; nor does it 
 require, so many men to tenditTit is capable of rolling 120lbs. 
 
 l &*r*eT #^f*t&tZ 
 
 of soft withered leaf in fifteen minutes, but if the leaf is hard it 
 requires something over twenty minutes to do the same amount 
 of work. The cost of the machine is about Es. 800, and it 
 certainly appears to do all that^^claimed for it. One of its 
 peculiarities is the very grea* s&oothn^ss with which it does its
 
 ADDENDA. IX 
 
 *^ei*'*&?* 
 
 work, and the very complete manner in which it rolls even 
 hard leaf, no auxilliary hand rolling being necessary. We are 
 convinced that this machine is the best yet introduced into the 
 district, though at the same time we consider it very far from 
 being perfection. Machinery is certain to be adopted more and 
 more every year in this district, though many planters still 
 think that rolling cannot be done nearly as well by machinery 
 as by hand. This may perhaps be true at present, but there is no 
 reason, where the attention of practical mechanics directed to 
 
 **** <W&+-+1 rt. < *<*- 
 
 the subject, why the same opinion should continue to be well 
 founded much longer. A prejudice has always existed against 
 the introduction of machinery into any branch of industry, 
 but it has always been overcome in th^end. It,will^probably 
 be found that Jackson's Rolling Machine s^ves the wages of a 
 very large number of highly paid men." 
 
 The machine above described is the first imported into the 
 Darjeeliug district. I have seen and studied it closely, /^t is 
 certainly by far the best " rolling machine" yet invented. 
 
 A new sorting machine is also advertized by the same maker, 
 but I have not seen it. 
 
 I have at last completed experiments with a view to do away 
 with the use of charcoal in Tea manufacture, and I think with 
 success. 
 
 The " Furnace Teas," for so I purpose naming them, have 
 in most cases been pronounced by the Calcutta brokers to be 
 
 ^^^^t^^f^^Tta^ffi^^ . . 1-1 
 
 superior to similarfeamples of the same day s leaf, made in the 
 usual way over charcoal. 
 
 Nothing but the heat generated by any fuel placed in fur- 
 naces sunk under ground outside the Tea-house, is used. No 
 motive power of any kind is employed. The appzeratus is very 
 simple./ It is cheap to erect and very durable in character. 
 
 As the apparatus, with which the Teas up to the present 
 time have been made, is a rude and imperfect one, having dis-
 
 ADDENDA. 
 
 fy 
 
 advantages which must tell more or less on the excellence of the 
 Teas so manufactured, and as, even with these disadvantages, 
 the Teas are pronounced by the brokers at least equal to char- 
 coal-dried Teas, it is not too much to hope that with a perfect 
 apparatus (one of which will be erected immediately) Teas 
 will be improved in value by this new invention. The follow- 
 ing will be shortly the advantages of this new process, even 
 supposing the Teas are no better : */ 
 
 1. Economy. This will possibly be even greater than 
 \ s seiToulfui !the extract of the local paper below ; for the 
 that the Tea is never placed over charcoal until the whole is 
 ignited and has become "live charcoal," is not there recognized, 
 much of 
 
 2. Cleai^mess and ab 
 
 .j V+AAS^S 
 
 isence of charcoal dust.^****/ = 
 3. Absence of the obje^tu/&apTe funies/oi charcoal. 
 
 cvL+y^,* ~~ f 
 
 4. Imuntfy from nre in lea-nouses. 
 
 5. Greater speed in the firing process, and the salving o^all 
 the labour .employed to make charcoal- A*^}-&**e^ 
 
 cev*~iSe*fc><> . 
 
 6. Reduced temperature in Tea-houses. /. 
 
 ^ce t ccf-ft &/* * 
 
 If all the above advantages are, as I expect they will be, attained 
 the life of a Tea planter will be more pleasant than hitherto. / 
 
 The following is the opinion of the new process exprfssed 
 by the " Darjeeling News" of 1st August. 
 
 " ^ Ji|eL n k een a question, which all planters were desirous 
 to'solve/u the fumes of charcoal were necessary to make Tea, 
 that is to say if any chemical action was produced on the 
 tea by the said fumes, and if not, whether it would not be pos- ' 
 sible to do the firing in some other and far cheaper way. 
 
 " The question has, we believe, been solved by Colonel Edward 
 
 TI/T J -p f ^ ^ 2^V**^ -K 
 
 Money, and if, so, for the invention, is^quite a new one, a boon 
 of x^reax magnitjjUe wijl have been conferred on the Tea interest 
 in India. We congratuldre'this district as being the birth-place 
 of the improvement: 
 
 " The apparatus at present in use at Sopm, and which we have 
 
 .^ot-^t^ /]a* njf <* f^tsfAtef *~*+i.e^txJcX ej 
 
 seen working, is a rougn and crude/oCe made/on the spo^l 
 This, and the more perfect plans from which larger and better 
 cnes are to be made, are readily shown by Colonel Money to
 
 ADDENDA. XI 
 
 any one visiting Soom ; but until the inventionis patented it 
 is not well to describe it in print. Suffice if^we say that the 
 invention is a pemarkably simple one cheap to erecfc^ can-able 
 in its character, and the working thereof unattended with any 
 expense whatever, beyond the cost of the fuel (which may be 
 of any kind) and which of course will be many times less than 
 charcoal. 
 
 " If true, as we hear, that it takes 3^ maunds of wood gene- 
 rally to make oiie maund of charcoal, and if also true, as Colonel 
 Money suggests, that the caloric in one maund of wood equals the 
 caloric in two maunds of charcoal, it then follows that each 
 mauud of wood, put into Colonel Money's furnace, equals 
 
 seven maunds of wood used to make charcoal !, .. - -/ *# 
 
 ^'atvi^eyjc, -&fn<*jj*-a& -itt^+t^e*^**, 
 
 "Of course /toe above are more or less random figures, but S 
 
 they suffice to show that the saving in fuel will be very great 
 a boon o? couVse^o^lantec/, 6 b*ut a boon also to the Forest 
 Department and to India. , /, * ../ 
 
 tojZXJi**.' -4tr t +~4 *-* kkjTSiA.^ ert*~ ^ut^t^^y^Cf^-f 
 
 , 'j_We knew of the invention some time back,/frut we forbope to 
 nouceit 1 until the broker's reports on the Tea so made had 
 been received. We have now seen these. Samples of " charcoal" 
 and " furnace" Tea were sent down, made from the same leaf, 
 the same day, and manufactured in one up to the "firing" pro- 
 cess. Two brokers . give the higher value to the furnace 
 Tea, one to the charcoal kind but the difference is small. 
 
 " We believe, as one of our most experienced planters, who has 
 tasted the Teas, been to Soom, and seen the broker's reports, 
 says : that ' the Tea dried by the furnace apparatus will be 
 at least equal to that prepared over charcoal.' 
 
 " As Colonel Money is already known as an authority in Tea, 
 and as he has stated to us his belief that " charcoal days" for 
 Tea are now at an end, we await with confidence the ultimate 
 success of his invention which even if it makes no better Tea' / 
 will certainly make it far cheaper, while the^olrt from charcoal *&* 
 i dust will be done away with v the. temperature of Tea-houses 
 
 . . 4fe*to^j^fX%^Zf2 v X* JA~S^- 
 
 ^ muchreduced, and the deleter/ou^ fumes of cnarcoal/so very 
 objectionable from ITsanitary pointj/^ftlaew in Tea manufacture, 
 will be known no more."
 
 x ii ADDENDA. 
 
 Again 29th August, a month later, the " Darjeeling News" 
 further remarks : /> 
 
 ^^ft^tMfcfi^ enJra^'tS op 
 
 " Wedjnded recently to 'Coronel Money's very ingenious plan for drying 
 Tea without charcoal. Since then his apparatus has been in full work at 
 Soom, and has been inspected by numbers of the Darjeeling planters, one 
 and all of whom have, we understand, reported most favorably on its 
 working. Samples of Tea manufactured have been from time to time sent to 
 Calcutta brokers for their opinion, and reports have been received from fifteen, 
 of whom seven are in favor of Tea made by the old charcoal process, seven are 
 in favor of the new furnace process, and one reports that the Tea made by 
 each process is exactly the same. 
 
 " Colonel Money has now obtained permission from the Soom Board of 
 Directors to erect his improved furnace, which will be in working order 
 by the end of September, and the whole October crop of Soom Tea will be 
 
 fired by the new furnace. A / / 
 
 6u~r a. a*A*>**-j4( <<***> t^e" **+< 
 
 "Colonel Money has applied for Xpatent, and as soon as this 
 
 e n P e to g' Te our readers a description of the apparatus >ror**obvious ,.. * 
 -,^^5^ feyvftp"**'. ,. TTT ^ 
 
 reasons it would not be advisible to do so before then. We may mention 
 
 here that one of the most intelligent and practical planters in the district has 
 ordered one of Colonel Money's flues for his private garden. 
 
 " Of the commercial success of Colonel Money's apparatus we have no - 
 doubt whatever, and we truaj; .that Colonel Money will^^p a"handsome 
 '*pfoS.t from his very ingenious i^fention, which will be an undoubted booii*^* 
 not only to this district buttp aUihe Tea-producing districts of India. 
 
 " One point which hasXstruijitXis as good in Colonel Money's apparatus is 
 that the temperature of the Tea-house is considerably lowered during the 
 firing process as compared with the open cJiulas, and that there is no free 
 
 carbonic acid gas allowed/? to escape into the Tea-hpu:e, so that those very 
 
 toi-<i^:A^ , **ast.4i.^bte, Q-c**^ 
 unpleasant symptoms of slow poisoning wiiy!h ^/fteiwshow themselves 
 
 planters and Tea-makers will be unknown in future. At our 
 
 Colonel Money has decided to keep a register of the maximum temperature 
 
 of the Tea-house, whilst the open chulas continue ill/use, and to compare it 
 
 / / with the/temperature when the new apparatush^sup^t-s^ed^iem, also tc u>- 
 b~- foJt4LG*t**s+~' ** 
 
 / test for/Tree carbonic acid gas in the J77^J? ac JVJ? roc ,5 S3 - i.f, 
 
 "We are convinced that when the^Bgures areMavailable our readers will be 
 rather astonished at the difference from a sanitary point of view. 
 
 " On the whole, we think that Colonel Money's invention is by far the 
 most important application of common sense and scientific knowledge to Tea 
 manufacture that we have seen yet, and we are almost certain that his appa- 
 ratus will before long be adopted throughout the Indian Tea districts."
 
 PRIZE ESSAY 
 
 ON THE 
 
 CULTIVATION & MANUFACTURE OF TEA 
 
 Premium : Three Hundred Rupees and the Grant Gold Medal. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ~v ~Ze*~ 
 
 PAST AND PRESENT FINANCIAL PROSPECTS OF TEA. 
 
 Will Tea pay ? Certainly on a'suitable site^ and in a good Tea 
 
 climate ; equally certainly not in a bad locality with other 
 
 drawbacks. o~~^*^e*-*v^e- "**- 
 Why then has Tea only paid during the last fe\v, years (?) 
 
 Simply because nofymg will pay, which is *eTubark*ed^on ** 
 
 without the requisite knowledge, and this was pre-eminently 
 
 tho^case Avith Tea. 
 
 Zfa^ NOTHING was known of Tea formerly when everybody 
 /ushecLiuto it ; not much is known even now. Still Avith those 
 draAvbacKs and many others the enterprise has survived, and 
 it is very certain the day Avill never come that Tea cultivation 
 Avill cease in India. 
 
 I believe there is nothing will pay better than Tea if 
 embarked on Avith the necessary knoAvledge in suitable places, 
 but failing either of these success must not be hoped for. 
 
 It Avas/maduess to expect augtit but ruin, under the con- 
 ditions Avhich the cultivation was entered on in the Tea-fever
 
 2 PAST AND PRESENT FINANCIAL 
 
 days. People who had failed in everything else were thought 
 quite competent to make plantations. 'Tis true Tea was 
 so entirely a new thing at that time, but few could be found 
 who had any knowledge of it. Still had managers with 
 some practice in agriculture been chosen the end would not 
 have been so aTsastroas. But any one literally any one 
 
 cenr and Tea .planters in those days were a strange 
 
 IV^ff***- ^i * r x**>3.-*^--'Z~~~< ^~ **<_ oi^^-iaj^^ 
 medley of/retired or/cashiere army and navy ofEdierl^rnedi- 
 
 f* ~>Lo-3&*i--' iJ^t asCZ**^, 
 
 cal jrfen, engineers, .veterinary surgeqns,/steamer captains, 
 
 g^^e^e^V ' ^^^r^^^. 
 
 chemists,. shop-keepers of all kinds, stable-keepers, used-up 
 
 ~^ -**&* 'tf*f~ f ^' , **f*"*<Si , , 
 
 poli/emen, cjerks, and goodness knqws_jwhat Jbesides J _f 
 
 Is it strange the enterprize failed in their hands ? Would 
 it not have been much stranger if it had not ? 
 
 This was only one of the many necessities for failure. I 
 call them " necessities" as they appear to have been so iSSh 
 triously/sought after, in some cases. I must o^tatlthem 
 
 ^ u*eZjCovutA -f*^ u~t~tZ to-'f+Gu, *e~^*4t -e*^_ A*^ 
 
 , for to expatiate on thamVould fill a boo *~^-^ 
 No garden should exceed 300 acres under Tea. If high) 
 cultivated one of even half that size will pay enormt 
 far better than 800 acres of Tea with low cultivation. Add, 
 say 400 acres for charcoal, &c., making 700 acres the outside 
 area that can be required, and the outside that should ever 
 
 have beervpurchased for any one estate../ Instead of /?thi 
 
 , i^^ifjn, >t<J,*!/ Mtj^ (CIH&ZU*, C^ 
 individuals and Companies ru/hmg into lea bought tracts o 
 
 five, te_n, fifteen, and twenty thousand acres. The idea was 
 that though it might not be all cultivated by taking up so 
 large an area all the local labour where there was any would 
 
 C2-ufcu-y^V 
 
 be secured. Oftefl, however, these large tracts were pur- 
 chased where local labour there was none, and what the 
 ot*r*- '6*-J/ fJ %S f 
 
 object there wavij a .mystery. I c^nc^ve, however, there 
 
 was a haz^idealmat if 500 acres paid well, 1,000 would 
 pay double, and that eventually even two or three thousand 
 acres would be put under Tea'and make the fortunate possessor 
 a millionaire^ In short, there were nTboimds : - infancy tA 
 to theABizea garden might be made, and thus lossT^o. 2
 
 PROSPECTS OF TEA. 
 
 took place, when af)si<fdly large areas were bought of the 
 Government and large areas cultivated. 
 The only fair rules for the saleor/vvs 
 of Lord Canning, which the Secretary of State at home, who 
 could know nothing of the subject, chosS* 9 to mooi^and 
 upset. Instead of Rs. 2-8 per acre for all waste lands (by 
 
 , a*ji~-> f &<s-0-c. -.-^f e-Q-x-f ^f^f^j, i r i j ,1 /-^ i 
 
 /no n/eans a low pricpf wnen/fhe costoiland in the Colonies 
 is considered) and that the applicant for the land (who had, 
 perhaps, spent mouths seeking for it) should have it; the 
 illiberal and unjust method of putting the land up to auction 
 with an upset price of Us. 2-8 was adopted, the unfortunate 
 seeker, finder, and applicant, through whose labour the la_ud fl / /^ 
 had been found, having no advantage over any other biddpri 
 The best, at least the most succ^sml plan in those days, 
 though as unfair and. illiberal as the Government action, was 
 to wait till some on >J^P w - as supposed to know, what good 
 Tea land was, applied for a piece, and then bidhalf an anna 
 more than he did, and thus secure it. It paid much better . , . 
 than limjting'*about for one-self, and it was kind and consi-> ** 
 derate on the part of Government to devise such a plan ! 
 
 In those fever days, with the auction system, lands almost 
 always sold far above their value. The most absurd prices, 
 ipwards per acre, were sometimes paid for wild 
 ves could have, and in some 
 
 -K-*e ..* .... *. -f o-n^vjir*Jc/cx-txs* 
 
 ent for inconceivably sma 
 
 sums, representing say at 30 years' purchase, 4 annas per 
 acre, were put up for auction with a limit of Rs. 2-8, and sold 
 perhaps at Rs. 8 or 10 per acre. Had the Government given 
 
 lands gratis to Tea cultivators the policy would Jiave been a, 
 *T*v<&4 '^<*~~~#2^ J^^Z** 
 
 wise^one. . lo do what they did was scarcely /acting up to 
 
 i <***&:( c*a^>* c* -r^Jf ~^4 c-fa. " L 
 
 their professed wish " to develop the resources of the country." 
 
 Since the above was written new mles^ave been published 
 
 for the sale of waste lands. The objectionably auction system is 
 
 continued, and the upset price is much enhanced, as follows :
 
 PAST AND PKESENT FINANCIAL 
 
 Schedule of Rates of Upset Prices. 
 
 Upset price 
 per acre. 
 
 Districts of the Assam Division ... Rs- 8 
 
 Districts of Cachar and Sylhet .... 8 
 
 Districts of the Chittagong Division ... 6 
 
 Districts of the Chota Nagpore Division ... 5 
 
 The Soonderbuns ... ... 5 
 
 All other Distncts.^ ... ... ,,10 
 
 It is not likely that Government will sell much land at 
 such exorbitant rates. 
 
 Security of title, it is generally thought, is one, o the / 
 advantages of buy5^g*land from the State ; but I grieve to 
 
 4S**A<jhtS<*** . . ~^<lt^t^ofAJtJL^ . , , .,, 
 
 state my experience is that the reverse is the case, and will 
 so remain until the following is done: 
 
 First. The Government should learn what is and what is 
 
 If*. *y*~*- ^rT^ g*~&~>/*^ crrtf*>~j:~~jA &*& 
 nflt theujf to sell. Such an absur^ftyyflie^, as Government 
 
 ascertaining years after the auction that they had sold lands 
 they had no right to sell, could not be. 
 
 ^cQn^.-TjThat before land is sold it be properly surveyed 
 
 j V i i. ** tt. * i. 
 
 * ff and. which alone would have compensated r much of bad 4 
 
 "py^ceJure in other respects, that the simple an^^b^ious 
 plan, before the sale, of /ending a European jofficTal to show 
 
 . 0/<xA-ftC't*v4^n- m t a~t*snO' tx^*e*~iftc 
 
 tneneigubourmg v/lllagejra and/intenpmg purchase 
 ^Doundaries of the land to be sold be resorted to. **++ 
 
 " 
 
 mi T . i -"-^i/ 1 , , **< 
 
 This last simple expedient would Jiave saxed some grantees 
 
 ^ftA^Ae^e*^ -tfureb K^^jW^ 
 
 years of Ktigati^d, and many a hard thought of/the said , 
 grantees against the Government. It would naturally /occur 
 
 9.*'A>^if .11 fuxo>^4 
 
 to any one at all conversant with the subject ; but alas m 
 India this is often not the condition under which laAvs are 
 made. , - , 
 
 > . -iGeAS* ^^eC-c 
 
 Birt^here is another difficulty at ^^JAck^ all this. 
 
 ThJGgM^J 5^^ ^ an( ^ ^ u les < ^a^ttat Z the Government, 
 and not the^r/fat^e, shall be the defendant in
 
 PROSPECTS OF TEA. 
 
 land within a lot sold, practically the said en; 
 
 /&^w X**^VA '*<- 1-**-?*- <**+&- *i? **-?* A c -t rf - , 
 
 /way saves grantees from litigation/ X^Ij)*mants/i 
 
 always/^Teadtuat it is not within the / )roundaries of the land 
 sold, and ergo the^grantep is made the defendant to prove 
 that it is. The villagers/never having been sbojtfn the , / 
 
 0-AA^4-^ . f jjL.jp*~*-{-. 1H2St*>~ f zaC&nsf > (- 
 
 y boundaries by any Government official, (tor it isjaot enacted 
 in the Waste Land Rules) the question whecner the land 
 cfaimeof is within or withoulthe' boundaries is, an open one. 
 
 frlpejt^ &VL&' A-^t, fi 
 
 not always easily decided, and then suit runs^KCOu^el ^+^* 
 , I even know of cases where, though survey has been 
 ^ cnarged for at the exorbitant rate of four annas an acre, the 
 
 outerybomidaries of the/lot na^e never been surveyeaat^aHf'^<^^>' ii <j- 
 but merefycopied from oldUollectorate maps, whichshowed <^^^**^< 
 the bounoarie's between the zemindaree and waste lands.* Is 
 it strange then if buying lands from Government is often 
 buying litigation, worryTIo^of time, and money ? 
 
 In many countries, for example Prussia, (there I know itis / -, 
 
 * 3*3&:*x3t <*^%>&.s<f/*<^ 
 
 so, for I have/tested it again and again) there are official / 
 
 records, which can and do show to whom any land in question 
 belongs. This may scarcely be pactj3da^re^nLidk, but suj'elY / 
 the question of title being, as it is, in a far worsestate in 
 India than in most countries, any change would^e for the 
 better. Anyhow the present mode. the Government adopts 
 
 ,,. , , . ^e**^*~<* tLe/^f>'*r **-p *& tee^/fct^* 
 
 in selling lands is a grievous wrong to the purchasers. /Words 
 cannot describe the worry and loss some have suffered thereby/ 
 and it might all be so easily avoided. /zA**^r-We*t. - 
 
 I have above detailed/two of the ar^wbacks Tea had to con^/*"^ 
 
 ^e-K^'-rf Xc* er 
 
 tend with in its infancy ; the absurdly high price paid for land 
 was the third. The title-difficulty is aslScf to^lay as formerly.'* 
 
 Again, Companies and proprietors of gardens wishing to 
 have large areas under cultivation gave their managers _ 
 
 , , *nt* \t>^j-<>U*^c^^eU^ . j^c-.o^tf-<^/- 
 
 simple orders to extend not judiciously, but in anyX&se. 
 What was the result ? Gardens might be seen in those days* 
 
 * I need scarcely observe it is impossible to define lauds from maps alone 
 without the field-book,
 
 6 PAST AND PRESENT FINANCIAL 
 
 with 200 acres of so-called cultivation, but with 60 or even// 
 70 per cent, vacancies, in which the greater_parLof the labour ^ 
 available was employed < **m < *c/earinig*^Siigle for 100 acres 
 further extension in the following spring. I have seen no 
 * garden in Assam or Cachar with less than 20 per cent. 
 
 -<*-ol*-y~*~ to-ttJCjUL*i 
 
 vacancies, many with far more, and yet most of them were 
 extending. I do not believe now any garden in all India 
 exists with less than 12 per cent, vacancies, but a plantation 
 as full as this did not exist formerly. 
 
 , ^^J&+&7*&~*j 
 
 As the expenditure on^ garden is in direct proportion to 
 
 the area cultivated, and the yield of Tea likewise in direct 
 
 proportion to the number of plants, it follows the course 
 
 adopted was the one exactly calculated 'to entail the greatest 
 
 , /t&penditure for the smallest yield. This unnecessary, this 
 
 *J7 w^uTJextension, was the fourth and a very serious drawback. 
 
 Underxthis head the fourth drawback may also^bg ^^ 
 "^7 /^included the fact that the weeds in all plantations were aheac[ <^ 
 of the labour, that is to say, that gardens were not kept 
 clean. This is more or less even the case to-day ; it was the 
 invariable rule then. The consequence \vas two-fold -first, 
 a small yield of Tea ; secondly, an increased expenditure ; for it 
 is a fact that the land 50 men can keep always clean, if the 
 weeds are never allowed to grow to maturity and seed, will 
 take nearer 100 if the weeds once get ahead. The results 
 too differ widely : in the first case the soil is always clear ; 
 in the second clear only at intervals. The first, as observed, 
 can be accomplished with 50, the latter will take nearly 
 double the men. s/ 
 
 The fifth drawback I shall advert to agajn^later, viz., the 
 selection of slopmgiand, often the sty^pest that could be 
 
 found on which to plant Tea. The great mischief thus 
 entliiied will be fully described elsewhere. It was the fifth, 
 and not the least, antagonistic point to success. 
 
 Number six was the difficulty in the transport of seed to 
 any new locality, for nine times out of ten a large proportion
 
 PROSPECTS OF TEA. 7 
 
 failed ; and again the enormous cost of Tea seed in those 
 days, Rs. 200 a maund (Rs. 500 at least, deducting what 
 failed, was its real price). This item of seed alone entailed 
 
 an enormous ou)&v?~and was the sixth difficulty Tea cultiva- 
 
 ^*-*S>uJK+~*r,. -t~*tf 
 tion had to contend with. It was, however, a source 01 
 
 great profit to the old plantations, and principally accounts 
 for the large dividends paid for years by the Assam 
 Company. 
 
 Again, many managers at that time had no experience 
 to guide them in the manufacture of Tea. each madeyit his 
 own way, and often turned out mosT^vortEless stuff. There 
 is great ignorance on the subject at the present time, but 
 those who know least to-day, know mure than the best 
 
 informed in the Tea-fever period. Indian Tea was a, new 
 awt>**<x*f r -VLtt~-&& v*~-cA./*~ 
 
 thing then, the supply was small, and it fetched co 
 
 much higher prices .^anJt does now. Still much of it was 
 so bad that the^vera^e price^alTrpund was low. 
 
 Tea manufacture, moreover, as generally/practiaed then, was 
 
 &e*JL*ftC*b -**tA-- s(2e>-ff : &lfexsi~ **** O(M+*+J f 
 
 a much more elaborate and expensive process thaprat is now. 
 This will be explained further on under-tbe head of Tea 
 
 "<&F -tZenn^^o ytf~* 
 
 manufacture ; I merely now state the fact m support/of the 
 asserpDn that the bad Tea made in those days, and the expen- 
 sive way it was done, was the seventh hindrance.ito successful 
 Tea cultivation. 
 
 Often in those days was a small garden made of 30 or 40 
 acres, and sold to a Company as 150 or 200 acres ! I am not 
 jolmig. It was done over and over again. The price paid, 
 moreover, was quite out of proportion to even the supposed 
 area. Two or three lakhs of rupees (20,000 or 30,000) 
 have been often paid for such gardens, when not more than 
 two years old, and 40 per cent, of the existing area, vacan- 
 cies. The original cultivators " retired/' and the Company 
 carried on. With such a urag upon them (apart from all the 
 other drawbacks enumerated) could success be even hoped 
 for ? Certainly not.
 
 8 PAST AND PRESENT FINANCIAL PROSPECTS OF TEA. 
 
 I could tell of more difficulties the cultivation had to 
 contend with at the outset, but I have said enough to show, 
 as I remarked, " that it was not strange Tea enterprize failed, 
 inasmuch as it would have been much stranger if it had not." 
 
 Do any of the difficulties enumerated exist now? And may 
 a person embarking in Tea to-day hope, with reasonable hope, 
 for success ? Yes, certainly, I think as regards the latter- 
 the former let us look into. 
 
 People who understand more or less of Tea are plentiful, 
 and a good manager, who knows Tea cultivation and Tea 
 manufacture well, may be found. It will scarcely pay to 
 buy land of the Government at the present high rates, but 
 many people hold large tracts in good Tea localities, and 
 would readily^ll.^^ 
 
 here is plenty of flat land to be got, so no evil from slopes 
 incurred. ^ *> 
 
 Tea seed is plentiful though dear. 
 
 The manufacture of Tea (though still r/rpjr essjn , 
 
 economical, and more or less known. Anyhow aoeginner 
 
 now will commence where others have left off. & 
 _ . -*tT*<*^k t > & fy+1' *-+- -*-? *-*f/^r5 
 Of course toTrny a made/garden cheap js better than to 
 
 i e> ' **? **- 
 
 make one : but the result in this, case is of course no criterion 
 
 -*<*xx>e A/- 
 
 of what profit may be expected from Tea cultivation. 
 
 As many of the items to be calculated under the heads of 
 
 ^***4*4hw4*4lfey 
 
 cultivation, manufacture, and receipt/ will be better under- 
 stood, after details on these subjects are gone into, I shall 
 reserve the consideration of "how much profit Tea can give" 
 to the end of this treatise.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 LABOR, LOCAL AND IMPORTED. 
 
 WHEN the very large amount of labour required to carry 
 on a plantation is considered, it is evident that facilities for it 
 are a sine qua -non to success. Assam and Cachar, the two 
 largest Tea districts, are very thinly populated, and almost 
 entirely dependent on imported labor. The expense of t)"J/ 
 is great, and it is the one, and consequently a great drawback '**** 
 to those provinces. The only district I know of with a good 
 Tea climate and abundance of local labor is Chittagong. 
 Several other places have a good supply of local labor, but 
 then their climates are not very suitable. 
 
 Each coolie imported costs Rs. 30 and upwards (it used to 
 be much more) ere he arrives on the garden and does any 
 work. After arrival he has to be housed ; to be cared for 
 and physiqued when sick ; to be paid when ill as when , 
 working ; to have work found for him or paid to sit idle / 
 when there is no work ; and in addition to all this every death, 
 every desertion, is a loss to the garden of the whole sum 
 expended in bringing the man or woman. Contrast this 
 with the advantages of local labor. In many cases no 
 expense for buildings is necessary, as the laborers come daily 
 to work from adjacent villages, and in such cases no expense 
 is entailed by sick men, for these simply remain at home. 
 There is no loss by death or desertions. When no work is 
 required on the garden labor is simply , no t employed. All 
 this makes local labor, even where the/raST oiwages is high, 
 very much cheaper than imported. 
 
 The action of Government in the matter of imported 
 labor has much increased the difficulties, and expense 
 necessarily attendjmt/o^ it. it, is ave^a^ua^verylpng 
 question which I^Sv^not^enter into mTaKely7 for it KM 
 
 DIVISION OF SUBTROPICAL HORTICULTURE . 
 rni I FGE OF AGRICULTURE
 
 10 LABOR, LOCAL AND IMPORTED. 
 
 been discussed already ad nauseam; still I must pul'onTeco 
 my opinion after lookiugvery cloSily into it that the Govern- 
 ment has not acted \visely7rnasmuch as any State inter- 
 ference, in the relations of employer ancl employed, (outside 
 the protection which the existing laws give) is a radical 
 As for the law passed on the subject to the effect 
 
 ... =* &T*St**~SG*~~^ 
 
 that a coolie who has worked out his agreement and volun- 
 tarily enters into a new one shall be, as before, under 
 Government protection, and his employer answerable as before 
 to Government for the way he is housed, treated when sick, 
 
 A- Z^Jf^ M . *Oe^-4-^ce^-^*<-^^^ 
 
 &c., &c v it is not easy to see why such enactments are/jnore 
 necessary in his case than in that of any other/hired servant 
 
 or laborer througnout all India. ~f -///> 
 ^o^*A*i e Ts: -*-***' jf-*** 5f****^ s *'^ > *** 
 
 All evidence collected, all enquiries mad/, tend to show 
 
 .that/ coolies are well treated on Tea estates. It is to the 
 
 & ***~3 f . J J ir- 
 
 interest <#f the proprietors and managers to do so, and self- 
 interest is a far more powerful induc^reuTihan any the 
 Government candevise. The me^lingmterlerengieq^ised 
 by the imported coolie la ws,m the visits of, the "Protector 
 of Coolies"* to a garden conduce to aestroy tne kind feel- 
 ings xw|ch should (and in spite of these hindrances often 
 do) exist between-the proprietor or manager and his men. 
 
 et^fLf^tAJt * vHjzof*"*.^ 
 
 I do not hesitate in my belief^fenat imported coolies on Tea 
 plantations would be better off in many ways were all 
 Government interferen/e abolished. 
 
 .et n<^er-mtf-afi, 
 
 I do not decry Government action to the extent of seeing 
 
 . irtHruu>-cLa*cff-* *&+, *&(** 
 
 the coolies uuderstandlheir terms of engagements and are / 
 ^re^for on the^]ourn^y to the Tea districts ; but once mn^u 
 on the garden all Government iuterfereXc^liould cease. 
 
 The idea .ofthe State la^mg* cloVn how many square 
 yards of jungLe/M3ach coolie shall clear in a day, how many 
 
 * What a designation !/ Who invented it, I wondey ? A clever man. doubt. 
 
 C^rrnjif** <r^*s -4%&iciy txjxsiob* ^jQicr* cC- 
 
 less, for Croyernme^i^iyterteBence was probaby Ins hqQJ'>_m i iLh. e qi/fkly per- 
 
 * 
 
 ceived the very title would, irore or less, render the office
 
 LABOR LOCAL AND IMPORTED. 11 
 
 square feet he shall dig, &c., &c., &c. ! Can any certain 
 bjslspdaown for such work ? Is all jungle the same, all soil 
 the same, and evm. if such rates could be laid down how 
 can the rules be followe<L?Bah -^bey are not, never will be, 
 
 and the whole thing is too cbildishfpj^serious discussion. . 
 T-L . L T/H . *&r-->J^ %Z/;i*0^ -*T- -+~&o^"*e 
 
 It la not difficult to sit ata desjb^d frame-laws and rules 
 
 .Smf+*+fra 1 ft lvM&* 4S ^ h ^h^&{/ *tZi*e*s*t> <*-** e^C4ua^ 
 
 that looic feasible on paper. ' it is auite another thing to // 
 
 rfra- ir**jL~~ ^t^eV^^u^ *c^-eeA^-^ <^ ^^SeiVfee^ttr+^cS &u> 
 
 carry them out. Over-legislation is a crying evil m India, 
 
 but there is sprt a wq^Se, namely legislation and official 
 action, on subjects of which the said officials are utterly 
 ignorant. 
 
 I have said enough to show imported labor cannot vie -\ 
 with local, nor would it do so were all the evils of Govern- / . 
 ment interference removed. I therefore believe Tea pro- y ~ 
 perty in India will eventually pay best where local labor \ 
 exists. This will naturally be the case when other condi- \ 
 tions are equal, but so great are the advantages of local 
 labor, I believe it will also be the case in spite of moderate I 
 drawbacks.
 
 CHATTER III. 
 
 TEA DISTRICTS AND THEIE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES, CLI- 
 MATE, SOIL, Ac., IN EACH. 
 
 THE Tea districts in India, that is where Tea is grown in 
 India to-day, are : 
 
 1. Assam. 
 
 2. Cachar and Sylhet.* 
 
 3. Chittagong. 
 
 4. Terai below Darjeeling. 
 ^. 5. The Dehra Dhoon. 
 
 6. Kangra (Himalayas). 
 
 7. Darjeeliug (Himalayas). 
 
 8. Kumaon (Himalayas). 
 
 9. Hazareebaugh. 
 
 -10. Neilgherries (Madras Hills). 
 
 In fixing on any district to plant Tea in four things have 
 to be considered, viz. soil, climate, labor, and means of 
 transport. When the district being selected a site has to 
 be chosen, all but the second of these have to be considered 
 again, and the lay of land, nature of jungle, water, and 
 sanitation are also of great importance in choosing a site. 
 
 I will first then discuss generally the Tea districts given 
 above as regards the advantages of each for Tea cultivation. 
 I have seen and studied Tea gardens in all the districts 
 named, except Nos. 5 and 10. What I know of these two 
 is from what I have read, and what is generally known of 
 their climates. 
 
 * These are virtually one, and I shall allude to both aa Cachar.
 
 TEA DISTRICTS. 13 
 
 Before, however, comparing each district, we should know 
 what are the necessities of the Tea-plant as regards climate 
 and soil. Tea, especially the China variety, will grow in 
 very varying climates and soils, but it will not flourish in all 
 of them, and if it does not flourish, and flourish well, it will 
 certainly not pay. ^ ; ^^- 
 
 The climate required for Tea is a ho damp on& As a 
 rule a good Tea climate is not a ke^ithy one. The rainfall 
 should not be less than 80 to 100 inches per annum, and the 
 more of this that falls in the early part of the year the better. 
 . .Any climate which though possessing an abundant rainfall 
 suffers from drought in the early part of the year, is not 
 cceteris paribus /sou food, as one where the rain is more 
 
 IjJLJC ffifJLfCl 
 
 equally diffused/ All the Tea districts would yield better, 
 with more r ^^^ Q ^^Jfl r ^ sa ' c ^ an( * April, and therefore 
 some, where Mrogs prevail in the mornings at the early part 
 of the year, are so far benefitted. 
 
 ->t-0C ^fjtJf^-ff 
 
 As any drought is prejudicial to Tea, it stands to reason 
 hot /winds must be veryJbad, These winds argue m-e 
 
 ^^i*t j,m J ^^tf^&Ji lt*&*&~<& 
 
 aridity, and the Tea-plant luxunate/ln continual moisture. 
 
 The less cold weather experienced where Tea is, the better 
 for the plant. It can stand, and will grow, in great cold 
 (freezing point, and lower in winter is found in some places 
 where Tea is), but I do not tliink it will ever be grown to a 
 profit on such sites. That Tea requires a temperate climate 
 
 . ,. , i e&*r-\p*^ *^^</t4/ 
 
 was long believed and acted upon by many to their loss. 
 The climate cannot be too hot for Tea if the heat is accom- 
 panied with moisture. 
 
 Tea grown in temperate climes, such as moderate elevations 
 in the Himalayas, is quite different to the Tea of hot, moist 
 climates, such as Eastern Bengal. ome people like it better, 
 and I belie^ethe/n f a'vor is more^Gelicate ; but it is very 
 much weaker, and the value of Indian Tea (in the present 
 state of the home market where it is principally used for
 
 14- TEA DISTRICTS. 
 
 giving " body" to the \vashystuffirom^!]iinn) consists in its 
 strength. Another all-important jx)int in fixing on a climate 
 for Tea is the fact, that apart from the strength the yield is 
 double in hot, moist climes, what it is in comparatively dry 
 aiid temperate ones. A really pleasant climate to live in 
 cannot be a good one for Tea. I may now discuss the com- 
 parative merits of the different Tea districts. 
 
 ASSAM. 
 
 This is the principal home pf the indigenous plant, and were 
 
 ^*^V ^o^^t^of^-cff ,. , . , t*-<t> 
 
 it not ior scarcity of labor no other district coul 
 
 it. The climate in the northern portions is perfect, superior 
 to the southern, as more rain falls in the spring. The 
 climate of the whole of Assam, however, is very good for Tea. 
 
 The Tea-plant yield*, most .abundantly when hot sunshine 
 
 z*^*^**-*" tt*fc+*<*> &**-***. Ktr^e^ 
 and siiowery intervene. Jbor climate then I accord the first 
 
 place to Northern Assam. Southern Assam is as observed a 
 little inferior. 
 
 The soil of this provipce is decidedly rich. 
 *JL*f*+JL*t ^^^i m ~* 
 places there is a considerate coating ot decayed 
 
 yfonuie surface, and inasmuch as in all places where Tea has 
 been or is'Hkely to be planted it i^ strictly virgin soil, con- 
 siderable nourishment exists. The prevailing soil also is light 
 and TriatueT^nd thus, with the exception of the rich oak soil 
 in parts of the Himalayas, Assam in this respect is second to 
 none. 
 
 As regards labor we must certainly put it the last on the 
 list. The Assamese, and they are scanty, won't work, so the 
 planters, with few exceptions, are dependant on imported 
 coolies, and inasmuch as the distance to bring them is enor- 
 
 ' +i*f**f**^<?( -*>- < 
 
 mous, the outlay on this head is large, and a sad drawback to 
 successful Tea cultivation. 
 
 The Berhampootra that vast river which runs from one end 
 of Assam to the other gives an easy mode of export for the
 
 TEA DISTRICTS. 15 
 
 '**J *4*^4sn* fit* O^ljfo^ot **~~ *{f Z** 
 
 Tea, but stm owing to the dis^uce from the sea board it can- 
 not rank in this respect as high as some others. 
 
 CACHAR. 
 
 The indigenous Tea is also found in a part of this province. 
 The climate is a little inferior to Assam, because the rains are 
 too heavy, but I think it takes the second place. 
 
 The soil k not equal to Assamese soil, it is more sandy, 
 and lacklthe power. Again, there is much more flat land 
 ntfor Tea cultivation in Assam, and there can be no doubt as 
 to the advantage of level surfaces. i*&6& tttAz*^*-" 
 
 As regards transport Cachar has the advantage, for it has 
 equally a water-way, and is not so distant from Calcutta. 
 
 The labor aspect is much the same in the two provinces, 
 both being almost entirely dependant on imported coolies ; 
 but Cachar is nearer the labor fields than Assam. 
 
 However, after discussing separately the advantages of 
 each province, I propose to draw up a tabular statement, 
 
 1-1 Ml 1 ^V ****,*&* +fl-ft*~1 .. '. n I 
 
 which will show fi a glajrcer the/Comparative merits of each 
 on each point discussed. 
 
 CHITTAGONG. 
 
 This is a comparatively new locality for Tea. The climate 
 is better than Cachar in the one respect that there is less cold 
 weather, but inferior in the more important fact that much 
 less rain falls in the spring. In this latter respect it is also 
 inferior to Assam, particularly to Northern Assam. I there- 
 fore as to climate give it, the third place. There is one part 
 
 ">*-*-* <^t^f-^>et^e^ 
 
 / ofQkiktagong, the Hill Tracts, (Tea has scarcely been much 
 / tri^o. there yet) -which, in the fact of spring rains, is superior 
 to other parts of the province as also in soil, for it is much 
 richer there. On the whole, however,. Chittagong. must yield 
 the palm to both Assam and Cachar onfcne score of climate, 
 and also I think of soil. For though good rich tracts are
 
 16 TEA DISTRICTS. 
 
 occasionally met with, they are not so plentiful as in the two 
 last-named districts. Always, however, excepting the Hill 
 Tracts of Chittagong, there the soil is, I think, quite equal 
 to either Assam or Cachar. 
 
 As regards labor (a very essential point to successful Tea 
 cultivation) Chittagong is most fortunate. With few excep- 
 tions (and those only partial) all the plantations are carried 
 on with local labor, which excepting for about two months, 
 the rice-time, is abundant. 
 
 For transport (being on the coast with a convenient har- 
 bour, a continually increasing trade, ships also running direct 
 to and from England) it is by far the most advantageously 
 situated of all Tea localities. 
 
 Chittagong possesses another advantage over all other Tea 
 districts in its large supply of manure. The country is 
 thickly populated, and necessarily large herds of cattle exist. 
 The natives do not use manure for rice (almost the sole cul- 
 tivation), and, consequently, planters can have it almost for 
 the asking. The enormous, advantages of manure in Tea 
 cultivation are not yet generally appreciated. It will 
 certainly double the ordinary yield of a Tea garden. A 
 chapter is devoted to this subject. 
 
 TERAI BELOW DARJEELING. 
 
 I have seen this, and the Tea in it, since I wrote the first 
 edition of this Essay. 
 
 The soil is very good for Tea. The climate is also a good 
 one, but there is not as much rain in the early part of the 
 year as planters could wish. Much difficulty exists about 
 
 frertt c+MtcU a & 
 
 labour owing tactile very unhealthy climate. As the junoje 
 i j i. x-u- i 2. t^v<^^ . , . Jt^va^ 
 
 is cleared however, this last objection will be in a measure 
 
 "**got over. As it stands now it is perhaps the most unhealthy 
 Tea locality in India. 
 
 Communication will be very easy when the Northern 
 Bengal Railway is finished.
 
 TEA. DISTRICTS. 17 
 
 Except in the point of salubrity (which is however 
 an important one), I think this locality a favorable one 
 for Tea. 
 
 THE DEHRA DHOON. 
 
 ave heard the first Tea in India was planted here. The 
 men, two officers, who commenced the plantation, sold 
 it, I believe in its infancy, to a Company for five lakhs of 
 rupees. What visions did Tea hold forth in those days ! 
 
 In climate the Dehra Dhoon is far, far from good. The 
 hot dry weather of the NortVWest is not at aU suited to the/ ^ . 
 Tea plant. Hot winds shrivel it up-jin^ha^hrTrecovers 
 when the rains come down, it cannot tSnvem such a climate. 
 One fact will, I think, prove this. In favorable climates, 
 with good soil, and moderate cultivation, 18 flushes or crops 
 may be taken from a plantation in a season. With like 
 advantages, and heavy manuring, 22 or even more may be had. 
 In the (< Selections from the Records of the Government of / 
 . India" on Tea published in 1857 (a book to which many owe' f 
 """"Their ripn)Jiie following appears, showing how small are the 
 number of flushes injjie^ North- West: 
 
 Method of gathering Tea Leaves. " The season for gathering 
 leaves generally commences about the beginning of April, and 
 continues until October; the number of gatherings varies, 
 depending on the moistness and dry ness of the season. If the 
 season be good, that is to say, if rain falls in the cold weather 
 and spring, and the general rains be favorable, as many as five 
 gatherings may be obtained. These, however, may be reduced 
 to three general periods for gathering, 
 
 Three general gatherings. . j , 
 
 viz. from April to June, from July to 
 
 15th August, and from September to 15th October. If the 
 season be a dry one, no leaves ought to be taken off the bushes 
 after the 1st October, as by doing so they are apt to be injured. 
 If, however, there are good rains in September, leaves can be 
 *r pulled until the 15th October, but no later, as by this time
 
 18 TEA DISTRICTS. 
 
 they have got hard and leathery and not fitted for making 
 
 good Tea*. andaa/it is necessary to give the plants good rest 
 1^^ 25lv v^eXe** 7 <tr0L*s>^l:e^ U&T *>&* 
 
 in order to recruit. Some plants^contmue to throw out new 
 
 leaves until the end of November ; but those formed during 
 this month are generally small and tough." L*****' 
 
 When this was written, the experience detailed related to 
 Dehra Dhoon, the Kumaon, and Kangra Gardens, and we see 
 that five flushes or gatherings are thought good. It however 
 makes matters in this respect (far from a general fault in 
 the said " Records") worse than they are. Ten and twelve 
 flushes, with high cultivation, can be got in the North- West. 
 But what is this as against 20 and 25 ? 
 
 Labor is plentiful and cheap. The great distance from 
 the coast makes transport very expensive. 
 
 KANGRA. 
 
 This is a charming valley, with a charming climate more 
 favorable to Tea than the Dehra Dhoon, still it is far from 
 a Tea climate. It is too dry and too cold. The soil is good 
 for Tea, better than that of the Dhoon, but inferior to some 
 rich soils in the Himalayan oak forests. Local labor is 
 obtainable at cheap rates. Distance makes transport for 
 export very difficult ; but a good local market now exists in 
 the Punjab, and a good deal of Tea is bought ai/the fairs, and 
 taken away by the wild tribes over the^Dorder. With the limited 
 cultivation there, I should hope planters will find a market 
 for all their produce. Manure must be obtainable (manure 
 had not been thought of for Tea when I visited Kangra), and 
 if liberally applied, it will increase the yield greatly. 
 
 Kangra is strictly a Himalayan district, but the elevation 
 is moderate, if I remember right, about 3,000 feet, and the 
 land is so slightly sloping it m^y/almost be called level. A 
 great advantage this over the steep lands, on which most of 
 the Himalayan gardens, many in Cachar, and some in Assam 
 and Chittagong, are planted.
 
 TEA DISTRICTS. 19 
 
 Kangra is not. the place for a man who wants to make 
 money by Tea ; but for one who would be content to settlo 
 
 . *~. 2**** * ^*^eit~< r ~~' 
 
 /there, and content to make, a livelihood bv it, a more Ueslr- 
 
 *, b^<t4*si*fJ<*S' to-Z*"** -*>** .4^&<Kr'-&i4&~ c&rmfaf Jc+~ stf***-*, 
 
 srwe spot with a more charmm "^Innate could not be ioun 
 /r /I ' +&%?-- 
 
 Land, liowever, is not easily procuri 
 
 DARJEELING. 
 
 This, too, I have seen since I published the first edition 
 of this Essay. The elevation of the station, 6,900 feet, is 
 far too great ; but plantations lower down do tolerably well 
 (that is well for hill gardens). The climate, like all hill 
 climates, is too cold. As regards transport the Darjeeling 
 plantations will be well situated when the railroad now con- 
 structing is finished. Like elevations in Darjeeling and 
 Kumaon are in favor of the former, /rs, because the 
 latitude is less ; secondly, because Darjeeling has much more 
 rain in the spring. I believe, therefore, that the hill plan- 
 tations of Darjeeliug have a better chance of paying than 
 the gardens in Kumaon, but, as stated before, no elevated 
 gardens, that is none in the Himalayas, have any chance 
 in the race against plantations in the plains, always providing 
 the latter are in a good Tea climate. 
 
 In two respects, however, Darjeeling is behind Kumaon. 
 The soil is not so good, and the land is much steeper. It is 
 more than absurd, some of the steeps on which Tea is 
 planted in the former, and such precipices can. I am sure, 
 never pay even the cost, of theiu/y^a3^ cultivation. 
 
 S'&fS*& V**p *oe*tS , rj 
 
 Gardens, barely remoyed above the Terai (and there are such 
 in Darjeeling), can scarcely be called "elevated," and for 
 them the remarks applied to the Terai areyrnorft fitting. 
 As a 6roa3*ru!yushould be recogmzedxTiat the^ow^Tea is 
 planted in the Himalayas the better chance it has. 
 
 All the plants in the Darjeeling gardens, with but few 
 exceptions, are China. 
 
 D
 
 20 TEA DISTRICTS. 
 
 The China plant makes by far the best Green Tea, and I 
 believe the Darjeeling gardens would pay much better than 
 they do if they altered their manufacture from black to 
 green. (See further on under the head of Hazareebaugh what 
 4ias been done in this way). All Himalayan gardens should^^ * 
 in my opinion, make Green Tea (Kumaon nas awoKyto the* 
 fact) for all have China plants, and can therefore make far 
 better Green Tea than can be produced from the Hybrid 
 which is so general in plain gardens. 
 
 They would then have a manufacture of their own in 
 which they could excel. 
 
 'Tis true the Green Tea market is yet uncertain, and large 
 quantities may bring- down prices (which at present rule 
 very high, much higher than for Black Tea) ; but that limit 
 is far from reached yet, and I think the demand for Green 
 Tea is increasing. 
 
 In two words, as Kumaon and Hazareebaugh have done 
 so well with Green Tea, it is very strange Darjeeling, with all 
 the necessities for it, does not follow their example. 
 
 KUMAON. 
 It was in this district (a charming climate to Jive in, with 
 
 / <x- jt&r *-<- &** ^+-i-0vt,~&- fe*sf*->' 
 
 magnificent scenery to gaze at) I first planted Tea in India, 
 and I much wish for my own sake, and that of others, I had 
 not done so. I knew nothing of Tea at the time, and I 
 thought a district, selected by Government for inaug^ratitlg 
 the cultivation, must necessarily be a good one. No hill 
 climate can be a good one for Tea ; but the inner parts of 
 Kumaou, very cold, owing to its elevation, high latitude, 
 and distance from the plains, is a peculiarly bad one. Yet 
 there it was Government made nurseries, distributed seed 
 gratis, recommended^ the site for Tea (see the " Records" 
 alluded to), and ledr many on to their ruin by doing so. The 
 intention of the Government was good, but the officers in
 
 TEA DISTRICTS. 21 
 
 charge of the enterprise were much to blame, perhaps not 
 for making the mistake at first (no one at the first knew what 
 climate was suitable), but for perpetuating the mistake, when 
 
 ^^t^A-J^t**-^ 6v/^+gy**-f **-<*&+ c&&_*Lj,-gj>~c 
 
 later, very little e^dr^Xvvould have revealed the truth. I 
 believe it was/guessed at by Government officials long ao-o, 
 but it was easier to sing the old tune, and a very expensive" 
 
 ig it has proved to many.* 
 
 I need scarcely, after this, add I dp not approve of 
 Kumaon for Tea. An *exmdfaratmg ana bracing climate 
 for man is not suited to the Tea-plant. The district has one 
 isoUtarylmvanTage rich soil. I have never seen richer, 
 
 more productive land than exists in some of the Kumaou 
 oak forests, but even this cannot in the case of Tea counter- 
 balance the climate. Any crop which does not require 
 much heat and moisture will grow to perfection in that soil. 
 Such potatoes as it produces ! Were the difficulties of trans- 
 port not so great, a small fortune might bo made by grow- 
 ing them. 
 
 Could any part of Kumaon answer for Tea it would be the 
 lower elevations in the outer/ranges of the hills, but these 
 are precisely thesites that have not been chosen. Led, as in 
 my own case, fwrllyby the Government example, partly by 
 the wish to be out of sight of the "horrid plains," and in 
 sight of that glorious panorama, the snowy range, planters 
 have chosen the interior of Kumaon. Some^viseLyJT was 
 not one of them) selected low. sites, valleys sheltered from 
 
 the cold winds, but even their choice has not^tvaiTed much. 
 
 , tynJt . . ,. o&*^s*t X^^t-M-*^ / 
 The frost m winter lingers longest iiyche valleys, and though 
 
 the yield there is larger, owing to the increased 
 heat in summer, the young plants suffer much in the winter. 
 
 * Is it possible that the continued deception (it was nothing less) wna 
 owing to the fact Government had gardens to sell there ? They were adver- 
 tised for eale a long time at absurd prices.
 
 22 TEA DISTRICTS. 
 
 The outer ranges, owing to the beat radiating from the 
 plains, are comparatively free from frost, but there again the 
 soil is not so rich. Still they would unquestionably be pre- 
 ferable to the interior^ , 
 
 Labor is *plentifuTiii J&imaon and very cheap, Us. 4 per 
 mensem. Transport is very expensive. It costs, not a little, 
 to send Tea from the interior over divers ranges of hills 
 to the plains. It has then some days' journey by cart, ere it 
 meets the rail, to which 1,000 miles of carriage on the rail- 
 road has to be added. 
 
 Since the above was written Kumaon has secured a good 
 local market, and I believe sells most of its Tea unpacked 
 to merchants who come from over the border to buy it. 
 
 , , , &est4*^C*s*<i( .,. a/t^Krtfftj'J** . 
 
 It kas also improved its position/greatly by making Green 
 Teas, for which^as^observed before, the China plant it has 
 is so welV^fitted. With those two advantages, though the 
 climate is inferior, I suspect that Tea there now pays better 
 than in Darjeeliug. 
 
 Gurhwall is next to Kumaon and so similar, I have 
 not thought it necessary to discuss it separately. The 
 climate is the same, the soil as a rule not so good. There is 
 one exception though, a plantation near " Lohba," the Teas 
 of which (owing I conceive to its peculiar soil) command 
 high prices in the London market. The gardens, both in 
 Kumaon and Gurhwall, have been generally much better 
 cared for than those in Eastern Bengal. As a rule they are 
 private properties managed by the owners. 
 
 HAZAREEBAUGH. 
 
 This district I have resided in since I wrote the first 
 edition of this Essay. The climate is too dry, and hot winds are 
 there. A great compensation thougnis labor, it is more 
 abundant and cheaper in this district than in any other. 
 The carrma^is all by land, and it is some distance to the
 
 TEA DISTRICTS. 23 
 
 *??_ 0V />t <-. f ^*^ 
 
 rail. But the Tea gardens at Hazareebaugh can never vie / 
 with those in Eastern Bengal, inasmuch as the climate is 
 very inferior. 
 
 The soil is very poor. 
 
 In short Hazareebaugh is in no way a good place for Tea ; 
 and I have reason to believe the gardens there never paid 
 at all until three years ago, when they altered the manufacture 
 from black to green. All is China plant there, so they can, 
 and do, make very good Green Tea. I believe they now 
 average Rs. 1-3 to Us. 1-4 per fb. all round, whereas 
 tbeir/a*verage oFETack Tea was perhaps 12 or 13 annas. The 
 produce per acre, owing to climate, soil, and China plant, 
 is small ; and had they not turned to Green Tea, I do not see 
 how the gardens there could have lasted. &cr**o&~ -/c^^*-^-^*. 
 
 NEILGHERRIES. 
 
 This I have never seen. The climate is perhaps superior 
 to the Himalayan, for the frost is very slight. Were there, 
 however, more heat there in summ er it would be better. 
 
 Some of the Teas have sold very well in the London 
 market, and I believe that, in this district too, Green Tea is 
 made. As the plants there, I have been told, are China 
 there can be no doubt that Green Tea will pay best. 
 
 Still what little I say here about the Neilgherries can in 
 no way be depended on, for not only have I never seen them, 
 I have been told very little about them. 
 
 I have heard the soil is good, but have no certain informa 
 tion on this head. Not much difficulty can exist in the way 
 of transport.
 
 24 TEA DISTRICTS. 
 
 Having now discussed each district, all of which, except tire 
 Dehra Dhoon and Neilgherries, I have seen, I give in further 
 Meteorological Tables of the principal ones. For 
 those not mentioned in the tables I have failed to acquire 
 the necessary information. 
 
 My thanks are due to Dr. Co/ites at Hazareebaugh for his 
 kindness in supplying me witl/much of the data from which 
 the following tables are fronted :
 
 TEA DISTRICTS. 
 
 25 
 
 I 00 I O I O. I 
 
 LirlllJ 
 
 8 | S 
 
 w 9 
 
 S S 
 
 I -* 
 
 13 
 
 S S S 
 
 I o n <?> 
 
 aaqopo - g g \S. 
 
 jaqtnajdag o g 
 
 S 2 5 
 
 Iea o o 
 sag 
 
 S' Sf 8 
 
 judy 
 
 fc I I 
 
 S 3 5 
 
 2 I 2 
 
 s ! i i i |1 I E 
 
 1 S I 
 
 I * 
 
 <= o I -g 
 
 I O 
 
 k, I 
 
 I II 
 
 jqa I -Suo3
 
 2G 
 
 TKA DISTRICTS. 
 
 o 
 
 
 I 
 
 " 
 
 S-5 
 
 II 
 
 'M 'O 'S 
 
 T T T 
 
 K 7 K 
 
 Maqtnajdag 
 
 eatif 
 
 I I 
 
 o 9 
 
 3 
 
 9 
 
 SI 3 , 
 
 K S 
 
 115 II 
 
 K g 
 
 3 S S 
 
 CO p 
 
 -9 =r 
 
 P 9 
 g B 
 
 Sm r-> 
 o i^ 
 
 3 S 
 
 s s 
 
 fe 
 
 5 I 
 
 ss i s 
 
 -
 
 TEA DISTRICTS. 
 
 
 ;)-' a 
 
 i s 
 
 e an f 
 
 sever 
 in 186 
 
 Averag 
 Days ra 
 
 Average rain 
 Days rain fell 
 
 verage rain, several 
 ays rain fell in 1869 
 
 Average rain, several years 
 Days rain fell in 1869 
 
 \
 
 TEA DISTRICTS. 
 
 1 I 
 
 =3 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 CH 
 
 O 
 
 | 
 
 I 
 n3 
 
 o 
 
 13 
 
 o 
 i-J 
 
 ^ 
 3 
 
 I 
 
 ^ 
 o 
 
 1 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ ^ 
 
 H r-l 
 . 
 
 o '-2 
 ^ 
 
 
 2 S 
 
 N s 1 
 
 CS >to 
 
 I 1 
 
 
 i TNI 
 
 Ii 
 
 h 
 
 L 
 
 s 
 g 
 
 j-^eoea 
 
 1 
 
 s 
 
 S . 
 
 
 -1>* 
 
 5 g 
 
 g I 
 
 cu cu 
 
 
 two 
 
 S ^. 
 
 s , 
 
 
 
 04 10 
 
 CQ Ci 
 
 W d, 8 
 
 I 2 
 
 1 s 
 
 1 
 
 S s 
 
 -, 8n3 n V 
 
 8 
 
 1 g 
 
 I S 
 
 3 2 
 
 * 
 
 S ^ 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 I * 
 
 'eunf 
 
 p 
 
 ? 
 
 s s 
 
 1 
 
 ^ 
 
 I S 
 
 9 t- 
 
 
 
 10 10 
 
 2 10 
 
 
 5 
 
 S 
 
 p 
 
 " - 
 
 B 1 V 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 {2 
 
 qOJBR 
 
 
 
 
 
 Xa'Bniqa^ 
 
 2 " 
 
 
 
 rH CO 
 
 s 
 
 o g 
 
 .^ua, f 
 
 
 S 
 
 
 
 TH 
 
 * 
 
 -s 
 
 ft 
 
 Rain in 1869 
 Days rain fell in 1869 
 
 Average rain, several years ... 
 Days rain fell in 1869 
 
 
 Rain in 1869 
 Days rain fell in 1869 
 
 Average rain, several years ... 
 Days rain fell in 1869 
 
 ,pn, !3 ao^ 
 
 
 00 
 
 - 
 
 I 
 
 , P n,, m 
 
 Cl- 
 
 I 
 
 .. 
 
 1 
 
 (D 
 1 
 
 Hill Tracts 
 
 Darjeeling 
 
 1 2 
 
 y 
 
 Hazareebaugh 
 
 Bp W8! a 
 
 3 uo*,, m o 
 
 1<*p 
 
 
 T,o? N
 
 TEA DISTRICTS. 29 
 
 I will now endeavour to drawujfa tabular statement of 
 the respective advantages of the various Tea districts as 
 regards climate, labor, lay of land, soil, facilities of procur- 
 ing manure and transport. 
 
 In importance I regard them in the order given. I place 
 labor, before soil, because the fact is in alL?the province 8 
 ^suTtaote'att3 > good soil for Tea can be found somewhere ; *and 
 therefore while soil is all important in selecting a site, it is 
 secondary to labor in deciding on a district. Lay of land 
 comes after labor. When my information on any point is 
 not sure I place a note of interrogation. Where advan- 
 tages are equal, or nearly so, I give the same number, and 
 the greater the advantage of a district on the point treated 
 in the column the smaller the number. Thus under the 
 head of climate Assam is marked 1, meaning it is the best. 
 
 As the following table gives no information as to which 
 of all the districts possesses the greatest advantages, all 
 tilings considered, but only gives my opinion of each under 
 each head, and the subject closed in this way would be 
 unsatisfactory, I may state that, in my opinion, the choice 
 should lie between the three first on the list.
 
 30 
 
 TEA DISTRICTS. 
 
 Comparative advantages of the Tea Districts in India as regards 
 climate, labor, lay of land, soil) manure, and transport. 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 Ji 
 
 TEA DISTBICTS. 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 
 e 
 
 fit 
 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^4 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 
 6 
 
 a 
 
 sc 
 
 h-1 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 H 
 
 Assam 
 
 i 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 31 & 
 
 Cacliar 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 2 | 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -I 
 
 Chittagong 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 
 Chittagong Hill Tracts 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 1J^ 
 
 Terai below Darjeeling ... 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 51 
 
 Darjeeling 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 Hazareebaugh 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 4 |> 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 'H 
 
 Kangra 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 9 i- 2 
 
 Dehra Dhoon 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 7 1 
 
 Kumaon ... 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 8 
 
 Nilgherries 
 
 ? 
 
 ? 
 
 p 
 
 ? 
 
 ? 
 
 J
 
 CHAPTER IV, 
 
 SOIL. 
 
 To pronounce as preciseTy>e^i fsoif as on climate is not easy. 
 The Tea plant will grow on almost any soil, and will flourish 
 on many. Still there are broacTgeneral rules to be laid down 
 in the selection of soils for Tea, which no one can ignore with 
 impunity. 
 
 When first I turned my attention to Tea, I collected soils 
 from many gardens, noting in each case how the plants 
 flourished. I then set down to examine them, never doubting 
 to arrive at some broad practical .Conclusions. I was^sadly 
 
 -& -f^*x, ojz/arffifof "%*<&-*-! fjes4^f-tc>Ct , l+jLt+Ce^-. 
 
 oisappomted. 1 found the most opposing soils nourished, 
 apparently, equally good plants. I knew not then much about 
 Tea, and uyiged .of the Tea bushes mostly by their size 
 
 <&-iv <****** t0~t*t<-4 
 
 (a very'mmicious test) ; still after-experience has convinced 
 me, 1 was more or less right in the conclusion I then came to, 
 that several soils are gopd for Tea. 
 
 Nothing then but broacTgeneral rules can be laid down on 
 this point, for I defy any one to select any one soil, as the 
 best for Tea, to the exclusion of others. -&y M^</ *&.^Z~~f &*-., *^ 
 
 A light sandy loam is perhaps as good a soil as any out 
 of the Himalayas. It ought to be deep, and the more decayed 
 vegetable matter there is lying on its surface the better. 
 
 , If deep enough for the descent of the tap-root, say three feet. 
 
 A* e&gr^^^^ ^ * ., r . 
 
 it matters not uefuch what the sub-soil is, otherwise a 
 
 ./ yellowish^ red sub-soil is an advantage. This sub-soil is 
 generally a mixture of clay and sand. Much of Assam, 
 Cachar, and Chittagong is as the above, but as a rule it is 
 richest in Assam, poorest in Chittagong-.
 
 " 
 
 32 SOIL. 
 
 ** 
 
 Where the loam is of a greasy nature (very different to 
 clay) with a mixture of sand in it, it is superior to the above, 
 for it has more body. All good Tea soilsjpist have a fair 
 proportion of sand, and if not otherwise appareril^lt may be 
 "yOetected by mixing a little of the soil with "^pitue/ and rub- 
 
 g it on the hand. If the hand is then held up towards 
 the sun, the particles of sand will be seen to glisten. *'**** 
 
 The soil so common in Kumaon that is light rich loam 
 with any amount of decayed vegetable matter on it, and with 
 a ferruginous reddish yellowish sub-soil, is, I consider, the 
 finest soil in the world for Tea. What a/pity it nowhere 
 existe in a really gooa Tea climate. The rich decayed vegeta- 
 ble matter is the produce for centuries of the oak leaves 
 in the Himalayan forests, and as all the world knows oak 
 only grows in temperate climes. / . 
 
 It was loner believed that Tea would thrive best on poor 
 soil. The 'meawas due to the description of Tea soils in 
 China to be found in the first books that treated of Tea. 
 
 But the fact that Tea, as a rule, is only grown in China on 
 
 .,,.,. , . ' -I- i *&* "^"""fc' 
 soil which is useless for anything elserqmte alters the case. 
 
 If a soil is" light and fnaMeejIxmgh it cannot be too rich 
 for Tea. 
 
 Ball's book " on the cultivation and manufacture of Tea in 
 China" has much on Tea soilsj but the opinions the author 
 collected ar^sadty aPVananSJaSoon the whole teach 
 nothing. ^ 
 
 In conclusion I will ajjfewt to point out the qualities in 
 soils in which the Tea-plantdeliglits, as' also the qualities it 
 abhors. 
 
 It loves soils .friable, that is easily divided into all their 
 atoms. This arguW a fair proporfion^of sand, but this 
 should not be in excess, or the soil /will be poor. The soil 
 
 e*Z>U**^*<+ *^^o<W* 
 
 should be porous, imbuing, and pa/ting with water freely. 
 The more decayed vegetable matter on its surface the better.
 
 SOIL. 33 
 
 . 
 
 To be avoided are stnf soils of every kind, as also those 
 which when they dry, after rain, cajStogcther and split. 
 Avoid also black colored, or even dark colored earths. All 
 soils good for the Tea-plant are light colored. If, however, 
 the dark color arises from decayed vegetation that is not 
 the color of the soil, and, as observed, vegetable matter is a 
 great advantage. Judge of color when soil is dry for 
 even light-colored soil looks dark when wet. Soil which 
 will make bricks will not grow tea, and though I have 
 sometimes seen young plants thrive on stiff soil, I do not 
 believe in any stiff soil as a permanence. -^W^ c^^e 
 
 Stones, if not inexcess, are advantageous in all soils 
 mcT^^r^e^n^foSleylielp to keep them open. But then 
 they must not be large, as if so they act as badly as a rocky 
 substratum preventing the descent of the tap-root. 
 
 The reason, I take it, why Tea thrives best in light soils is 
 that the spongioles or ends of the feeding roots are very 
 tender, and do not easily penetrate any other. 
 
 There is more nourishment in stiffer soils, but for this 
 reason the Tea-plant cannot take advantage of it. . 
 
 If a chosen soil is too stiff it may be much improved for 
 Tea by mixing sand with it. However, even where sand is 
 procurable near, the expense of this is great. When done, 
 the sand should be mixed with the soil taken out of the holes 
 in which the plants are to be placed (see transplanting), and 
 it may be done again later by placing sand round the plants 
 and digging it in. All this though is extra labor and very 
 expensive, so none but a good Tea soil should ever be selected, 
 and it is very easily found, for it exists in parts of all the 
 districts discussed.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 NATUBE OF JUNGLE. 
 
 I HAVE not much to say under this head. I have heard 
 many opinions as to the kind of trees and jungle that should 
 exist in co1ftem^t^cl^nmces*"1bHft I attach little or no 
 weight to them, at aflerlents in Bengal. 
 
 In the Himalayas "it is somewhat different. There oak 
 trees should he sought for. their existence invariably makes 
 
 ,^y*,fe>tm**~, J e*ii*Yt~Jt-~"C+-*r^~*-J~ 
 
 rich soil.* Fir on the contrary indicates poor soil. At eleva- 
 tions, however, the desideratum of a warm Aspect interferesp 
 for the best oak forests are on the colder side. I speak of 
 course of elevations practicable, say three or four thousand feet, 
 
 , ,, . .. . -i^Jcf+~^~^* 2&i/ f*A,>*+*~JL.. f~ 6zZ%^-L- 
 
 above this it is a waste of naoney to tiy and cultivate Tea. 
 
 In Bengal I do not think the nature of the jungle on land 
 contemplated signifies much. As a rule, the thicker the jungle 
 the richer the soil ; but if seeking for a site, large trees should 
 
 not be a sine qua non. Much of the/coarse, grass land is 
 
 ffc*tfie* j ' A*** *-*</ &nt^L&~ 
 
 very good, and large trees aj/u enormously to the expense or 
 
 ngs. It is not cutting them, dowu^ which is so expen- 
 JOL. f+jr*~Ja* 
 
 sive, it is cutting them up and gettmg/rid or them by burning, 
 
 or otherwise, after the former is done. 
 
 I have discussed soil fully already, and need only add here 
 that if the knowledge to do so exists, it is better to judge of 
 soil from the soil itself than fr^ /J^ 6 vegetation on it, . 
 though doubtless a fact that luxuriant yeegetation indicates 
 rich soil. 
 
 * The oak tree leaves cause a rich deposit of vegetable matter.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 WATER AND SANITATION. 
 
 < '> 
 
 THESE may be discussed together and shortly. 
 
 ^, eCZi**tStl'i / r/(_ -7t- f*-y $ cJ-fV^+f t-tr^fje^, it-tsn^e^* 
 
 Of course ^dj acent wafer Carriage is a great advantage for 
 a garden, and it should be obtained, if possible, in selecting 
 a site. The expense of land carriage, Tea being such a bulky ^ 
 article, is great, and Tea cultivation requires all advantages 
 to make it pay well. 
 
 Bat it is water for a garden that particularly concerns us 
 now. It is not easy to find land that can be irrigated (this 
 is discussed elsewhere), but no labor or expense in getting 
 such land would be thrc^ar awaj^Irrigation, combined 
 with high cultivation in other 'respects, will give a yield per 
 acre undreamt of. #*~*^ +*" *>-* *** ^ 
 
 In no case shouldLa ^plantation be made except where a 
 running stream isjTandy. *^Water is a necessity for seedlino-s, 
 
 ^uExtAys^J. 
 
 and a plentiful adjacent supply of it is a great desideratum 
 
 for the comfort and health of every soul on the garden. We 
 
 f all know how dependent the natives >are on water, and it is 
 
 / evTSent facilities in this respect will conduceTimon'^ whether 
 
 the labor be local or imported) both to get and keep 
 
 coolies. 
 
 It has been observed that, as a rule, a good Tea climate is 
 not a healthy one. There is no getting over the fact, and we 
 can only make the best of it. The house, the factories, and 
 all the buildings should be placed as high as possible, and 
 not very close to each other, both for the sake of health and
 
 36 WATER AND SANITATION. 
 
 in the event of fire. The locality should be well drained, 
 and cleanliness be attained in every possible way. Give the 
 coolies-good Jiouses, with raised medians to sleep on, and 
 
 ^T , fy 9C.tk4.^*Ae-"Y . 
 
 spriukj^ occasionally carbolic acid powder in your own house, 
 and those of others. 
 
 Sanitation is however a large subject. It can be studied 
 elsewhere. General ideas on it and on the properties of the 
 commonest medicines are a great advantage to any intending 
 Tea-planter.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 OF LAND. 
 
 ' 
 
 THE first idea prevailing about Tea was that it should be 
 planted on slopes. Ijb j^vas thought, and truly, that the plant 
 was impatient of stagnant water, and so it is, but it is not 
 necessary to plant it on slopes in consequence. Pictures of 
 Chinese, suspended by chains, (inasmuch as the locality 
 could not be otherwise reached) picking Tea off" bushes grow-y . 
 ing in the crevices of rocks somewhat helped thisxStfou ; / 
 and when stated, as it was, that the Tea produced in such 
 places was the finest and commanded the .highest price, 
 
 ,^w-f^^ 1 . ~^~^~ a^fsitj4&-p. ^4*fc^~ ^. ^ 
 
 intemjia|^ planters in India J^GT^S cr^zy in tjreir search for 
 impracticable steeps ! Much of the failure in Tea has arisen 
 from this fact, for a great part of many, the. whole of some 
 gardens, has been,planted on land, so steep, that the Tea can 
 never ustor thrive on it. This is especially the case in 
 Darjeeling. ^^^.J^L 
 
 Sloping land is objectionable in the following respects. It 
 cannot be highly cultivated in any way, (I hold Tea will only 
 pay with high cultivation) for high cultivation. consists in fre- 
 quent digging, jgJ^^H s il open, andjp# rid of weeds 
 and liben^manuring. ^fsuch soil ig^^m the rainy season, 
 it is washed down to the foot of the hill, and if manure is 
 applied at any time of the year, it experiences the same fate 
 when the rains come. As it cannot be_du, weeds necessarily 
 thrive and diminish the yield by choking the plants. 
 
 The chojce is therefore of two evils,, "low cultivation and 
 weeds" or "high cultivation which bares the roots of the plants 
 in a twelve month."-OfAhe Jgv> the first must be chosen, for 
 if the latter were pupped the plants getting gradually more
 
 38 LAY OF LAND. 
 
 and more denuded of soil, would simply topple over, in two or 
 
 ?K^M^ X^i-k*c< Xip*5Ve 
 
 three years. But choosing the lesser evil, the mischief is not 
 
 to the bad effects of low cultivation. Dig the land 
 as little as you will, the great force of the rains washes down 
 agoodleal of soil. The plants do not^sm~~as the soil 
 
 and the consequence, is that all Tea-plants on 
 . V*?#^wr +*~ *as,,Z j_ 
 
 nave the lower side bare of earth, and the roots ex 
 
 This is more and more the case the steeper the^slope. These 
 
 -^-r^^e^ K e "^rr ,1. , 
 
 exposed roots shri/el up. as the sun acts on them the plant 
 
 ^t^' < ^r .kw'G'cetfr _ . , 
 
 languishes, andyields yery little, leaf. ^e^ j t *~ *''Zfae ' 
 
 AtfeJ^ptjrare ^j^aclerto remedy the mischief by carrying 
 earth up from below yearly, and placing it under the plant, 
 but the expense of doing this is great, and the palliation iar 
 only temporary, for the same thing occurs^againXand again ^* 
 as each rainyseason returns.^, ^^ 
 
 The mischief is greater onl^tifF than on sandy soils, for on 
 the former the earth is detached in great pieces and carried 
 down the hill. I know one garden in Chittagong, a large 
 one, where the evil is so great, that the sooner the cultivation 
 is abandoned the better for the owners. 
 
 A great many gardens in India, indeed the majority, are 
 on slopes. A few in Assam, the greater number in Cachar, 
 some in Chittagong, and almost all the Himalayan planta- 
 tions. Such of these as are , on steep slopes will. I believe, 
 never pay, and instead of improving yearly (as good gar- 
 dens, highly cultivated, should do even after.they have arrived 
 at full bearing) such, I fear, will dpteriorate^year hy^year,^ 
 
 Plantations on" moderate slopes neeonot fail, because of 
 the slopes. The evils slight slopes entail are notgreat, but 
 the sooner the fact is accepted that sloping cannot vi/agamst 
 flat land for the cultivation of Tea the better. 
 
 Where only the lower part of slopes are planted, the plants 
 do very well. The upper part being jungle the wash is not 
 great, and the plants benefit much by the rich vegetable
 
 LAY OF LAND. 39 
 
 matter the rain brings down from above. I have often seen 
 very fine plants on the lower part of slopes, where the upper 
 has been left in jungle, and I should not hesitate to plant 
 such portions if the slope was moderate. 
 
 Where teelah land, in Eastern Bengal, or sloping land in 
 the Himalayas, JChittagong, or elsewhere, has to be adopted, 
 ^aspect is all imporpmt^A good aspect in one climate is bad 
 in another. In Assam, Cachar, Chittagong, and all warm 
 places, choose the coolest, at high elevations (temperate 
 climes) the warmest. 
 
 In the Himalayas, moreover, the warmer aspects are, as a 
 rule, the most fertile ; vice versa in warm localities. Many a 
 garden, which would have done very well, on the moderate 
 slopes chosen, had only the proper aspects been planted, has / j> 
 been ruined by planting all sides of teelahs or hills m3iscri- 
 minately. The southern and western slopes of plantations in 
 warm sites are generally verybare of plants. Not strange 
 they should be so, when the power of the reflected rays of 
 the afternoon sun are considered. Again, in cold climates 
 plants cannot thrive on northern aspects, for their great want 
 in such climes is heat and sunshine. Let the above fault 
 then be avoidecfln both cases, for though, doubtless, a garden 
 is more hancfy, and looks better in one/piece planted all 01 
 
 J ' &^L*^j -&itf**^ -r - 
 
 without any intervening jungle, even pa^hesof^jun^e Jookx, 
 better, and are decidedly cheaper, than bare cultivated hills. 
 
 ;erwhatl hav 
 
 It is of two kinds, tafole ana valley -fand ; the former is very 
 rare m Tea districts, at least of any extent, which makes it 
 worth while to plant it. There are two gardens in Chittagong 
 on such flat table land, and they are both doing very well. 
 Table land cannpt be too flat, for the natural drainage is so 
 great, no stagnant wafer can lie. It is inferior to valley land 
 in the dry season, but superior in the rains. 
 
 Valley laud is not good if it is perfectly flat. It will then 
 
 DIVISION OF SUBTROPICAL HORTICULTURE 
 COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
 
 40 LAY OF LAND. 
 
 be subject to inundation and stagnant water. There is 
 nothing that kills the plant so surely and quickly as the latter. 
 Even quite flat valleys can be made sw0f>tBy' artificial drain- 
 age, but to do this a lower level,, not too far distant, must 
 
 4^CeI/ +*^+ fj^^^x* 
 
 exist, and the danger is not/quite removed then. Valleys in 
 which no water-course exists, and which slope towards the 
 mouth, alone, are to be avoictedTlbr the plants near the mouth 
 
 oL^itr a^fyjx it&sv&o^te*' 
 
 alwaysKget choked with sand. The best valleys are those 
 
 - ^ ^*& -Xi-A&~~f ~ 
 
 with a gentle slope both ways, one towards the lowest line 
 of the vaUey, be it a running water-course, or a dry nullah 
 which Carries off rain, the other towards the mouth of the 
 valley. Such valleys drain themselves, or at least very little 
 artificial drainage is necessary. A valley of this kind, with 
 a running stream through it, is most valuable for Tea, and if 
 the other advantages of soil and climate are present it is 
 
 tr^t^yn^S oil L /."k^"*?^ -rn 
 
 simply a perfect site. Such however are not frequent. It 
 in such valleys, as is generally the case, the slope from the 
 head to the mouth is enough, the, running stream /can be 
 
 e~ts s2Zte4^&-0t- y^~*T7 -J 1 ^^" i i f^* J *4*f 1 * -\ *~"2^ 
 
 " bunded (shut up) at a higK/evel, and^rougpt along one 
 side at a sufficient elevation to irrigate the whole. 
 
 I have never seen but one garden in a valley that fulfils 
 all these conditions exactly. It is in Chittagong, the soil is 
 good, labor plentiful, and manure abundant. It ought to 
 do great things, for the possibility of irrigating plants in the 
 dry season (which as observed is very trying in Chittagong 1 ) 
 will give several extra flushes in the year. 
 
 Of course in the wet season on such land the water must 
 be allawed to resume its natural course. 
 
 Narv6*w valleys are not worth planting if the hills on the 
 sides are steep, and they are consequently better left in jungle. 
 No narrow tracts of lanoTwith jungle on both sides, are worth, - 
 
 / r,***^ ,. , '-V^^TJ^JKot 
 
 the expense of cultivation, for the continual encroacnment / 
 
 of the iuno-le gives much extra work., /The plants, moreover, 
 
 7x*>r^fH/- i*-^- *&/* -r?-*~~ ., , i 
 m very narrow vallevVget halt binmrwith soil, washed
 
 LAY OF LAND. 41 
 
 down from the adjacent slopes. Narrow valleys are therefore, 
 in any case, better avoided. 
 
 To conclude, shortly, flat lands can be highly cultivated, 
 steep slopes cannot. Tea pays best (perhaps not at all other- 
 wise) with high cultivation, ergo flat lauds are preferable.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 YIira OUT A GARDEN. 
 
 BY this I mean, so dividing it when first made into parts, 
 that later the said parts shall be easily recognize^and sepa- 
 rately or differently treated, as they may require it. 
 
 The usual custom is to begin at one end of a plantation, 
 and cfig/^it right through to the other. In the same way 
 with the pranpg and p^clting, and I believe the system is 
 a very bad one. Different portions of gardens require differ- 
 ent treatment, inasmuch as they differ in soil, and otherwise. 
 
 r\ . c i . , i -% *?**1*fl "^ **^*zC 
 
 One part of a plantation is much more/prolific of weeds than 
 
 cb^**) <*** & ~*&Y<vui,*~*&~v J>e~.<*, n^r 
 
 another how absurd that it should be~"cleaned no oftener ! 
 
 This is only one exemplmcation of difference of treatment, 
 
 ^f <rn*f^tZ; **> all . 
 
 but in many ways it is necessary, most of all m plucking 
 leaf. 
 
 All parts of a plantation, owing in some places to the 
 different ages of the plants, in others to the variety in the soil 
 and its productive powers, in others to slopes or to aspect 
 do not yield leaf equally, that is, flush does not follow flush 
 with equal rapidity. In some places (supposing each part 
 to be picked when the flush is ready) seven days interval 
 will exist between the flushes, in others nine, ten, or 
 twelve, but no attention as a rule is paid to this. The pickers 
 have finished the garden at the west end, the east end is again 
 ready, and when done, the middle part will be taken in hand, 
 be it ready, or be it not ! It may be that the middle part 
 flushes quicker than any other ; in this case the flush will be 
 more than mature when it is taken, in fact it will have begun 
 to harden, or it may be the middle part does not flush as 
 quickly as the others ; in this case it will be picked before it is
 
 LAYING OUT A GARDEN. 43 
 
 ready, that is, when the flush is too young, and the yield will 
 consequently be smaller. / 
 
 e^e-cs* t*-e/i^'r*eS,e>(je<+c- 
 
 y I believe the yield of a plantation may be largely increased 
 by atjkmamg to this. Every Tea estate should be divided 
 into gardens, of say, about six to ten acres each. If no natural 
 division exists small roads to act as such should be made. 
 More than this cannot be done when the plantation is first 
 laid out, but when later the plants yield any difference 
 between the productive powers of different parts of the same 
 garden should be noted, and these divided off into sections. 
 To do this latter withroads would take up too much space, 
 and smal^&iasonry Ipilk^rsfwhite-washed, a re the best. Four 
 of these, one at each corner of a section, are enough, and they 
 need not be more than three feet high and a foot square. 
 Thus each garden may where necessary be divided into two 
 sections, which in a three hundred acre estate, partitioned 
 off into 30 gardens, would give about 40 to 60 sections. No 
 matter where a section may be, directly the flush on it is 
 ready it should be picked. Where the soil on any one 
 garden is much the same, and observation shows the plants 
 all over it flush equally, it may be left all in one. I only lay 
 down the principles, and I am very certain it works well, the 
 proof of which is that where I have practised it some 
 sections during the season give three, four, and five flushes 
 more than others. Had the usual plan of picking from one 
 end to the other been adopted, they would have been all 
 forced to give the same number. In other words the said 
 extra flushes would have been lost, and further loss occasioned 
 by some flushes being taken before they were ready, others 
 after a portion of the tender leaf had hardened. 
 
 The best plan is simply to number the gardens from one 
 upwards, and the sections in each garden the same way. 
 Thus supposing No. 5 garden is divided into three sections, 
 they will be known respectively as 5-1, 5-2, and 5-3. This
 
 44 tAYING OUT A GARDEN. 
 
 is the best way for the natives, and I find they soon learn to . 
 designate each section, I have a man whose special duty /^ 
 (though he has other work also) it is to see each day which 
 
 sections are ready to pick the following, and those, and thos 
 . er^oi^t^^cU^r -^fof^eU-i, &*/, f-A^Zc^ 
 
 alone, are picked. Practice soon /teaches ^khe number ot/ 
 pickers required for any giv^n num ^5^^ sec tions, and 
 that nuniber only are put to the work. If a portion is not 
 completed that day, it is the first taken in hand the next, 
 and if any day on no sections is the flush ready, no leaf is 
 picked the following. 
 
 Apart from leaf-picking, the garden and section plan 
 
 detanVT is useful in many ways/ Each garden, if not each 
 
 ' 
 
 section which most requires it, is duo;, prujjecT. or manured at 
 
 h^cti*?C2/JL _ ' _ (JLJt^aJL^ 
 
 the best time, and any spot QH the plantation is easily design 
 
 nated. The plan facilitates the measurement of work and 
 
 ^T ~&-- JSlLe^c 
 
 enables correct lists of the flushes/gathered to be kept. It is 
 thus seen which gardens yield best, and the worst can, by 
 extra manuring, be brought to equal those. 
 
 In short the advantages are many, too numerous to detail. 
 
 Of course^dlthis can be better done on a flat garden than 
 on one planted on slopes,/and though it may not be possible 
 to work it out as much in Detail on the latter, still a good 
 deal in that way can be done, and I strongly recommend it. 
 
 In laying out a plantation keep it all as much together as 
 possible, the more it is in one block the easier it is supervised 
 the cheaper it is worked. Still do not, with a view to this, 
 take in any bad land, for bad land will never pay. 
 
 Let your lines of Tea plants, as far as practicable, run with 
 geometrical regularity. You will later find, both in mea- 
 suring work and picking leaf, great advantages therefrom. 
 In gardens where the Unes are not regular portions are con- 
 ti^ilmy Jreing ppXsed /<>ver in leaf-picking, and thereby not 
 only is the present flush from such parts lost, but the follow- 
 ing is also retarded.
 
 LAYING OUT A GARDEN. 45 
 
 If your different gardens .are so situated that the roads 
 through them, that is, from one garden to the other, can be 
 along the side of any garden without increasing the length 
 of the road by all means adopt that route. There is no such 
 good boundary for a garden as a road that is being conti- 
 
 ,, , T . ... faafieiAJi+t t**r fujAt***** &L+^n Tfc t^ens&Zs-***^. 
 
 nually traversed, it will save many/ rupees by pyeventino- 
 
 ^s~trtf*/s3 c&sisy &LJi-+>f **+-^p* /prvJZ-***^* -M-,&-4>-& --** &L* &*.<*++ 
 
 the encroachment of jungle into/a garden, and more space is 
 thus also given for plants. It is, however, of no use to do it 
 if a road through the middle of the garden is shorter, as 
 
 coolies will always take the shortest route. , , * 
 
 ,, ..-&***_, ,*J<M^^ Ti^fr ^ 
 
 Ihe linesrof plants on sloping ground should neither run 
 
 " -3fc^^ ' -tC^Z*^e-/es/ 0-v3s* 0lt4*-GS^ f>(f '-*-A~~f 
 
 up and down, nor dire/tly across the slope. If they run up 
 and down gu^ers or water-courses will form between the 
 lines, and much additional earth will be washed away thereby. 
 If they run right across the hill the same "tntug will/occur 
 between the trees in each line, and the lower side of each plant 
 will have its roots laid very bare. It is on all slopes a choice 
 of evils, but if the lines are laid diagonally across the hill, 
 so that the slope along the lines shall be a moderate one, the 
 evil is reduced as far as it can be by any arrangement of the 
 plants. No, I forgot, there is one other thing. The closer 
 the lines to each other, and the closer the plants in the lines to 
 each other, in short the more thickly the ground on slopes is 
 planted the less will be the wash, for stems and roots retain 
 the soil in its place, and the more there are the greater the 
 
 t-ib^ 
 
 / Where slopes are steep ( though remember steep slopes are 
 
 *0Lt~ s+*MkjiJi~r tetr*e&~ , er^^JtjL* ctti~ZeS*ri *-*/JL~* &a~r**r*&f(.** t^^o 
 
 to be avoided)/, terracing /may be reso/rfed to with advantage 
 
 ^jf J*X af*fa-J>J&^ ^*~?0tr'f*4~rt/ *>-V ^^i "^ 
 
 / as the/w/shing down of the/soil is much checked by it. 
 
 On flat land of course it does not really signify in which 
 directions the lines run, but such a garden looks best if, when 
 the roads are straight, the lines run at rio-ht ano-les to them. 
 
 T 1 J J^rt <^-f /8&&r 
 
 la laying out a^arden choose a central s^>ot with water 
 iidy for you/ factory, bung^rov? and all your buildings ;
 
 46 LAYING OUT A GARDEN. 
 
 let your Tea-liouses be as close to your dwelling-house as 
 possible, so that during the manufacturing time you can be 
 in and out at all hours of the day and night. Much of your 
 success will depend upon this. Let all your buildings be as 
 near to each other as they can, but still far enough apart, 
 that anyone building may burn without endangering others. 
 You neetyuot construct anyTea (buildings unul the third 
 year.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 VARIETIES OF THE TEA-PLANT. 
 
 THESE are many, but they all arise from two species, the 
 China plant, the common Tea bush in China, and the indige- 
 nous plant, first discovered some forty years ago in Assam. 
 
 These are quite different species of the same plant. Whether 
 the difference was produced by climate, by soil, or in what 
 way, no one knows, and here ^v.e have only to do with the facts 
 
 ^A!^e^l&^"r 1*. UL*jt4*9Jf J 
 
 that they do differ m every respect. <& purely indigenous plant 
 or tree (for in its wild state it may more properly be called 
 the latter) grows with one stem or trunk and runs up to 
 15 and 18 feet high. It is always found in thick jungle and 
 would thus appear to like shade. . I/believe .it does when 
 
 <W^s~ *4s&S^ cff^C' +lC# ?\&~ -~-&**~*~4 r & l , *^eX_^-+^tf <^/ G^P & 
 
 young ; but I am qufte sure i the jungle were cleared round/ 
 an indigenous Tea tree found in the JoresJ;, it would thrive 
 better from that day. The China bush (for it is never more) 
 after the second year has numerous stems, and 6 or 7 feet 
 would seem to be its limit in height. The lowest branches of 
 a China plant are close to the ground, but in a pure cultivated 
 indigenous, nine inches to a foot above the soil, up to which 
 the single stem is clean. 
 
 The indigenous grows quicker after the second or third year 
 than the China, if it has not been over-pruned or over-plucked 
 when young. In other words, it flushes quicker, for flushing 
 is growing. 
 
 The indigenous does not run so much to wood as the China. 
 Indigenous seedlings require to be watered oftener than 
 China, for the latter do noL^uffpr as quickiy/^irbm drought. 
 The indigenous tree has a leaf of nine inches long and more : 
 
 the leaf of the China/bush ne^ei; exceeds four inches. The 
 
 AjjK&s, &ti*.r >u>j&- % / 
 
 indigenous leaf is a bngnt pale green, the China leaf a dull <*
 
 48 VARIETIES OF THE TEA-PLANT. 
 
 dark green color. The indigenous/' flushes," that is, produces 
 new tender leaf much more copiously tfian China, and this in 
 two ways : Jir^t,^ie leaves areJarger, and thus if only even in 
 number excee^in bulk wnat tha/ China ias given; and 
 
 . it flushes oftener. The Jmusion of Tea made from the 
 
 T x-r^^^,, T ti -**%x^fa ,1 
 
 mdigenouss pecies is tar more "gasping and "pungent than 
 
 what the China plant can give, and the Tea commands a much 
 higher price. It is difficult to prune the China plants too / 
 young 1 , the indigenous on the contrary requires tender treat- 
 ment in this respect. The young leaves from which alone Tea 
 
 &^L^e^ J'ofJcfe^ ZMAfa^Z 
 
 is made are of a muclrnner and softer texture in tlie mdige- ,_ 
 nous than in the/-China, the former may be compared to salm, 
 the latter to leather. The young leaves of the indigt 
 
 renous 
 
 moreover do not harden so quicklyas those of the China, thus 
 
 O^K^O- ^ClG&f l<^ ti^jfs^tJT 
 
 if there is any unavoklablefclelay in picking a flush, the loss is 
 less with the former. In the fact that unpruued or unpicked 
 plants (for picking is a miniature pruning) give fewer and 
 less su^QeScyoung leaves wliich harden quicker than pruned 
 ones, the two varieties woujd seem to be alike. The China 
 variety is much more Jronfic ofseed than the indigenous, 
 the former also gives it when younger, and as seed checks 
 leaf, the China is inferk)r igthk as in other respects. The 
 China is by far the hardiei/plant. It is much easier to rear* 
 and it will grow in widely differing climates, which the 
 indigenous .will not. / /? / 
 
 n i.f, 4*t>&* . -ejr.JtLJt^ar -fcx^T- 
 
 A patch of indigenous with a nfarare flush on it is a pretty 
 sight. The plants all appear as if crowned with gold (they 
 are truly so if other advantages exist) and are a great con- 
 trast to the China variety if it can also be seen near. 
 
 I have now, I think, pointed out the leading characteristics 
 of the two original varieties of the Tea-plant, and it stands to 
 reason no one would grow the China who could get indigenous. 
 But the truth is a pure specimen of either is rare. The plants 
 between indigenous and China are called " hybrids." They
 
 VARIETIES OF THE TEA-PLANT. 49 
 
 C*t3?et--jr 
 
 were in the first instance,produced by the inocumion when 
 e>t*%~ ^y-^f\ f ,1 -s^fY*^*** i i . , ,-, n f. ,-, 
 
 /^close^ogether, of the polleX of one kind into the flower of the 
 
 other, and the result was a true hybrid, partaking equally of 
 the indigenous and China characteristics ; but the process was 
 repeated again and again bettveeen the said hybrid and an 
 indigenous or China, and again later between hybrids of 
 different degrees, so that now there are very many varieties of 
 the Tea-plant, 100 or even more, and no garden is wholly indi- 
 genous or wholly China. So close do the varieties run, no 
 one can draw the line and say where the China becomes a 
 hybrid, the hybrid an indigenous. Though as a rule the young 
 leaves are light green, or dark green, as the plant approaches, 
 the indigenous or China in its character, there are a certain 
 class of bushes (all hybrid V whose young leaves have strono- 
 
 ,^ft n<** e*^^~&*L^t, 0-f i* f i~f*f>^ 
 
 shades of crimson anopupple. Some even are quite red, others 
 quite purple. These colors do nottast as the leaf hardens, 
 and the matured leaves of these plants do not differ from 
 others. Plants with these colored leaves are prolific. * 
 
 The nearer each plant approaches the indigenous the higher 
 its class and excellence, ergo one plantation is composed 
 of a much better class of plants than another. Had China 
 seed never been introduced into India a very different 
 state of things would have existed now. The cultivation 
 would not have been so targe, but far more valuable. The 
 propagation and rearing of/nie indigenous as observed is diffi- 
 cult, the China is much hardier while young. So difficult is 
 it to rear successively the pure indigenous, perhaps the best 
 plan, were it all to come over again, would be to propagate 
 a high class hybrid and distribute it, never allowing any 
 China seed or plants to leave the nursery, which should 
 have been a Government one, But we must take things 
 as they are. The Government nurseries in the Himajayas 
 and the Debra Dhoon (there have never been any elsewhere 
 and worse sites could not have been chosen) were planted
 
 50 VARIETIES OF THE TEA-PLANT. 
 
 entirety with China seed, the seedlipgs dis 
 the country, and thus the^mischierwas cl 
 
 distributed all over 
 lone. The Indian 
 
 Tea is vastly superior to China, and commands a much 
 higher price at home, but it is still very inferior to what /> 
 it would have been, had not China seed been so recklessly^ 
 imported and distributed over the country. 
 
 The home of the indigenous Tea tree is in the deep luxu- 
 rious jungles of Assam and Cachar.* There it grows into 
 a good-sized tree. I have seen it 20 feet high. These are 
 of no use, except for seed, until they are cut down. When 
 this is done they throw out many new shoots, covered with 
 oung tender leaves,, fit for Tea. They are oFcouTsefar too 
 
 i 
 
 ig to transplant, but on some sites where they were 
 numerous, that spot was chosen for the plantation, and some 
 of these are the best gardens in Assam and Cachar. 
 
 The indigenous plant and high class hybrid requires a hot, 
 moist climate, and will not therefore flourish in any parts of 
 India outside Eastern Bengal. I have tried it in the Hima- 
 layas, there the cold kills it. In Dehra Dhoon and Kangra 
 the climate is far too dry ; besides the hot winds in the former, 
 and the cold in the latter, are prejudicial. The Terai under 
 Darjeeling wouMTsait it. ^fn Assam, Cachar, and Chittagong, 
 the indigenous and the highest class hybrids will thrive, 
 for the climate of all three ^^uifc^t, but perhaps Northern 
 Assam possesses the best climate of all, for that description 
 of plant. 
 
 The Himalayan gardens consist entirely of China plants 
 mixed occasionally with a low class of hybrid. They were 
 all formed from the Government Nurseries . where nothing 
 but China was'' rearecLOccasional irnjpjrtations of Assam 
 and Cachar seed wifl account* for the spruMmg^otlow 
 / / (class hybrids 'which may be found. The same may be said 
 
 * It is a singular fact that none exist in Northern Cachar, that is, on the 
 northern aide of the river.
 
 VARIETIES OF THE TEA-PLANT. 51 
 
 of Dehra Dhoon and Kangra. In some gardens in the Terai 
 below Darjeeling a high class of plant exists. In Assam, 
 Cachar, and Chittagong the plantations vary much, but 
 all have some indigenous and high class hybrids, while many 
 gardens are composed of nothing else. 
 
 It is evident then that the value of a garden depends much 
 on the class of its plants, and that a wise man will only pro- 
 pagate the best. Only the seed from good varieties should be 
 selected, and gradually all inferior bushes- should be rooted t** 
 
 ^ifen^f^ J tn~c> ^ c*. Jc7ae*s 9^j7**c7- 
 
 out and a good kind substituted. When this shall have been 
 systematically done for a few years on a good garden, which 
 has other advantages, the yield per acre will far exceed any- 
 thing yet realised or even thought of. 
 
 Government action in the matter of Tea ha& been pre- 
 judicial in many ways, but in none more so than when they 
 were doiug their best to fwslerttie cultivation by distributing 
 China seed and seedlings gratis. ^No one can blameSere 
 (woul^the^Governmen^vea'e^eo^iaUy free from. blame in all 
 Tea matters), but the 'mischief is none the less. It will take 
 years to undo the harm then done. 
 
 The seed of indigenous, hybrid, and China are like in 
 
 appearance and cannot be distinguished. . Thus, when seed / 
 
 j&<^*4*~eA^ -X<~^^ **/& 
 
 formerly was got from a distance, the punmaser was ,ar ther 
 
 mercy of the v 
 
 High cultivation improves the class of a Tea-plant. Thus, a 
 purely China bush, if highly cultivated and well manured, 
 will in two or three years^sma|Pii Hybrid character. High 
 
 cultivation will therefore improve the class of all the plants 
 in a garden ; but the cheapest and best plan with low class 
 China plants is to rpot thg^Lout and replace them with 
 others, as will be explainer hereafter. Low class seedlings 
 should also be rooted out of nurseries. 
 
 I cannot conclude this Chapter better than/bv-giving an 
 
 ^VWMa*r~ g*ofM&- & 
 extract from the " Government Kecgms alluded to, and I 
 
 H 
 
 DIVISION OF SUBTROPICAL HORTICULTURE 
 COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
 
 52 VARIETIES OF THE TEA-PLANT. 
 
 add & few remarks at foot, as otherwise the reader mignt be 
 
 ?*~^*-'i , . . . . , . it-e^4 
 
 puzzled with some opinions expressed so much at variance 
 with the generally received opinions on Tea to-day. 
 
 Kinds of Tea-plants cultivated. " "When Government resolved 
 on trying the experiment of cultivating Tea in India, they 
 
 2t- cWtfCiii, ^t^~j t-<x~ yl^-v^ C 
 
 deputed Dr. Gordon to China to acquire information resp^ect- 
 ing the cultivation and manufacture of Teas, and to procure 
 Tea seeds. Aided by Dr. Gutzlaff he procured a quantity 
 of seeds from the mountains in the Amoy districts. These 
 seeds were sent to the Calcutta Botanical Garden, where they 
 were sown in/boxes. On germinating they were sent up the 
 country in boats, some to Assam and some to Gurhmuktesur, 
 and from thence to Kumaon and Gurhwal. From these plants 
 date the commencement of the Tea plantations in the Hima- 
 layas.* Tea was first made in Kumaon in 1841, and the 
 samples sent to England, and were pronounced to be of good 
 quality fitted for the home markets and similar to the Oolong 
 Souchong varieties. Thus Messrs. Thompson, of Mincing Lane, 
 report on a sample sent by us to Dr. Eoyle in 1842 : " The 
 samples of Tea received belongs to the Oolong Souchong kind, 
 fine flavored and strong. This is equal to the superior black 
 Tea generally sent as presents, and better for the most part 
 than the China Tea imported for mercantile purposes." f By 
 many it was supposed that there were different species of the 
 Tea-plant, and that the species cultivated in the south districts - 
 
 ' . * *tn&Ai> -+ri*~* i+~ Acf-vit^cZji*. cr-~* 
 
 oi/CMna was different from that met with in the north. To 
 BOW? this mystery, and at the same time procure the best 
 varieties of the Tea-plant, Mr. Fortune was deputed to China. 
 By him large numbers^of JJea-plants were sent from different 
 districts of China celebrated for their Teas, and are now thriving 
 
 * And also the introduction of a bad class of plants. 
 
 t A single small sampleXTea very carefully made, and with an amount of 
 jabor which could never betfstowed on the mass, ^i^^T no^criterion". . 
 1874 than [i wa8 in 1842 > but Kumaon Tea 
 ern Bengal produce. All the Himalayan Tea 
 
 s wethyughoa deitsj&or^all Tea grown at high elevation mutt 
 be to,
 
 VARIETIES OF THE TEA-PLANT. 53 
 
 TTtJeSfJ!,* {* 
 
 luxuriantly in all the plantations throughout the Kohistan 
 of the North- West Provinces and Punjab. Both green and 
 black Tea-plants were sent, the former from "Whey Chow, 
 Mooyeen, Chusan, Silver Island, and Tein Tang, near Ningpo, 
 and the latter from Woo-e San, Tein San, and Tsin Gan, in the 
 "Woo-e district. But so similar are the green and black Tea- 
 plants to each other, and the plants from the Amoy districts, 
 
 that the most practised eye, when they 
 Several varieties. -11 i 
 
 are mixed together, cannot separate them, 
 
 showing that they are nothing more thau mere varieties of one 
 and the same plant, the changes in the form of the leaf being 
 _brought about by cultivation. Moreover, throughout tbe plant- ^' 
 
 ation fifty varieties might easily be pointed out ;/but they rua' 
 ,^>^ -^f^^ffjt^. J r ' -&+ 1 6z7^>*&~ 
 
 so into each other as to render it impossible to assign them any 
 
 m -J&A- f**^ 
 
 trivial character; and the produce of the seed of different 
 
 varieties do/not produce the same variety only but several 
 
 6.*^, ;..# tt&r*"****^-***. . y*fT 
 proving that the changes are'entirely/owmg 
 
 varieties, proving that the changes are'entirely/owing to > eulti- 
 vation ; nor do the plants, cultivated at 6,000 feet in the Hima- 
 layas, differ in the least in their varieties from those cultivated 
 at 2,500 feet of altitude in the/Dehra Dhoon. 
 
 That the Assam plantis a' m^rkgd species is true, ^ being/,, . 
 distinguished by its rargprnembraneous^/^" 
 
 Assam snecies, - i cc*^>*-*. <t *~6 f *^^*-9 f . fr-^c*- <** 
 
 and lanceolate tear, small flower, and 
 
 upright growth. 
 
 " It is a very inferior plagt formaking Tea, and its leaves are 
 therefore not used.* Thoughthe plants, received from the 
 different districts of China do not differ from those first sent 
 to the plantations, it is highly important to know that the Tea- 
 plants from well-known green and black Tea districts of China 
 now exist in the plantations, as it is stated that local causes 
 '^erTalireat influence in the quality of the Teas ^^mucn as 
 
 ' oLf %-A4t*~is*4&*<~3 - -ftttt *^e-_ t*-escw-*^a *& 
 
 the manufacture #oes. The expose, therefore, incurred m 
 
 * A little enquiry would have shown this was not true even when it waa 
 written. All Tea-planters, brokers, and all interested in Tea know now (many 
 knew it then) that the " Assam species," vis., tlie indigenous, makes the moat 
 valuable Tea produced.
 
 54 VARIETIES OF THE TEA-PLANT. 
 
 stocking the Governiue^t^lanta^ions with the finest kinds and 
 varieties of Tea-plants procurable in China, though great, will 
 
 -t^t-^r &M*- ffUa-t*fcf 
 
 be amply repaid. From them superior kind of Teas are produced. 
 This, however, I doubt, as the Teas prepared from the first 
 imported plants have reached a perfection not surpassed by any 
 Chinese produce."* ^i^s p~*L <^J>~^~ 
 
 . The above extract k a sample of the said " Kecordsf' They 
 
 imd^n^errors aneT' highly colored statements, which 
 
 induced many to embark in Tea on unfavorable sites, and " the 
 red book" (it is bound in a red cover) is not^xacuy/bless^ 
 by the majority of the Himalayan planters. 
 
 * There must be some misprint here, for the last sentence iu connection 
 vith the preceding one is unintelligible.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 TEA SEED. 
 
 THOUGH there is a great difference in Tea-plants (see last 
 Chapter) the seed of all is the same, and it is therefore im- Ss 
 possible to say from what class of plants it has been gathered. 
 
 When Tea seed was very valuable (it has sold in the Tea- * 
 fever days as high as Us. 200 per maund) it was the object 
 of planters to grow as much as possible, and even now the 
 price of high class Tea seed will pay well for its production. 
 
 Hiorh class plants do not give much seed, a plar 
 
 s^s-tZSz *~nj*.~&++~ &*/ * tts+v/fc 
 
 therefore with much on it should be avoided in purchasing 
 seed. 
 
 The Teay^lowar (the germ of next year's seed) appears in 
 the autumn, $md the seed is ripe at the end of the following 
 October or early November. 
 
 It takes thus one year to form. 
 
 Seed is ripe when the capsule becomes brown, and when 
 breaking the latter the inner brown covering of the seed 
 adheres to the seed and not to the capsule. 
 
 One capsule contains 1, 2, 3, and sometimes even 4 seeds. 
 
 Though the mass ripens end of October, some ripen ean|gr ; 
 the capsule splits and the seed falls on the ground. If, there- 
 fore, all the seed from a garden is required, it is well to send 
 round boys all October to pick up such seeds. 
 
 When the seed is picked end of October or early Novem- 
 ber the mass are still in capsules. It should be laid in the 
 sun for one hour daily for two or Jforee/taysuntil most of 
 the capsules have split. It is then shelled, and the clesuTseed 
 laid on the floor of any building where it will remain dry. 
 Sunning it after shelling is objectionable. r/*-#^+~e^;&: 
 
 The sooner it is sown after it is shelled the better.
 
 56 TEA SEED. 
 
 If for any reasoi^itjs necessary to keep it, say a fortnight 
 or three weeks before sovpmgflt is best kept towards germi- 
 nating in lav^rs covered with dry mould. But if to be kept 
 longer leave it on the dry floor as above, taking care it is 
 thinly spread (not more than one seed thick if you have 
 space) and collected together, and re-spread every day to 
 turn it. 
 
 ^Gt*44*~ 
 
 For transport to a distance it should be placed in/coarse 
 bags only one-third filled. If these arersnaken and 
 daily during transitajourney of a month will not 
 very materially injure the seed. 
 
 For any very long journey it is best placed in layers in 
 boxes with thoroughly dry and fine charcoal between the 
 layers, and sheets of paper here and there to prevent the 
 charcoal running to the bottom. , / , 
 
 . KKB-t^K**?^ ^ A^^**^ 
 
 It is scarcely/necessary to consider how Tea seed can be 
 
 .,. x * t r^r^>^*""^i *3f^ ****& 
 
 utilized when not saleable^ for seed prevents leaf, and there- 
 
 fore it should not i>e grown if there is no market for it. 
 
 e t^fct o*% t^^f'^^C . ., ,, *f*ef ,, 
 
 It will, however, make oil. but the price it would fetch for 
 
 ^u- u x ' i j -11 
 
 this purpose would not compensate for the diminished yield 
 
 of leaf u had caused. It is also valuable as manure mixed 
 with cattle-dung, but it would not pay to grow it for this 
 purpose either. 
 
 My advice therefore is to allow no more seed on the garden 
 than you require for your own use, (even the fullest gardens 
 require some yearly) or than you can sell at a remunerative 
 price. 
 
 If the object is to produce a considerable quantity of seed, 
 set apart a piece of the plantation for it, and do not prune 
 it at all. A large number will then be produced on that 
 
 P iece ' <6,S^ 
 
 If the object is to grow as little seed as possible after the 
 
 pruning in the cold weather, which destroys the greater part, 
 send round boys to pick off such of the germs as remain.
 
 TEA SEED. 57 
 
 If this is done, ever so carefully, some will escape enough 
 say to give one maund seed from 10 acres of garden, and 
 this as a rule is enough to fill up vacancies. 
 
 The following figures regarding seed will be found useful, 
 but remember the higher the class of plant the less durable 
 the seed : 
 
 Seven maunds seed, with capsules, give 4 mds. clean seed. 
 
 One maund clean seed (fresh) = 26,000 seeds. 
 
 (ten days old) =32,000 
 
 (one month old)= 35,030 
 
 Say therefore, in round numbers, that one mauud Tea 
 seed = 30,000 seeds. 
 
 With good Tea seed, sown shortly after it is picked, about 
 12,000 will germinate. 
 
 If you get 5,000 to germinate with seed that has come 
 a long distance, you are lucky .4>-^Ac^^^ 
 
 After a two mouths' journey more than 3,000 at the best 
 cannot be looked for. 
 
 My experience, with seed imported into another District 
 from Assam or Cachar, is that more than 4,500 Seedlings 
 cannot be expected from each Mauud.
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 COMPARISON BETWEEN SOWING IN NURSERIES AND IN SITU. 
 
 IN the one case the seed is placed in nurseries at the 
 close of the year, and the young plants transplanted into 
 the garden at beginning of the following rains. 
 
 In the other the seed is (at the same time, viz., close of 
 the year, if you can get it so soon) sown at once in the plan- 
 tation where the plants are intended to grow. _^, -^^^^ 
 
 Each of these plans has its advocates, who don't believe 
 in the other plan at all ! The question is which is the 
 better ? 
 
 Their respective advantages may be shortly summed up as 
 follows : 
 
 NURSERIES. 
 
 Advantages. The seed may be made to germinate early ' 
 by watering. After it germinates the plants can be Avatered 
 from time to time as they require it. Artificial shade 
 (a great help to the germination of Tea seed) can be given. 
 The soil can bo frequently opened, and the plants in every 
 way better t^ded^n nurseries. ^ ^'^f' 
 
 Disadvantages. The plants lose at leasT three months' 
 growth when transplanted, and may die. The transplanting 
 necessitates labor at a time of the year it is much wanted 
 for other work. The expense is greater than the other plan, 
 for there are the nurseries to make and the labor of trans- 
 planting. 
 
 IN SITU. 
 
 Advantages. The plants gain some three months in/growth 
 by not being moved. It saves labor at uic busv time vi" 
 
 ~ i ofji -t*^_e^fc^V/ * ' 7 
 
 - in Jke rajrfs. It saves all the labor of transplanting
 
 COMPARISON BETWEEN SOWING IN NURSERIES, &C. 
 
 that is, it ghves labor absolutel}', and 
 P^4tated7 it is much required. 
 
 Disadvantages. If the early rains (that is rain in Decem- 
 ber, January, and February) fail but few seeds germinate. 
 In the case of a new garden the soil must be kept clean six 
 or seven mouths before it would be necessary by the nursery 
 plan. No artificial shade can be given. 
 
 It will thus be seen that the advocates of both plans have 
 much to urge in their respective favors. Which is better ? 
 
 The advocates of each plan are guided by the climate 
 they have planted Tea in, and the truth is simply that the 
 better plan forgone place is note adapted to another. Plant- 
 ing in situ where it wilj/lucceed is by far the cheaper and 
 better, and it will do so wherever there are certainly cold 
 weather and spring rains. Thus (see rain table) it will succeed 
 in Assam, Cachar, Darjeeling and perhaps the Terai below 
 Darjeeling. It will fail in Chittagong, Dehra Dhoon, 
 , Kumaon, Kangra and Hazareebaugh. In Chittagong, for 
 r instance, a garden could never be made by planting in situ 
 or as it is generally called at stake. 
 
 In this and other matters adopt your operations to the 
 existing climate. / 
 
 Where seed is planted at stake it is well not ier rely 
 'entirely on/it.yMake a nursei T a ^ so > many plants may be 
 killed by crickets, and the vacancies can then be filled up 
 
 / J *^cc0^je*+t 
 
 e y crices, an e vacances can en e e up. 
 
 ^_/ J *^ccf/0^je*+t 
 
 Again the early rain may fail^and thus a whole year's labor 
 would be thrown away. ~^ ^?^~>-^^- 
 
 I will now describe the above two methods of sowing seed.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 SOWING SEED IN SITU, ID EST AT STAKE. 
 
 IT is named " at stake" because stakes are put along in 
 lines to show where the Tea trees are to be, and the seed 13 
 sown at those spots. fi^d%^> - 
 
 The modus operandi is very simple. A month before the 
 sowing time (whicji should be as soon as you can get the seed) 
 at each stake dyfa / jK)le at least 9 inches diameter and 12 
 inches deep /put The soil taken out on the sides, taking care, 
 however, if it be on a slope, to put none above the hole. Do 
 not put^gie soil near enough to the pit, to make it likely 
 it will be w^sriealpacL Such soil as should be washed in 
 ought to be the new rich surface soil. For this reason the 
 upper side of the hole^should be left free on slopes. The pits 
 are made a month beforehand to admit of this anplto allow 
 
 ~Ze/c e^0 *Jfct <^~ t- aC**? t 
 
 the action, of/the air on the open sides to improve the n*5uld. 
 If J#x:ky enough to have one or two falls of rain during 
 the'month, the holes willjbe^nore or less filled up with soil, 
 eminently calculated to instigate rapid growth. Just before 
 sowing fill up the pit with surrounding surface soil. Whether 
 to mix a little manure with it or not is a question. If it is 
 
 . . ., , . , . st^fa^f MSe^^*. c&u^e^ 
 
 virgin soil and rich in decayed vegetation, I say no. If not 
 virgin soil and rather poor, yes ; but it must be strictly in 
 moderation, not more say than a man can hold in both hands, 
 to each hole. In filling up the hole press the soil down 
 lightly two or three times, or it will all sink later and your 
 seeds be far too deep. ^^ ^~ 
 
 When the above is all done there is a perfect spot forthe" 
 reception of the seed. The tap-root can readily descend in 
 search of moisture, and the lateral rootlets can spread like- 
 wise. They, the latter, will not reach the outer walls of the 
 pit for a twelve month, and will then be strong enough to 
 force their way through. 
 
 Now sow the seed, put in say two, three, or four as the seed
 
 SOWING SEED IN SITU ID EST AT STAKE. 61 
 
 _ is good or bad six inches apart. Pusn them into the so: 
 
 *** one lujsii, and put un the stake in the centre to mark the spot. 
 
 Keep the place clean^ill following rains, but allow only 
 
 hand-weeding near the young seedlings, and occasionally 
 
 open the soil with some light-hand instrument as " a koor- 
 
 pee" to the depth of half an inch. 
 
 If all the seeds germinate and the seedlings escape crickets 
 and all live, at commencement of the rains leave the best and 
 
 &2-~*-~f 
 
 transplant the others to any vacant spot. You wi^ succeed 
 
 with some, not with others ; but do not be too anxious to 
 
 take up^tho spare ones with earth round the roots, and thus 
 
 ^*en3angertM one plant left. That the seedling left be not 
 
 "injured is the great point, the others must take their chance. 
 
 Some people believe in two or even three seedlings toge- 
 ther, and would thus advice them to be all or perhaps tovo 
 left. I do not approve of the plan, except perhaps with 
 China plants. Plant as close as you will in the lines, but 
 give each plant its own home. 
 
 There is another mode of planting at stake, which is, 
 I think, better than the .above. , / ^^^y^^ 
 
 Lay the seed in'Suemfttelayers of seed and mould in beds. 
 The seeds may be laid close to each other (but not above each 
 other) with mould (say two inches thick) above, and then seed 
 again. When they begin to burst, ready to shoot out their 
 roots, examine the seeds, by taking off the soil from each layer, 
 every three or four days. Take out those that have burst, and 
 I lant with the eye or root side of the seed downwards. Put 
 a ll that have not burst back again. Repeat the operation again 
 and again every second or third day. Be careful and take^them^ 
 up before the root projects, that is directly the coating has 
 cracked. *-tda^s&~ ? , /, , * 
 
 By this means onjyone seed needbe*put^t each sjfcake, for it 
 is certain to germinate, and seed may thus be made to go much 
 further, Great care is, however, necessary in this operation.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 NUKSERIES. 
 
 4&S0A.<sto&t^-< a-*&\ 
 
 CHOOSE a level site with, if possible, me commaudpfwater 
 at a higher level/fn^K^' \v2rn water handyT/%ither irri- 
 gating or hand-watering for seed beds is a necessity if 
 vigorous and well-developed plantsrire to be looked for. 
 
 The soil should be of the light friable kino^recommended for 
 the Tea-plant (see " soil") and of the same nature as the soil 
 of the garden, the ultimate home of the plants. This latter is 
 all important, for seedlings will never thrive (probably not 
 live) transplanted into a new kind of mould, particularly 
 a poorer kind. 
 
 If possible the soil of the seed beds should be poorer than 
 the soil of the garden, Tn/mTa^ount richer. Taking care it 
 is of the same nature as the garden soil, choose the poorest 
 you can find. The principle is well known in England, and it 
 
 ~ <%> S^r**-** 
 
 /in India. From poor to rich soil lants 
 
 _ 
 
 applied/equally /in India. From poor to rich soil plants 
 
 thrive, but never the other way./ 
 
 J .*+***& 
 
 For the above reason never manure seed beds. 
 
 Artificial shade for seed beds is a necessity, at least very 
 many more seeds will germinate when it is given. 
 
 Natural shade over seed bed&?is very bad, for, firstly, " the 
 drippings" are highly injurious/' and, secondly, shade is only 
 required till the plants are two or three inches high, after that 
 a?2^'ttm6!e'lsl)acl7 : ^ : P^ ant;s > brought up to the time of trans- 
 planting in shade, are never hardy. 
 
 Seed beds, where water is handy, should not be 
 
 ... . &>-& da^t - 
 
 If so dug, and me sou is consequently loose a longway down, 
 the /tap-root will descend quickly and will be too long when 
 trausplanted./As\vaier can be given, when it is necessary, 
 there is no neeO^rthe tap-root to go down low in search of
 
 NURSERIES. 
 
 moisture.* A long tap-root is generally broken in " lifting" 
 the seedling froin^the bed. 
 
 *rt 
 
 Seed beds raised, as is the usnal custom, above the paths / ^ 
 
 7 <r*f*o*,<*'~f' fZyJ7c^6~ is^o/fr <. ' 
 
 that^n J>Gt\Yeen them, are objectionable. lh^ part with \ i t 
 nioistur^ tooireeiy. They should, on the contrary, be below - - 
 the fevel of the paths, and there is another advantage in this, 
 
 for the said paths can then be used, partly as supports for the 
 artificial shade, and thus do away with the expense of long 
 wooden stakes. 
 
 As the seed beds are only required until the beaming of /> ' * 
 the following rains, Jthc.re is no possibility of their sphering- 
 
 2e pfas-f^ 't^^f^-^Zef-^e^^.. 
 
 from excessive moisture. YY here they are required to remain 
 later, of course, this plan of making the beds lower than the 
 paths will not do. ^ 
 
 Seed is best sown in drills, six inches apart, and each seed 
 two, or if space can be got, even three inches from its neigh- 
 bour. This facilitates each seedling being taken up later, 
 with more or less of a ball of earth round the roots. An 
 all-important point (see transplanting, page 76). 
 
 The length of the beds does not signify, but the breadth 
 must not be more than five feet, so that a man on the path 
 on either side can reach to the middle while hand-weeding 
 or opening the soil. / / /-/- /^ j / , /? 
 
 , After whatjias been said no length}' directions for making^ 
 
 Cut down, burn, or carry off al^ungle, and then ta#e out 
 all roots, whether grass or other. Now make the surface level. 
 After this mark off the beds and paths, the latter one foot 
 broad only, with string and/pegsVThen raise the path six 
 inches above the spots marked off for the beds. This latter 
 
 * In planting "at stake" (see last Chapter) the conditions are different. 
 There the plant is in its permanent home, and the more quickly and deeper 
 the top-root descends the better, as the plant will then draw moisture from low 
 down when the upper soil is dry.
 
 64 NURSERIES. 
 
 must not be done by earth from the, beds, but by earth from 
 
 " -t*e<*t4^-VyA~S f 's4.fi44t>e!* *r ^e^u^c^f^, 
 
 outside the intended nursery. Npxt dig/ and pulverise the 
 soil of the beds to a depth of six or seven inches, no more, and 
 level the surface, -^at***^ *t* ^A*^*^*^ 3 ^ ^^^/<-*-^ 
 
 All is now ready for the seed. A string, five feet long, 
 with a small jfeg**at either end, is given to two men who 
 stand on thepath at either side of the bed. Each man has 
 a six-inch me^sure/The string is laid across the bed, 
 beginning at one end and pegged down at either side. A 
 is then made along the string about one inch deep, and 
 this done the string is, by means of the six-inch measure on 
 either side, removed and pegged down again in the place for 
 the neX^^i-tft. Seeds are then sown or placed along the first 
 drill made, two to three inches apart, and the earth filled in. 
 This is repeated again and again till the whole bed is sown. 
 
 If the character of the seed is doubtful it must be laid in 
 thicker, but with good seed two-and-a-half to three inches is 
 the best distance. 
 
 The sowing finished the artificial shade has to be given . 
 
 ajfrts-v-^-ifSe. -<fcE&c^i 
 
 Along the paths, at five feet apart, put m forked stakes two 
 feet long, viz., BIX inches into the path and eighteen inches 
 
 1/UL>f6-<^oC . , - CC*tn -ffx^ffc^ 
 
 above it. Connect these with one another by poles laid in 
 the forks ; now lay other, but thinner poles attached to the 
 first poles at eitheyend across and 3bove the bed ; and again ***" 
 across these latter, that is, aTong thejertgtli of the beds, 
 bamboos, and then bind the whole frame^orlTnefe and there. 
 The said frame-work made will then be two feet above the 
 beds, viz.) eighteen inches of stake support, and the six-inch 
 raised paths. The eighteen inches of opening all round, 
 under the frame, that is, between the frame and the path, 
 allows the necessary air to circulate ; while the expense, 
 danger from high winds, and the objectionable entrance of the 
 sun at the sides, all of which high artificial shade is subject 
 
 . 1*9s*tvp j^e*~ i i 
 
 to, is avoided by this low frame-work,
 
 NURSERIES. 65 
 
 ^JSTats are the best to cover the frame-work. In case of 
 
 U^e^et^.e^-^ t+^f.t^^e/e^t < 
 
 accidental or incendiary fire they are not so 
 
 grass, for they burn less and slower, but mats are 
 
 Any ^^o^cTgrass (free from seed) will answer, and it should 
 
 be laid on as thin as will suffice to give shade. ^ 
 
 The beds may be watered, if there is no rain, a fortnight** 
 after the seed is sown, and from time to time during the dry 
 season, whenever the soil, at a depth of three or four inches, 
 shows no moisture. 
 
 The soil should also be kept free of weeds, and after the 
 plants are three or four inches.high, the spaces between the 
 
 I 1-#<fit< Zjesi0*asrof 
 
 drills should be slightly^stirred every now and then. 
 
 After the seed has germinated, and the seedlings have, say 
 four leaves on them, tlie artificial shade should be taken away. 
 But it must be done gnj&ally, taking- off portions of the 
 grass, first, so that the young seedlings may by degrees be 
 
 -e^^f^ , .. i . 
 
 mured to the hot sun. 
 
 Though cultivation, as described, by watering, and opening 
 the soil at times is well, these should not be done much, or 
 the seedlings will be too large when the time comes to trans- 
 plant them. Large seedlings do not, as a rule, thrive as well 
 as moderate sized ones after being transplanted. 
 
 o^f&~% 1 &-*fa, 'fa<;JS2c^&+-~ 
 
 Amonor the many very absurd misiakesnnaae in the culti- 
 
 J - <*t*e*2*J*- ^^^aeZtZL^ 
 
 ration of the Tea-plant, none exceeds the ridjuloi]Kway Tea 
 seed used to be sown in the Government plantations in the 
 North- Western Himalayas. The seed was sown in drills, as I 
 have advised, but in six linear inches of the drills, where it is 
 ricrht to/ put two or at mostjfchree seeds, perhaps thirty were 
 
 1 - c-z*jes* otfty J_l. ... 
 
 placed \ I do not exaggerate ; the drill, sixinches deep, was 
 filled with them. Many and many lacs of seeds, in those 
 days worth many thousand rupees* were thus sacrificed. 
 
 [ZAsfjL&svot 
 
 Private planters in the Himalayasftaught by the Government 
 method^n^dld the same. I believe the absurd practice is 
 exploded now.
 
 66 
 
 NURSERIES. 
 
 Seed cannot be sown too soon after being picked. It is 
 ripe early in November, so the beds should be all ready by 
 November, and if the seed has not far to come it can thus 
 be sown early that month. 
 
 To each maund there are in round numbers 30,000 seed^, 
 (see page 57). The numbers of plants it Avill take to fill an 
 acre depends, of course, on the distances they are set apart~ y 
 (see page 72), but having decided this point, also the areXto ^^ 
 be planted, and consequently the number of maunds of seeds 
 to be sown, (see page 57), the following table will be found 
 useful in calculating the size of nursery required. 1*^1 ** 
 
 Table showing the size of nursery required for one maund 
 and ten maunds seed, the drills being six inches apart, and 
 each seed three inches or two inches from its neighbour : 
 
 Distance encli 
 seed is set 
 apart in the 
 drill. 
 
 Area, in sq. 
 inches, each 
 seed will 
 occupy. 
 
 Area, in sq. 
 ft., of beds, 
 wi t h o n t 
 
 paths, re- 
 quired for 
 each md. 
 
 Area, including 
 pnths, required 
 for each md. 
 
 Size of nursery, 
 including the 
 paths, to take 
 iu for 10 inds. 
 
 3 inches ... 
 
 18 
 
 3,763 
 
 4,51 3 sq. feet 
 
 100 yards 
 
 
 
 
 or 
 501 sq. yards. 
 
 by 
 
 50 yards. 
 
 2 inches ... 
 
 12 
 
 2,500 
 
 2,995 sq. feet 
 or 
 332 sq. yards. 
 
 100 yards 
 by 
 33 yards. 
 
 If nurseries for more than ten maunds are required then 
 allow 100 yards to be the breadth, and for each extra ten 
 maunds add respectively for three or two inches (see 1st col.) 
 50 or 33 yards to the length. Thus 50 maunds will require 
 nurseries 100 yards by 250 yards, or 100 yards by 165 yards* 
 according as it is decided to plant the seed three inches or 
 two inches apart in the lines.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MANURE. 
 
 t^A^ 
 
 AN idea existed formerly, got, I believe, from stray China- 
 meii, who I don't think knew much about,Tea m- any wa 
 that manure, though it, increased the yield, spoHMhe flavor of 
 
 . ^&~/cJy ~~fZ-Jt&M ^Ji^&^j^A*^* 
 
 . ^&~/cy ~~fZ-JtM 
 Tea. The^idea is opBOsejr to all agricultural knowlege, or -^ , 
 
 - ttsJff^KSc* . .%. . A^ex^> *w-t-.oC^- +4^**ifjf- <*J 
 
 h cultivation, which in no case cauJoexiarried odt to>per- 
 
 -P 
 
 ^ 
 ectwn without manure, much improves.the strength and 
 
 ei^jff ^eZ^fX-StX-Ast^ef-e+cSfa^, *Ce* <m*jg.4>Gi;*. ^&^k r 
 
 flavor of all edibles, the product or mother-earth. 
 
 My first experience of manure to the Tea-plant was 
 obtained in the Chittagong district from a small garden close 
 to the^ation, jvvhic.h has been for some years highly manured. 
 I was struck with the fre*fuency and abundance of the flushes 
 and the strength and flavor ofthe Tea. My high opinion 
 of the Tea was later^orne out by the Calcutta brokers, who 
 think very well of it and sell it at a high price. ./ . . 
 
 '*/^* Aj "" 
 
 After-experience showed me that manurino- naarlv doubles 
 
 .,. , T ,, , "**/** ^V-.^>. Jje^^3^ 
 
 the vield of plants, and that so far from inmrkL? the flavor 
 
 J . **<^^^ei/e^r^. J <? ^ e 
 
 of Tea it improves it, while it adds greatly to the strength. 
 
 I shall therefore .begj -the question that/manure is an 
 advantage. If any planter doubts let him /try it, and his 
 doubts will soon be solved, 
 
 Any manure is better than none, but I believe the best 
 manure for the Tea-plant (always excepting night-soil and 
 the excrements of birds which cannot be procured) is cattle 
 manure. It is not heating like horse-dung, and may be 
 applied in large quantities without any risk. Tho fresher it 
 
 K
 
 68 MANURE. 
 
 ia applied, in my opinion, the better, for it/has, then far 
 
 /c<*~i3e.~. fiv*_j> 
 power. If mixed with any/vegetable muse, the 
 
 *** increased, it will go farther^""" but I do not think it ia 
 mt*msically any the better for it. 
 
 Of chemical manures I know nothing, nor, I believe, does 
 any one know what chemical substances are suited to the Tea- 
 plant, but I do not doubt some of them would be suitable, 
 and that it would pay well to manufacture such in Calcutta, 
 and send them to Assam and Cachar, where manure is not 
 obtainable.^ +**C?fylt&^' u **' 
 
 All garden^Suse should bj^*||girded as manure and buried 
 between the plants. I alluaetothe prunings of the bushes 
 and the weeds at all times from the land. To carry these 
 off the ground, as I have sometimes seen done, is simply 
 taking off so much strength from the soil. The greener, too, 
 all this is buried the better. 
 
 When it/jg considered how much^is taken from the Tea- 
 plant, it is ejflentlhe soil will la55fteX>3ooner, or later. 
 * Aj^^P^zp* '&t-?&Js~g~&6L, 
 
 if no means are adopted to repair the waste. Where manure 
 
 cannot be got the waste must be made up, as far as possible, 
 by returning all other grow'th to the soil. But manure 
 ehould be got if possible, for it will double the yield of a 
 garden. 
 
 The best way to apply it, if enough manure is procurable, 
 is round each plant ; not close to the stem (the rootlets by 
 which the plant feeds are not there) but about a foot from it. 
 Dig a round trench with a kodalee, about 9 inches wide and 
 6 inches deep, at the above distance from the stem, lay in the 
 manure, and replace thesoiL at top. If the plants are younor 
 
 (At^aZts^ -*-y ~^~t Z5-^ e<jtAtxi- 
 
 the trench should be iparrow^/gr, shallowei;/and 6 inches, instead 
 of a foot, from the stems. 
 
 If enough manure is not procurable for this (the best plan) 
 the most must be done with what can be got, as follows : If
 
 MANURE. 69 
 
 the plants are full grown, and there is say 4 feet between the 
 lines, dig a trench down the centre and lay in the manure. 
 The plants will then be manured on two sides. If the plants 
 are young lay the manure near them on two sides, if 
 possible, but failing that even on one side v The principle 
 
 4s**fe+,06, e^^^ 
 
 is to lay the manure at the distance the feeding rootlets are, 
 and the older the plant the greater distance these are from 
 its stem. 
 
 As to the quantity. Say for plants four years old and 
 upwards (if younger less will be an equivalent) one maund 
 to 20 trees is a moderate dose, one maund to 1 5 trees a good 
 dose, and one maund to 10 trees highly liberal manuring, 
 and as much as the plants can take up. 
 
 Say in round numbers each acre contains 2,500 plants 
 (4 by 4 a usual distance gives 2,722 plants as shown at 
 page 72), and say the manure is procurable at three annas 
 a maund.* 
 
 The following table shows the expense of each degree of 
 manuring, viz., 10, 15 and 20 trees per maund. 
 
 It is not too much to calculate that this will add respec- 
 tively 1, 2, and 2 maunds of Tea per acre to the yield, and 
 I have carried this out in the table and shown the results. 
 
 I quite believe the results shown will be obtained by 
 manuring, and I base my opinion on practice not theory. 
 
 My only experience is with cattle-manure. I know not 
 what quantities of chemical manure would suffice, nor what 
 the results would be. 
 
 * It is brought and placed between the lines, in one garden in the Chitta- 
 gong district, for one to two annas a maund !
 
 70 
 
 MANURE. 
 
 Table showing the possible cost and result of manuring icith 
 cattle-manure. 
 
 
 
 
 Sj 
 
 2 
 .2 . 
 
 1! 
 
 | 
 
 2 s I 
 
 dfCt'tM 
 
 ft 
 
 Hi 
 
 II 
 
 B* 
 
 ^5 
 
 Q 
 
 l?sH 
 
 Rate of manuring. 
 
 :il 
 
 W 
 
 11 
 3| 
 
 ili 
 
 *i 
 
 l.-li 
 
 
 sM 
 
 ife 
 
 C M 
 
 5*5 a 
 
 !i 
 
 "i 5 J * 
 
 
 a 
 
 o Hi 
 
 
 
 > 
 
 CH 
 
 Q 
 
 
 Aids. 
 
 Bs. 
 
 Mds. 
 
 Bs. 
 
 Rs. 
 
 Bs. 
 
 Onemd. to 10 plants... 
 
 250 
 
 47 
 
 2i 
 
 125 
 
 78 
 
 70 
 
 Onemd. to 15 plants... 
 
 166 
 
 31 
 
 2 
 
 100 
 
 69 
 
 62 
 
 One md. to 20 plants... 
 
 125 
 
 23 
 
 4 
 
 75 
 
 52 
 
 46 
 
 N.B.l have deducted Rs. 8 for the first, Rs. 7 for the 
 second, and Rs. 6 for the third, as the probable cost of put- 
 ting in the manure as it may have to be carried from the 
 factory to the garden. If purchased after being placed 
 between the lines, (and if manure is bought of adjacent 
 villagers they will so place it), the cost would be less. 
 
 The above table, of cou5e,pnly applies to localities where 
 .cattle-manure can he/purcuased at 3 annas per maund, 
 
 **P*P*f\*^ 
 
 \ - 
 
 carriage to the factory. 
 The value of the extra yield of Tea is estimated at only 
 Rs. 50 per maund in the above table, because the leaf which 
 will give one maund of Tea is worth no more, as follows : 
 Probable price obtainable for one maund or Rs. A. P. 
 80 fbs. Tea in Calcutta, at 14 annas a lb. 
 all round, (a fair calculation, one year with 
 the other, if it is well manufactured) ... 70 
 Deduct cost, manufacture, packing, transport, 
 and broker's charges as set out in the 
 chapter on "cost manufacture," page 160... 16 9 
 
 Value of leaf which will make one maund Tea 53 7 
 
 But I prefer estimating 
 safe side. 
 
 it at Rs. 50 only to be on the
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 DISTANCES APART TO PLANT TEA BUSHES. 
 
 WHEN the idea existed, which it did once, that ploughs 
 could be used to cultivate a garden between the lines, these 
 latter, with this object, were placed unnecessarily wide apart. 
 
 All distances may be seen in different gardens, viz., 6x6, 
 6 x 3, 6 x 4, 5 x 4, 5x5,4x3, &c., &c. 
 
 The plough-idea has nowhere been found to answer, and 
 is Splode^Still, even for hand labour to cultivate, and 
 for facilities in picking leaf, it is necessary there should be 
 room, enough one way to pass/ at^ng?* Cultivation here 
 'means diggingjand space enough for this must be left 
 between the lines. Giving so much,ywhat is then the prin- 
 
 %&*&r ^^^iM^Jt^t 
 
 ciple that should^uide us ? Clearly ,/w|raa view to the 
 largest yield obtali&fm;, to place as many plants on the land 
 as it will bear. 
 
 Four feet is, I think, the best distance between the lines. 
 
 It gives space enough for air to cultivate, and to pass 
 along, even when the trees are full grown. / / 
 
 Where manure is obtainable, and the soil can^tfelcept; up 
 to a rich state by yearly applications, a garden can scarcely 
 be planted too close. 
 
 I see no objection to trees touching each other in the lines, 
 and advise therefore 3 or 3^ feet there, the former where the 
 soil can be periodically manured. 
 
 On considerable slopes, to prevent the wash of soil, the 
 plants should be placed as close as possible, say 3^ between 
 and 2 feet in the lines. 
 
 A closely planted garden will grow less weeds than a 
 widely planted one, and will consequently be cheaper to 
 work. 
 
 As the expenditure on a garden is in direct proportion to 
 the area, and the yield in direct proportion to the number of 
 plants, (always supposing there is power enough in the soil
 
 72 
 
 DISTANCES APART TO PLANT TEA BUSHES. 
 
 to support them), it follows that a closely plauted garden 
 must be very much more profitable than the reverse. *~* 
 
 Hybrid plants grow to a larger size than China, and 
 should therefore have more room. 
 
 The following is a useful table : 
 
 Table showing the Plants to an Acre, and the Acres one lakh 
 of seedlings will cover, at the distances named. 
 
 Distances in 
 feet. 
 
 Square feet to 
 each plant. 
 
 Plants in one 
 acre. 
 
 The area in acres 
 one lakh of seed- 
 lings will cover. 
 
 RBMABKS. 
 
 6 by 6 
 
 36 
 
 1,210 
 
 
 
 6 5 
 
 6i 4 
 6 6 
 
 30 
 26 
 25 
 
 1,452 
 1,675 
 1,742 
 
 591}- 
 57i 
 
 Too wide for any 
 plants. 
 
 6 ,, 4 
 
 24 
 
 1,815 
 
 55 J 
 
 
 6 3i 
 5 4 
 
 21 
 20 
 
 2,074 
 2,178 
 
 :j 
 
 For Hybrids, 
 but still I think 
 too wide. 
 
 6 3 
 4 4 
 5 3 
 
 18 
 16 
 15 
 
 2,420 
 2,904 
 
 41 n 
 
 36| }. 
 
 3HJ 
 
 Good distances 
 for Hybrids. 
 
 4 3 
 3 3 
 
 12 
 
 m 
 
 3,630 
 3,555 
 4,148 
 
 27i 
 28 | 
 24 ) 
 
 China for early 
 return. 
 
 China. 
 
 6 3i 
 
 m 
 
 2,233 
 
 44| 
 
 Hybrid. 
 
 6 3i 
 5 3fc 
 
 m 
 
 2,726 
 2,489 
 
 40 3 
 
 China. 
 
 3*,, 2 
 
 7 
 
 6,223 
 
 16 
 
 Best distance 
 for China on 
 steep slopes. 
 
 On flat land I advise 
 Hybrid 
 China 
 
 4x4 
 3x3
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 MAKING A GARDEN. 
 
 I HAVE not very much to say on this head, as most of the 
 operations entailed are treated separately. Still a few ajtrtc- *' 
 tions on primary matters are required. 
 
 Having selected a site and made arrangements for the Tea 
 seed required for the first year's planting, you should com- 
 mence operations early in October, either by constructing 
 the nursery, or clearing land on the proposed site of the 
 garden, as you may decide which mode of planting, mz. t 
 " nurseries" or " sowing at stake" to adopt. / f /T/ . 
 
 If the latter, you should begin to cut the junglgrsomewhat 
 earlier, but it is no use beginning to do this before, the middle 
 of September iu any case/joroefore^lhat ^tnejtingle would, s 
 
 >~o (st^f ^->^i* c^f & tsv-e^**? 1 y-*r r^'-, f '' t ^f^ ' f~i* ^4 &(j fecV-<4r **,&*-*+ -* 
 
 spring up again so soon, ry would be labor lost. 
 
 Before you do anything decide how much you will culti- 
 vate the first year r and make your arrangements for y seed 
 
 ~a~i^-ej* ft-j*^*i-re>-r-**ff^ t j , . . 7!el &^t-4t>-A*&*-t*e~^-~ 
 
 accordingly. Here let me advise you in no case to attempt 
 more than 100 acres. If you do 100 really well the first 
 year you will have done very well. Remember you have also ^ ^ 
 
 buildings (though few) to construct, and tr^lng'to do too 
 ^ much you may simply fail in all. -^^^^ ^~*^~<^r ~v %^ \ 
 to /October you should have made yourself 
 
 thoroughly acquainted with all ,vour land, so that you can 
 then JS with knowledge on the best sites for your buildings, 
 nursery, and Tea plantation. 
 
 You will find much on these matters in other chapters 
 which should be read carefully. **4rt <***^ **' j^f s** 
 
 These respective sites having been fixed upon, and sup- 
 posing you are going to plant in both ways, from nurseries and 
 in situ, construct the nurseries as advised under that head, 
 page 62, and also cut the jungle on the intended garden site.
 
 *<-* jSl4~^ O/ t*~f 
 
 74 / MAKING A GARDEN. 
 
 There is ndt mucji^o^ say about cutting jungle. Ctfl all 
 the ^r^guwoodfirst near the ground, and the big trees later, 
 so that when they fall they may lie on the underwood. In 
 the portion you intend to plant at stakes you will not have 
 time to cut down the big trees, and had better simply " ring" 
 them. If this is properly done, that is if the ring is broad 
 enough, and deep enough (less than one foot broad and 5 
 inches deep for large trees is no/safS^Cheyysvill. certainly die 
 
 ^ < J -*^tf>te4^l*,je-~ a 
 
 in a twelve mouth, and will not give objectionable^nade more 
 than half that time. In the part to be planted " at stake" 
 you must burn all the cut jungle end of October, and it will 
 be well, if you have labor enough, to send men up the big 
 trees to cut off the branches beforehand, so that thev wil 
 more or less burn with the rest. Doing this, and /pilm/up 
 the underwood to be burnt round the base of the big trees, 
 will cause earlier death, and diminish the objectionable 
 shade. 
 
 Having burnt the jungle, that is as much as will burn, and 
 carried off the rest from the part to be planted at stake, dig 
 out all the small roots, and that done, dig the whole some 4 
 or 5 inches deep. Then stake it off with small bamboo stakes 
 18 inches long, showing where the Tea trees are to be (see 
 page 72 as to the best distances) and then make your holes, 
 and plant your seed at each stake as directed at page 60. 
 
 See the way it is recommended to stake land as regards its 
 lay at pages 44 and 45. 
 
 You will probably not have the ground ready before the 
 end of November, (do not attempt more than you can do up 
 to that date), and take care and keep the seed, as directed 
 at pages 55 and 56, until it is sown. 
 
 For the part to be planted from nurseries the following 
 June you have plenty of time. Nowhere have I, or any one, 
 seen large vigorous Tea-plants under trees. It is therefore 
 evident trees are hurtfiiOaSno more should be left in a garden
 
 MAKING A GARDEN. 75 
 
 than are required for the laborers to sit under occasionally, 
 and to collect leaf under before it is taken to the Tea house. 
 The trees that are left should be those on the sides of roads. 
 One to every two or three acres is ample. After therefore 
 cutting down all the low jungle, cut down all but the said few 
 trees (it is cheaper in the end than ringing them) and then cut 
 off, and cut up all the branches into sizes that will burn 
 readily. Cut up the large trunksalTo into lengths, for all 
 
 6&*a^& a&4S-&&**f - ^Lf ~f- 
 
 that will not burn must be Qiipned off later. Leave all so 
 lyLriguntil February, theja choose a day with a high wind and 
 
 ^W$**^-**+*-~lf&* .* L~ ftAo^pS. 
 
 nre it from the windward side, ylt may burn some days. 
 Then collect all unburnt into heXps> and fire again and 
 n until nothing more will burn. Jtfowlake out all Kpots. 
 
 4^, f^&^^ *tacffS -t^f a-&jt e-6 -iCe*~f^<r* 
 
 and smajl, and when well dry, s^ack all these^and what 
 waslef^efc'e, and fire again and again. The land should 
 
 '*0ft^ACM4 0CP cf^ a- ^i.**-*^*^ i/* 
 
 now be tolerably cl^r and can be dag at once. The 
 roads should be marked off before this for they are better 
 not dug. 
 
 Now stake the land at the distances determined on, and a 
 month before the rains, or even more, if you are so far 
 advanced, make holes for the ypungjseedlings at each stake, 
 precisely like those reco^mendedfor l( planting at stake," 
 page 60. Only, if possible, these should be a little larger each 
 way than there advised, say 10 inches diameter and 15 
 inches deep. 
 
 Bead carefully the direction as to those pits, and follow 
 them out here. Much of the success of your planting 
 depends on these holes. 
 
 the first commencement of the rains transplant, as 
 ifectedTunder that head at pages 77, 78, 79. 
 
 ^SOSRAX itZsi 0-*sfaL++ 
 
 Any large heavy trunks, which cannot be easily carried off 
 the land, may be placed longways between the lines, but the 
 less of dead timber you leave lying about the gardens the 
 better.
 
 CHAPTER XVII . 
 
 TRANSPLANTING. 
 
 IF the pits for the plants have been all prepared, as directed 
 at pages 60 and 75, this operation is simple enough. 
 
 A fortnight or so before it commences _tip_ fall the seedlings 
 in the nursery. Take off only the closed leaf at the head of 
 each young plant (see a leaf diagram page 102), so that the 
 bud at the base of the pext leaf be not injured. Doing this 
 will make the seedlings hardier and /enable them earlier to 
 recover the transplanting. jf^4 -X-e-tW^^*. tsa* ~& c-msy* 
 
 On the day you intend to JftKe up the seedlings from any 
 
 V'n**.*xJt ^esvf^-**^*~% ft^fsisv&e***, fff 
 
 bed, if you have water enough at command, fteod the bed. 
 This as you take up each seedling will cause the soil, being 
 moist, to adhere better to the roots. 
 
 The difference between young plants transplanted with a 
 ball of earth round the roots, and those moved with their 
 rpotsjbare^fis no less than three month's growth, if even it 
 
 does not make the differencebetween life and death. 
 
 4*3; **s 1 ^&r$i< *^wu^t*< 
 Proceed thus to insure the former. At one long end of 
 
 the bed, the lowest if it is oiy a slope/dig/elose to the first 
 rpw of seedlings a^rajcji so deep that its base shall be lower 
 than the Ipwest end of the tap-roots. Then with a five-^ 
 pronged steel forK (this is better than a spade, for it does 
 not cut the rootlets) put in between the first and second row, 
 and pressed down with the foot to its head, force carefully so 
 
 **sy. . fA&fceS ' . 
 
 much of the prfw down inko iiifyt&jp&M Then with the hand 
 take up each seedling Separately/ helping the soil with a 
 very light pressure (so light that it shall not change the 
 lateral direction of any of the rootlets) to adhere, and place 
 it in a low basket sloping. Do this again and again, till two
 
 TRANSPLANTING. 77 
 
 baskets are full, when they will be carried, bang 
 to the garden. 
 
 When the first row is finished clear away the loose soil, so 
 that a similar trench to the first shall be formed, and then 
 proceed as above with the second row, and so on. 
 
 No further directions for lifting the seedlings out of 
 the nurseries are required. 
 
 All is ready for their reception in the garden if the direc- 
 tions at page 75 have been followed out. The work 
 now to be detailed must be done by careful men well roperm 
 tended. ^^ 
 
 In the soft soil of the lately filled up pit, described at 
 page 60, a hole is made either with the hanjl -or Ji, narrow 
 kodalee, (the former, if the soil has not setttoa mucn,\vUl 
 suffice) large enough and deep enough to take in the seedling 
 with all the earth attached to it. The seedling is then put 
 in and the soil filled in and round it, which completes the 
 operation. /, 
 
 The manner thougnin whicly'ftns is done is of great con- 
 sequence, four things are all important : (1). That the tap- 
 root shall not be turned up at the, end because the hole is , top 
 
 ^vfe H /o\ mu *** "~3jf**^ <g"**~' t^^rr^ 
 
 /shallow. (2). That any rootlets projecting outside the 
 attached earth shall be laid in the hole, and shall preserve, 
 when the soil is filled in, their lateral direction. (3) . That 
 the cottar of the plant (the'spof where the stem entered the 
 earth in the nursery) shall be, when the pit is filled up, about 
 
 the surface of the surround- 
 
 ing earth. ^4). That in filling in the hole the soil is pressed 
 down enough to make it unlikely to gink later, but not 
 enough to <l cake" the mould, e^e # ' f ^ */ ^ j>-**,^x<*-4-~ 
 
 The following is the consequence of failure in these four 
 points: 
 
 1. Probably death in any case very much retarded/ 
 
 - J f^t^f -irv-tr, c*C*. o&Cr 
 
 growtn, 1 have planted some seedhogs so purposely, the
 
 TRANSPLANTING. 
 
 ^j^ft,^ 
 
 majority died ; those that lived recovered very slowly, and 
 digging them up^ ^Jater^^the tap-root was found to have 
 gone down after all by aSsaDaing' the shape*of the letter S, 
 the growth downwards being from the head of the letter. 
 
 a^A^O^f ft^f ^^*t^^ -/Wi^ouv^V /T^f^i-^f 
 
 2. Rootlets. x tjrirned/away from their lateral difecti0n. 
 
 .e~* i^. e^f-^ **&**.) ' 
 
 interfere with other rootlets, and though they eventually 
 grow right if the plant lives, they retard it._ ^ 
 
 3 V Fill inas you may (unless you " cake" the soil, which 
 
 * &-+ ** str**s4<-c-2 "<y e^-AJ"-*****- 
 
 induces woi^e^vils) the plant sinks a little ; thus, if not 
 placed a little high, it will eventually be too deep. If on the 
 other hand placed too high, the rootlets and collar will be 
 exposed, which is an evil. ., 
 
 3^e*7 A-y ^f-f -fa * &*t>< 
 
 4. Times/this is attended to, the plant will sink too much 
 and the collar be Dtfrieojlikewise an evil, which it takes 
 the young seedling some time to recover./^*** "^ &+***** ~ 
 
 g/ts4, 4j&ksr-&+*. 
 
 Only first teaching and then practice will enable either 
 European or Native to plant well. This is how it should be done. 
 Take the seedling in the left hand, holding it by the stem 
 just above the collar ; then take the very end of the tap-root 
 between the second and third fingers of the right hand, and 
 thus put it down into the hole (you thus insure the tap-root 
 being straight). Now judge exactly the height of the collar 
 that it be as directed. Rest the left arm then on the ground 
 to keep the plant steady, release the tap-root, and fill up the 
 hole about one-third, pressing the soil lightly. The plant will 
 then be fixed, and you can employ both hands to fill up the 
 remainder, and keep the rootlets in a lateral position. Press 
 the soil lightly as you do so, and when all is filled up press 
 it down a little harder round the stem of the plant. 
 
 All the transplanting should be finished as early in the 
 rains as possible. A seedling, planted in the first fifteen 
 days of June, is worth two planted in July, and, after 
 the latter month, it is generally a case of seedlings and labor 
 lost.
 
 / 
 
 *^ f 
 
 TRANSPLANTING. 79 
 
 Days with heav^yrainjire not good to plant in. Those with 
 rs or light dnz^^4aiiTare best. When there is very 
 heavy rain tjie soil "cakes" much. Fine days, . if the 
 
 . **r*>-&Ce^j- . , -*2*ue o({_ a *~*_a,p 44^0-t 0Lt+~ et-^x^- 
 
 ground is wet ajid if more rain may soon be^ooked for, are 
 
 /{ $jsi^4**r^-&?C'~ jy /y 
 
 good, better though if cloudy than sunny. 
 
 Where much planting though has to be done, of necessity 
 planting must be carried on daily for, as observed, it must 
 all be finished by end of Jujy^^^,^^ _ ^ ^ , 
 
 In case though of a sunn^/oreak/in the/^veather, stop 
 planting after the second day, for early rain to young trans- 
 plants is a necessity. 
 
 In making a garden,, too much care cannot be given to 
 the jyay seedlings are placed in their homes.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 CULTIVATION OF MADE GARDENS. 
 
 As manuring, which is part of this, is treated separate 
 we have here only to consider the best means of/stirring 
 soil to give air to the roots of the plants, and to keep down 
 weeds wlnctu, if allowed, injure the yield vastly. 
 
 Unless when plants are full grown and in full bearing 
 (and not even then unless they are planted close) it is not 
 only not necessary but a waste of labor and money to 
 open the soil all over the garden with a view of stimulating 
 or cultivatino^the plants. Much money has been wasted in 
 this way, foj/instance, in a garden planted 6 by 6 or 6 by 5, 
 and the plants, but two years old, I have seen the whole 
 dug many times yi the Year. The roots of the said plants -^ 
 
 ^rjfes&z-^, e^f^ *^**i -^ Jfjt 7'^i.'f>' s~n^*^(~~.-*rtM~ &(fL*r e^*, -&vgst~ **<;* 
 
 did not protrude at that^g&more than a foot or so, what 
 good could they possibly cferive from the extra space dug ?^/? 
 
 The soil over the rootlets of Tea-plants cannot be stirred * 
 too often. The oftener it is done the oftener the trees will 
 flush, and when young the more vigorously will they grow. 
 What is the best way to do it ? 
 
 I believe simply by digging round each plant. I go to 
 show whv this is^Z^elie^e^he^est.^^y &&e>#^ ^, A^r^ 
 
 Putting aside the waste incurred in digging a whole 
 ga^nwlien not necessary ,^he way the soil is then dug 
 near the plants is, I think, objectionable. The ground is dug 
 in a straight line up to^the plaidj and in doing so if the^ 
 digging is deep roots are/verv^ apt W be cut.y\w!k^rain, when 
 the work is task-work, the men shirkas^ucn as possible 
 digging close up to the stems under the .branches, and thus, 
 the soil, over much of the roots, is not stirreTaLallTThis
 
 CULTIVATION. 81 
 
 is not easy to detect, for you must look under the branches 
 of each tree to see how the work has been done. 
 
 In " digging round plants" tlie^men, should ., follow the 
 kodalee round the tree, and the position, of the Made in the/ 
 
 ,. . qf^tAaee*-*^^ o-n-*4*a e^^a^tf^.**,*, 
 
 - same Line as the roots makes any injury v^fy unlikely. Evert^ ' X 
 a^cxs^ter f^^^^^e^af * -.IT .V; >r 
 
 it tasked, asrwhen the work is exammecLit is only round the 
 
 ,~ a&lxx- &(*-; J<^ Ofrf^tti-pi/gZ 
 
 plants, it is morer readily^ per/feived if the ground has not 
 
 <pjLxt-*-A^^ -f <* mt GS^y * * 
 
 been'stirred oiose up to the stems. 
 
 I therefore prefer digging round plants, with the view of ) 
 cultivating them, to dig-gingthe whole garden. I believe L 
 the otjject is better atteunedT That it is much cheaper is y 
 evident. *>'f **?**' 
 
 The annulus, or space to be dug round beginning 9 
 inches from the stem, varies with the age of the plant. Up 
 to two years one kodalee in width will do, and after that 
 
 say 2 feet./ / ^ / 
 
 J l^<fc ^Ae , 
 
 The draw-hoe or 8 inches wide is a better tool for 
 
 above than the kodalee, especially as it is work well suited to 
 
 Till plants from smTat^take are'ay ear old. and till s 
 
 lino-s from nurseries are thesame'age, calculating in the lander 
 
 /? **** ?4 *Y 0- f ^e#/>-ffif e ^1 , i , T^'*^J*^ 
 
 i/case from Jsne transplanting, no kodalee or even drawJloe 
 
 should come near them. The soil round for 6 inches should 
 be slightly opened once a month or so, but it should be done 
 with the " koorpee." ? 
 
 We have now discussed the cultivation of the plants. The 
 above often done, say- on^j^nionth if possible .during the 
 season, with, judic^msprun^ng amrliberal manuring, con- 
 stitutes Cigncultivation. " Did weeds not grow there would 
 be no^^nee^Xto do more, but weeds do grow and must not be 
 avowed. The richer the soil the more weeds, the more 
 manure you. apply the more weeds also. , / , >^ 
 
 ^^K^^ ^c^e^^T . 9?'*-?***%^ 
 
 Weeds choke the plant and dimmish the/yield. Weeds 
 take from the soil, and from manure when given, the strength 
 
 DIVISION OF SUBTROPICAL HORTICULTURE 
 COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
 
 82 CULTIVATION. 
 
 you want for your constantly recurririg flushes. If, there- 
 fore, you have a large crop of weeds you will have a small 
 yield of Tea. 
 
 /llow^tc^ sigptiu's ? There is one golden rule^ never let 
 them get ahead of/yoy? % This it is true arguesp^ample 
 , but unless you have ample labor for the area you 
 
 cultivate, better let your money Jie m, Jhe Bankand not grow 
 
 /3^~ *u**s fv**^G**Jp(&*u** ^"~ lec^^fyg-p-^A 
 /Tea. Keduce your area ydntil you cam, keep ahead oi> 
 
 ^ js , -/" , *< ^._7^' .l**eW L '*&f^~&e^of f -** 
 
 your weeds, for keep angiur you must if you wish for 
 
 The secret of Keeping ahead of weeds is to destroy them 
 when young, to do this again and agaiH,/as often as they 
 come up, never allowing themto bear see/eL The kodalee, 
 an excellent digginjf tool/ isj*ot good for this ; you want a 
 lighter instrument, which can go over more ground and will 
 not open the ^U in the dry season to any depth. The 
 Dutcn hoe, toe^vmest procurable in the blade, with a loner 
 
 lx^<^'>. st-et+ji Si et^i ersv~t^c f / />~ 
 
 // lithe handle of 6 feet, is perfectfoc'^s. ^ Jbui* **&# -&**<* 
 
 With weeds at the heightritfor a Dutch hoe, viz., 3 or 
 4 inches and not numerous (which they will not be if you 
 have "kept ahead") a man will easily do 45 square nulls, 
 id. 0sZ. 720 square yards. He would not do more than 30 
 nulls with a kodalee. 
 
 The Dutch hoe must be well known. It is used for w 
 ing drives and walks- in England. i>^ y-*~ ^ ft 
 
 To conclude shortly for " hoeing and weeding" I recom- 
 mend as follows : 
 
 Dig the whole garden thrice in the year, viz., spring, rains, 
 and autumn. Bury all weeds as you dig in trenches between 
 the lines. 
 ' In the intervals use the Dutch hoe as often as weeds 
 
 appear. 
 
 Cultivate the plants by digging round them once a mouth 
 if possible.
 
 CTT/TIVATTOX. 
 
 Do all this and 3*011 will find your garden is kept clean and 
 well cultivated, at far less cost than you incurred for cultiva- 
 tion when it was choked with weeds for months together, 
 while your 3'ield will be at the same time much increased. 
 
 If you keep your garden thus clean, and do not allow the 
 weeds to get ahead of you, the following table shows about the 
 cost of each cultivation operation each time you do it : 
 
 
 "S . 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 He, 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 * 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 ft 
 
 Detail of work. 
 
 s I 
 
 T3 c5 
 
 g 
 
 
 
 * S 
 
 Total Cost. 
 
 .9 
 
 
 1* 
 
 i 
 
 o ^ 
 
 ^5 q 
 
 
 K 
 
 
 W^ 
 
 s u 
 
 p 
 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 Digging the whole surface ... 
 Digging round plants 
 Dutch hoeing or weeding ... 
 
 a 
 
 i 
 
 12 
 '"* 
 
 6 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 1 
 1 
 
 13 
 13 
 U 
 
 6 
 9 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 If weeds get ahead the cost iu each case will be nearly 
 double the above. 
 
 The following table, which is as near the mark as any 
 such estimate can be, will be found useful. It will also be 
 made use of when calculating the cost of making a garden 
 in Chapter XXIX, page 164. 
 
 Table showing the cost per annum of keepiitg up <tt its best 
 100 acres of Tea from the year it is planted until the 
 Gih year inclusive. 
 
 Year. 
 
 Rate per acre 
 per annum. 
 
 Per 100 
 acres. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 1st 
 2nd 
 3rd 
 4th 
 6th 
 6th 
 
 Ba. 
 
 50 
 60 
 70 
 80 
 90 
 100 
 
 Es. 
 
 5,000 
 6,000 
 7,000 
 8,000 
 9,000 
 10,000 
 
 The year the seed is sown at 
 stake. 
 
 The plants should be large 
 plants now, but they will not 
 be at full bearing until the 
 10th year. 
 
 The above rates in the case of a 300-acre garden making 
 will include werythwg but buildiugs.
 
 84 CULTIVATION. 
 
 The rates are progressive because the expenditure on the 
 following increases, or should increase yearly : 
 
 1 . Manager's pay (sav everv^nd year). 
 
 2. Assistant (first/entertained say 3rd year). / 
 <^4eo^S^, ^ -Aty-r^t J 
 
 3. Cost and wea^f/tools. ^" t- 
 
 4. Cost of prunin 
 
 ' 5. Cost of cultivation. 
 1). Cost of manure. 
 7 . General expenses. . +t - 
 No cost for Tea manufacture is inelTOljxf in the above, as 
 this is estimated for separately. See table at page 160. 
 
 Keeping up high cultivation in every way and manuring 
 liberally a made garden in full bearing can be kept tip to 
 its highest producing powers (including the pay of the 
 Manager, establishment and everything else) for Us. 100 
 per acre per annum. ^ / ^^ 
 
 An acre of Tea may, I am a^rtupfbe kept wp in a manner 
 for Rs. 50 or so yearly, but toe profit on such a plantation 
 must be nil. 
 
 On the contrary, with the above /expenditure per acre, 
 on a good and favorably K>^j*uea garden, tlie profit will be 
 very large. See table at page 171. 
 
 It is with Tea as with all other cultivation.. It has been 
 proved iaEugland and in all other countries, where really 
 cultivation is followed out, that the higher the system 
 
 ' ,,-s ^S-tt \' _ *. -*/?*^ S/^.* 
 
 1 , ^1 GM.' . V fl * "^'/** fff^ //t^ 
 
 followed the greater/the profit. In/the mymer lea has 
 been cultivated mtherto, and is cultivated still in many 
 places, profit can scarcely be looked for.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 PRUNING. 
 
 IT is stated elsewhere at length, (page 101) why I conceive 
 pruning to be necessary for the Tea-plant. Whether I am 
 right or not the fact is certain that without pruning very 
 little leaf is produced. 
 
 Pruning must be done in the cold weather when the plant 
 is hjbernatmg, that is to say, when the sap is down The 
 sooner after the sap goes down it is done the better, for the 
 sooner the tree will then flush in the spring. 
 
 There have been many theories about pruning Tea bushes, 
 but none I think worth much practically, for the simple 
 reason that it is impossible to prune 250,000 plants (the 
 number in a 100-acre garden, at 2,500 to the acre*) with the 
 care and system a gardener prunes a favorite fruit tree. 
 
 -*i*est& ejfZl ^o^.* ( &t>*~ cm^f 
 
 Ihe operation rm<s be a coarse one, done by ignoranLmen, 
 
 . , , ,. , iL^/Le^e swaTe^ 
 
 m large numbers at one time, who can in a measure be more 
 or less taught^ and the nearer they do right the better, still 
 really careful and scientific pruning can never be Icapneaout 
 on a Tea plantation. 
 
 The time to do it too is very limited. It cannot be begun 
 before the trees have done flushing-, say, at the earliest, mid- 
 dle of November, or continued, if early flushes and a Jarge 
 yield next season is looked for, beyond end of January, 
 at the latest. Thus at the most two months and a half is all 
 the time given. />// / s^ 
 
 I shall c^finjjrmyself therefore to giving such 
 as will be practically useful. 
 
 *In a 600-acre gardeu the number is 1,250,000, which oiujht all to be pruned 
 in two months.
 
 86 PRUNING. 
 
 The best instrument is the common " pruning knife." It 
 cuts far cleaner than the " shears," besides which the natives 
 very seldom, use the latter well. What/ris called/'in England 
 
 </-^t^O^e^y\f^ ~* 0-f^eftft ~ZL -&-t*~~^e~i **\^f t^TS^ 
 
 a " hedge-bilFis useful to trimthe outsW of the trees. 
 required it must be got from England, as I do not think 
 it is procurable in Calcutta. Whatever instruments are 
 used should be kept very sharp, and for this purpose, 
 besides sharpening them every morning on the grind- 
 stone, each primer should be provided with a small pocket 
 
 "hone." . 
 
 // /**.-<!'* 
 
 The theory, and it is/correct, is in priming, to cut near 
 
 above a bud/or branch, but not near enough to injure them. 
 The cut shoujld be qujte clean and sloping ^ward^so that 
 canned ge onA^*' This theory can be, and must be, 
 
 j carjrimout in cutting the thick stems and branches, 
 
 but it is quite impossible to do it with the slen^rbranches 
 or twigs of the tree. 
 
 Prune so ajklo cause lateral growth. A Tear-plant should 
 
 i 11 * 9^^-^yie^l, 6-tnrJL~r & /f <s-+aX: JZf~^ <& 
 
 never be allowe^/to exceed, say, 4 feet in heigjat, out the 
 wider it is the better. 
 
 Prune off all lower branches tending downwards,* for the 
 plant should, if possible, be clean underneath to a height of 
 say 6 inches. This clean stem high class plants have 
 naturally ; not so the China, or the Chinese caste of hybrid. f*<+4 
 
 Plants should be more or less pruned out in the centre. 
 In the following spring young wood is then formed in the 
 heart of the tree, and it is only young wood and shoots that 
 give leaf. 
 
 Plants exceeding 2 feet in height at the end of the season 
 (and all plants of any age will) may be primed down to 
 20 inches, but the thick wood must be pruned down to varying 
 heights several inches lower. ~f+4*4 
 
 The b f Ij^w^li^ielowest branches is ttlQ off, with a 
 actionj*ai tlien^e.y will uot grow aguiif;
 
 PRUNING. 87 
 
 Small plants must naturally be more lightly pruned. 
 The best plan is, I think, to have two gangs, ^^e^-^^^, 
 The first to go ahead and cut out the thick wood (here 
 judgment is necessary, so let them be the best men) to vary- 
 ing heights from about 12 Jo 18 inches. The second/gang 
 
 s^tieCrKxtr -*^ee <fe /f&^iP,^, 
 
 to follow, each with a rod 20 inches long, to cut dow^n/all 
 the light wood left to that level. / 
 
 All plants, how low or. how young soever they may be, 
 must be pruned somewhat* The lower thei.y' stature and 
 the less their age^the less pruning thev require. 
 
 Of the two extremes, at least with the Tea-plant, it is 
 probably better to over than thunder-prune. The treat- 
 ment of the plants, with reference o the leaf to be taken in 
 the spring, must be a good deal regulated by the way, or 
 rather the extent to which they have been pruned. On this 
 point see page 101. 
 
 The cost of pruning depends on whether it is high or low, 
 and whether the plants are large, middling 1 , or small. The 
 greatest cost is about Rs. 6, the least about Rs. 3 per acre. 
 
 Let all pruuings be buried between the lines jofplants, 
 if possible, before the leaves have even witheretL They 
 make capital manure, but much of the virtue escapes if 
 they are allowed to lie on the ground any time before they 
 are buried. 
 
 * Hut uot before the 3rd year.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 WHITE-ANTS, CRICKETS, AND BLIGHT. 
 
 BOTH these insects are very destructive to the Tea-plants. 
 The cricket, however, only injures it when quite young, 
 so we will consider that little pest first. 
 
 When Tea seed germinates, ancL the youns seedling is 2 
 or 3 inches high* the cricket oehg^s to civt^hestem and 
 carry, or try to carry, the two or three green leaves attached 
 to the upper part into its h]e.JEyen after seedlings are 
 planted out, if the stems are slendefT'it cuts them. To the 
 young seedlings, in nurseries or planted " at stake/' they 
 often do great harm^killing in some places one-third or so. 
 
 It is much easier to prevent their ravages in nurseries 
 than in this latter case, simply because the spot in which 
 they must be sought and destroyed is circumscribed in the 
 one, almost unlimited in the other. 
 
 On^y^one thing can be done. Employ boy^ (they soon 
 at the work)/jxj/1iuntfoivtheir holes and 
 
 . . KjhL+- . -cif*^***. ~e-++ji0C*~ 
 
 - 
 
 ig theui out. The holes are minute, but riyr down a long 
 /^*Y\vay. Theyfenly plan to follow them is to put in a thin 
 // pliaWe stickand remove the soil along it. On getting to the 
 bottom of the stick, if it is not the bottom of the hole, you 
 repeat the operation till you do get to the bottom, and there 
 you will generally find the cricket. 
 
 s Early in thp morning they can be often found and cjrugnt / 
 cmtsicTe their holes. " The boys employed should be paid for 
 them by the number they catch. They can be placed alive 
 and brought to the factory in a hollow bamboo, and then killed 
 in some merciful way. 
 
 When once a Tea-plant has got a stem, as thick as a thick 
 pencil, no cricket can hurt it.
 
 WHITE-ANTS, CRICKETS, AND BLIGHT. 8iJ 
 
 They are much worse iu some places than others, and in 
 my experience I have found them worse on low lands. -^*-^ 
 
 The white-ant is a much more formidable enemy than the 
 cricket. They do (as all planters know) attack and destroy 
 living bushes.* Whether they first attack some small dead 
 portion or not is a question, but practically it does not 
 signify the least, for if they do they manage to find such 
 in about one-third of the trees in a garden. Beginning- 
 with the minute dead part they kill ahead of them as they 
 go, and will eventually, in many cases if left alone, kill the 
 largest trees. 
 
 They have a formidable enemy in the small black ant 
 which exist in myriads, and kills the white-ant whenever 
 the latter is not protected by the earthen tunnels he 
 constructs. In many places so great is the pest, did this small 
 black ant not exist, I believe no Tea garden could stand. 
 
 From the close of the rains to the cold weather is the 
 worse time for white-ants, and the time the planter should 
 guard particularly against their ravages. At that time 
 if he examines his trees closely he will very likely find 
 white-ants on a quarter of the whole. -^ 
 
 iSrei^j^H: f*fsi4s<m~' 
 
 Dfgging round the plant where they are,disturbs their runs- 
 and does much good. At the same time they should be 
 
 rusfied off any part of the tree they have attacked, and the 
 
 tree should be well shaken. 
 
 All this, however, only does temporary good, for they 
 often are found as thick as ever on the plant a week later. 
 
 Tobacco water is beneficial, but in wet weather it is soon 
 washed off. I have tried also a preparation, advertised by 
 Burn and Co., for white-ants, but have only done so quite 
 latelv, and so cannot pronounce on it. I advise others to 
 try it. 
 
 y6-xyxveVt#^;V 
 
 * A long controvera/on this point lately took place in the papers.
 
 90 WHITE-ANTS, CRICKETS, AND BLIGHT. 
 
 Kerosine oil is very efficient. A little is put round the stem, 
 but it is expensive. The next best thing I know is the earth- 
 oil (petroleum) from Burmah, and this is cheap enough. It 
 is thick but used from a bottle, it gets heated by the sun and 
 is then quite limpid. 
 
 , When white-ants are found on a tree, a little, with a small 
 ^brush, isy^uTo'nltue part they have attacked. They are also 
 well shaken off, and a ring of oil is placed round the stem. 
 My experience is that they will not attack that tree again for 
 a long time. I was at first fearful that both it and the kero- 
 sine (the one is, I believe, only a manufacture of the other) 
 would injure the trees, but both are safe. I strongly recom- 
 
 &j2*^- Ic&LJ&Jz-' 
 
 mend others to try it, if they doubt, on a small'spot'vnly 
 in the first instance. ^ ^^-c^v*^ *"*&*** 
 
 Whatever is used, or whatever is done, white-ants must not 
 be left to work their will in the autumn. All the trees should 
 then be examined once at least, and once again, if possible, 
 the following springs . / 
 
 ^JiSi+t^^Ef **-**'* 
 
 Blight (a serious fatter I hear in Cachar) I know but little 
 of. I do not remember hearing anything about it when I 
 was there, now ten years ago. It is rare in the Chittagong 
 district, but I have seen one or two trees attacked with it. 
 Under its influence^the young leaves get covered with brown 
 spots and shriv>ef. It is most destructive to the yield of a 
 garden. 
 
 From one or two experiments made I believe pruning off 
 
 11 il '^- fa ^f-fy^f- . &>t*j^x *9* n +4dkt~ f 
 
 all the disease^ branches, and scraping byfyf ihe soil for a 
 spjjgof 2 feet round the stem, so as almost to lay the roots 
 bare, will be found beneficial, but I do not speak with 
 certainty. 
 
 All the Himalayan gardens are free from these pests de- 
 tailed, except that occasionally a few Crickets have been seen.
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 FILLING UP VACANCIES. 
 
 So difficult is thisyto do. I have beard several planters 
 declare they would attempt it no further, but on the contrary 
 
 1 . , o-ri***s*sf*j[0Cc*r*>v. 
 
 - the soil, for on adjacent spots they live an 
 
 *sm^~ ~^y*f . t^t(_, '1*~t.1jZ* f-f^f '*** ot+JL ** ** **~<^~- 
 
 l^puzzled me a longtime, but I believe 
 
 1 . , o-ri***s*sf*j[0 
 
 accept the vacancies in their gardens as an unavoidable evil. 
 
 That it is difficult I too can certify. Seedlings put into 
 vacant spots year after year 4ie, either in the rains they are 
 planted or the following spring. If, however, a few yards 
 off a fresh piece of land is taken in and planted the plants 
 live. What is the reason ? It can be nothing connected with 
 
 and die. 
 
 **~<^~- -- 
 
 I can now explain t*v 
 it. First, seedlings planted in vacant spots in a garden are 
 never safe. When in the rains there are many weeds in the 
 gardens, and it is being dug, the young seedlings are not 
 observed, are either dug up, or injured so by the soil being 
 dug close to them, that they shortly after die. This is, I 
 believe, the principal cause of the failure, and it may be in a 
 
 /VjV-cn ><^-i > *_e*_ * 
 
 great measure, if not entirely, obviated by putting,/*, a high 
 stake on either side of the seedling, and taking care they 
 remain there all through the rains. Secondly, as an additional & 
 precaj*5on, and a very necessary one, before any such land is 
 dug, send round boys with " koorpies" to clean away the 
 jungle round the young plants, and at the same time open the 
 
 soil slightly over their roots.., Doing this rt cultivates" the 
 
 J Jz*+jFf*~*s. , f^t 
 
 and the plants being apparent, with the newljf stir 
 
 ces round them, are seen by the diggers, and are not 
 tJte damaged. 4^*^*fj"g' 
 
 The second cause of failure I attribute to the old plants on 
 either side of the young seedling, taking to themselves all the 
 
 N
 
 92 FILLING UP VACANCIES. 
 
 1>*-o4^ 
 
 moisture there may be in the soil during any drought. The 
 young seedling, whose tap-root at the time is not a long one 
 ( for it is in the spring of the year following the year of plant- 
 ing that this occurs), is dependent for life entirely on the small 
 amount of moisture that exists in the soil, at that insig- 
 nificant depth (say 8 inches). But on two sides of the 
 said seedling's tap-root, and in fact surrounding it, if the neigh- 
 bouring Tea^bushes are full grownj are/the feeding rootlets, of, 
 
 * 
 
 . the kjgpTants, sacking up all the moisture attainabM (t 
 necessities of all plants being then great), and leaving none 
 for the poor young seedling, which consequently dies in the 
 unequal contest. ^* *-*^ ' ~/**^ f ^ fsUc^J?-* 
 
 /> . This last evil (in climates where there is a Deficiency of 
 ' spring rams, and in fact more or less in all Tea localities, for 
 in none is there as much rain , as the plants require in the 
 spring) there is no means of avoidingyas long as seedlings, 
 after transplanting, Zos<e time, the effect of the transplanting, 
 and thus fail to attain a good depth before the said dry 
 season. 
 
 In fact unless something is devised, I believe with many, 
 trying to fill up vacancies is a loss of time and money. 
 
 The pits to pla^tjn, advised at page 60, should of course 
 be made in these va^nj/spo^ffor they help much towardslhe 
 
 early descent/>f the tap-root. Still they can scarcel 
 ~-q& if-o-ir^e- ^r<" ' *~' eZS ~* i 
 
 sufficiently to avoid th 
 
 s^/>, > b>~t~-t& <IV^/*JL *&& &^+^t/^ t**~*~J0(^t> Zia^f 
 
 sufficiency to avoid the evil, if the plant is lying inertias is 
 generally the case for two/or three months after mantincr. 
 
 ^t^Wi^yJ' . alo-BU, JL~, 1-1*4-4*- 
 
 This dela^r being moreover in the rains, the best growing 
 time. i^fc^ 
 
 If we can devise any means to avoid this delayed g/owtl/in 
 the young seedling after it is transplanted, then the tap-root, 
 before the drought of next spring, will have descended low 
 enough to gather moisture for itself ; that is from a l&ioer 
 depth, than the greater number of the rootlets of the neigh- 
 bouring big plants traverse. Could this be done, and if the
 
 FILLING UP VACANCIES. 03 
 
 y*t ttff-f^&jf CL+/r^ 
 
 means above detailed are/resor^d4,o, to prevent the young 
 plants being injured when the gardens are dug, I see no 
 reason why vacancies should not be successfully filled up. 
 Then might be seen, what nowhere can be seen now, a Tea 
 garden full of plants that is with no vacancies. 
 
 When it is considered that mauy gardens in all the districts 
 have 30 or even 40 per cent, vacancies, none^ss than say 
 12 per,cent^we may strike a fai7a/venv|e^and roughly compute 
 the vacancies in Tea gardens throughout the country at 20 
 
 per cent. In otherwords, the.yield of Tea from India, with 
 
 +>S(^p~<- -~^ . 4i+<>j*t~- 
 the s<ung_ expenditure ngw incurr^a, would be one-fifth more 
 
 'were pfantaj^ons rail ! That is to say, the existing gardens 
 in India instead of producing 1 8 million pounds, which they 
 do now, would produce nearer 22 millions!^^^^^ 
 
 I have shown how the first evil can be obviated. I think 
 the following will obviate the second. 
 
 Get earthen pots made '/ inches diameter at the head 
 and 7^ inches deep, like the commonest flower pots, only 
 these should be nearly as wide at the bottom as at the 
 top. A circular hole, 2 inches diameter, must be left in 
 the bottom. Fill these with mould of the same nature as 
 the soil of the garden where the vacancies exist. Put two 
 or three seeds in each, all near the centre, and not more 
 than half an inch below the surface. Place these pots, so 
 filled, near water, and beneath artificial shade, as described 
 at page - 
 
 When the seeds have germinated, and the seedlings have 
 two or three leaves, so that you can judge which is the best 
 class of seedlings in each pot,* root out all but one, the best 
 one. Now remove the shade gradually, water from time to 
 time, and let the seedlings grow in the pots till the rains 
 Having before the rains, made the holes at the vacancies as 
 
 * By ' heat cliisn" I nipaii the most indigenous class.
 
 94 FILLING UP VACANCIES. 
 
 before described, after the first fall carry the pots to the 
 garden and place each one near a hole. . 
 
 Then plant as follows. Stand the pot on the brink of the 
 hole, having previously with a hammer broken the bottom. 
 Then crack the sides also gently, and deposit pot and all in the 
 hole at the proper depth. If not enough broken, the sides of 
 the pot may now be further detached, nay even partially 
 removed. Now fill up with earth to the top. Pieces of the pot 
 left in the hole will do no harm ; but it, the pot, must be 
 sufficiently broken at the bottom to allow of the free descent 
 of the tap-root, as also enough broken at the sides to allow 
 of the free spreading of the rootlets. 
 
 If all this has been carefully done, so that the mould in 
 the pot shall not have been shaken free of the rootlets, the 
 seedling will not even know it has been transplanted. Its 
 growth will not be delayed/for a day, instead of two or 
 three months ; and by the time the dry season comes, tfie tap- 
 root will have descended far enough to^Tmbil^moistur^f 
 More than this if a little manure is mixed with the soil, 
 filled in to the hole, the plant will be a good sized one by 
 the end of the rains, and will give leaf the following year ! 
 
 Another plan to effect the same object. Instead of pots, 
 use coarse bamboo open wicker work baskels. The split %*fy 
 
 v{jijL*^i_e~~* '***.**& * 
 
 bamboo forming the said wicker work about half an inch 
 wide, the interstices about one quarter of an inch square. 
 Let the diameter of the basket be the same at top and bot- 
 tom, viz., 9 inches. The depth of the basket 10 inches. 
 
 When the seedlings in the nursery are large enough to 
 enable you to select a good class of plant, transplant one 
 into each basket previously filled with soil.*. This being 
 done, when the plants are very young, and there being then 
 no difficulty in taking them up with earth attached to their 
 
 * Mind again this be of the same nature as the garden soil.
 
 FILLING UP VACANCIES. 95 
 
 short tap-roots and rootlets, they will scarcely be thrown 
 back at all. Being near water they can also be well tended. 
 Put basket and all into the vacant hole at the beginning pf the 
 
 "*Qy^y<j8-** 
 
 ^ 
 
 rains, and fill up as directed for the pots. The interstices 
 
 f&*P~A 
 
 will allow the feeding rootlets to nass through, besides the 
 
 / -<2S>-o-*-^-i* o-f^Se^* fin *7/i0~riCi-&-eAst4-^r . . 
 
 ff basket rots omekly undejr ground, so quickly, it cannot 
 
 impede the plant. '**? ,^^^v-X*-^^ 
 
 Seed is not sown at once , in , the/baskets aa, in the pots, 
 
 &0-t4 oLftf <w -Cetf^ <ft4_d~ G*^*^*-+~-~ 
 
 because the baskets would not last/o long. Even putting 
 the seedling in it during (say) February, the basket, with 
 the occasional watering necessary, will, more or less, have 
 rotted before it is put into the hole. 
 
 I have concluded a contract for ten thousand pots and five 
 thousand baskets at half an anna each for both kinds. 
 Two pice, to ensure the filling up of a vacancy, is not a large 
 outlay. 
 
 Since writing the above I have had experience of both the 
 above plans. The pot system is fjir the better, and answers 
 very well.* I am now trying to improve this still further by . 
 making the pots a little larger, and placing a thin inner lining &f>j?i 
 of tin inside each about half an inch from the sides. This 
 space is then first filled with sand, then the pot is filled with 
 mould, and the tin pulled out. The same tin will therefore 
 do for any number of pots. The seed is then put in. 
 
 I think by this plan if when about to plant the mould in 
 the pot is well wetted, that it, with the seedling, can be turned 
 out whole in one piece, and then put in the hole without 
 the pot. 
 
 The same pots would then answer year after year, and the 
 expense would be quite nominal. 
 
 If well done, the seedling in this, as in the former case, 
 would not even know it had been transplanted. 
 
 *The baskets are too frail Being often wette<^7it falls to pieces before the 
 planting time.
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 t*0*~ fiA+juw* 
 
 FLUSHING AND NUMBEB OF FLUSHES/ 
 
 THE Tea plant is said to flush when it throws out new 
 shoots and leaves. The young leaves thus produced are the 
 only ones fit to make Tea, and the yield of a plantation 
 depends therefore entirely on the frequency and abundance 
 of the flushes. 
 
 The way a flush is formed is fully explained under the 
 head of " leaf picking/' (page 102.) 
 
 The number of flushes in different plantations varies enor- 
 
 etJpJi *~^ **Qt 
 
 mously, owing; /'$, to climate; secondly, to soil; thirdly, to the 
 pruning adopted ; fourthly, tojhe degree of cultivation given ; 
 and fifthly, though not least, to the presence or absence of 
 manure. 
 
 How to secure all these advantages to their fullest extent is 
 shown under those heads, and we have here only to consider 
 what is a low, a medium, and a high rate of flushing per season. 
 
 In doing this we must speak of elevated (as Himalayan) 
 gardens separately. The cool climate of heights makes it 
 impossible for Tea to flush there as on the plains. 
 
 Speaking generally of elevated gardens (the higher they 
 are the shorter the period, and vice versa) seven months may 
 be considered as the average producing period, viz., from 
 beginning of April to end of October, and during that time 12 
 to 15 flushes may be obtained, which, I believe, with high 
 cultivation and liberal manuring, can be increased to 18. 
 
 In all localities, with favorable Tea climates, the plants 
 flush both for a longer period and oftener, speaking generally 
 also, in this case, of the four best localities, vie., Assam, 
 Cachar, Chittagong, and the Terai below Darjeelirg (for even 
 in these districts many advantages exist on one garden which 
 do not in another) the following is an approximation to the 
 flushing periods :
 
 FLUSHES. 97 
 
 Upper Assam. February 25th to November 15th. 
 
 Lower Assam. February 20th to November 20th. 
 
 Cachar. February 20th to November 20th. 
 
 Chittagong. March 10th to December 20th. 
 
 Terai below Darjeeling. March 1st to November 20th. 
 
 The opening period is a little late in Upper Assam on account 
 of the cold, and closes a little earlier for the same reason. 
 
 Lower Assam and Cachar are much alike. 
 
 The opening in .Chittagong is later than in the two just 
 mentioned frornxwanT of ~e1frl;pr^)s,pBut the season- conti- 
 nues longer x on/ account of the lovr latitude and consequent* 
 
 (,^e.~^r-/'LSt^<f>(^ *^e>~i* &? x 
 
 deferred cold weather, -z^c^^fc^ - 
 
 Rou'ghly,* < tffen, rather .rap-re., than nine months may be 
 as^nneSlisthe flusKing period for tiresVaistricts. The next point 
 is how often do gardens in these localities flush in that time. 
 
 Not very many planters can say, certainly, how often their 
 gardens have flushed in a season,, because 
 
 a_e^ ^f ^fje^e^it *y "*VMf< 
 
 irregularly, and HO account of^he diffei 
 Eiiqmpmg' : on this point, when I was in Cachar some ten 
 years ago, 9 to 24 were the minimum and maximum numbers 
 given me at different gardens, showing how little was really 
 
 known about it. 
 
 c^~fr^ 
 Such knowledge as I have on the subject is mostly derived 
 
 from cattily kept/r^eonJTof^my own garden Tnjsfce ChTtta- 
 gong district. The plantation is all worked in sections, in the 
 way described previously, and the dates given in the table 
 below are the days each flush was finished (that is, the picking 
 was finished) during the seasons 1869 and 1870 ; 1869 being 
 carried up to the end of the season, 1870 up to the date I 
 wrote the first edition of this essay. 
 
 In the table it will be observed there is a great difference 
 between the two years. The section for which the dates are 
 given was planted from seed beds in the month of June 
 1866. In 1869 it was therefore only three years old. This 
 
 DIVISION OF SUBTROPICAL HORTICULTURE 
 rniiFrtF nc 
 
 e they are picked so 
 
 r6>Cft-t --^ta-^pCT^ a^it^e 
 
 reiit flushes kept.
 
 98 
 
 FLUSHES. 
 
 will partly account for the first flush occurring a month earlier 
 in 1870, as it was then a year older ; but fortunate early rains 
 in 1870 had also much to do with it. 
 
 In 1869 there was no flush between March 22rid and May 
 6th, a period of 44 days ; and in 1870, none between February 
 22nd and March 30th, a period of 35 days, a very long time 
 in both/cases,/ which is^enufely accounted for by the dry 
 weather prevailing at Chittagong in the spring (see under 
 head of Climate) for in Cachar or Assam two or three flushes 
 
 ^f^jL^ff^ -t^f^ ^ t ^criyT,-*ve^<e^-~~L*i~*-' 
 
 would ha?e occurred in that time. 
 
 There were 19 flushes in all in 1869, and 22 in all in 1870, 
 up to the time I wrote, so there were probably 27 that year. 
 
 In the table I give the intervals between each flush. 
 It shows an average of 14 days in 1869 to 10 days in 1870, 
 the difference is due to the increased age of the plants, 
 and the liberal manuring given in the cold weather 1869-70. 
 
 Flushes. 
 
 1869. 
 
 Interval in 
 dys. 
 
 1870. 
 
 Interval in 
 days. 
 
 Dates. 
 
 Dates. 
 
 1 
 
 March 
 
 22 
 
 
 February 22 .. 
 
 
 2 
 
 Mny 
 
 6 ... 
 
 44 
 
 March 30 .. 
 
 35 
 
 3 
 
 }) 
 
 29 ... 
 
 23 
 
 April 13 .. 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 
 June 
 
 11 ... 
 
 12 
 
 25 .. 
 
 12 
 
 5 
 
 n 
 
 23 .. 
 
 12 
 
 May 5 .. 
 
 9 
 
 6 
 
 July 
 
 5 .. 
 
 11 
 
 14 .. 
 
 9 
 
 7 
 
 jj 
 
 17 .. 
 
 12 
 
 25 ... 
 
 11 
 
 8 
 
 
 31 .. 
 
 14 
 
 June 4 
 
 9 
 
 9 
 
 August 
 
 10 .. 
 
 9 
 
 12 ... 
 
 8 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 21 .. 
 
 11 
 
 22 ... 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 Sept. 
 
 2 .. 
 
 11 
 
 July 1 ... 
 
 8 
 
 12 
 
 
 12 . . 
 
 10 
 
 8 ... 
 
 7 
 
 13 
 
 m 
 
 25 . . 
 
 13 
 
 16 ... 
 
 8 
 
 14 
 
 October 
 
 9 . . 
 
 13 
 
 25 ... 
 
 9 
 
 15 
 
 n 
 
 22 . . 
 
 13 
 
 August 2 ... 
 
 7 
 
 16 
 
 Nov. 
 
 2 . . 
 
 10 
 
 11 ... 
 
 9 
 
 17 
 
 
 11 .. 
 
 9 
 
 21 .. 
 
 10 
 
 18 
 
 
 19 . . 
 
 8 
 
 29 ... 
 
 8 
 
 19 
 
 Dec. 
 
 4 . . 
 
 14 
 
 Scot. 7 ... 
 
 8 
 
 20 
 
 .... 
 
 M 
 
 , 
 
 18 ... 
 
 11 
 
 21 
 
 
 
 
 
 27 ... 
 
 9 
 
 22 
 
 .... 
 
 . 
 
 
 October 5 ... 
 
 7 
 
 Average intervals between 
 Flushes. 
 
 Nearly 14 
 dnys. 
 
 
 
 Very little 
 Over 10 days.
 
 FLUSHES. 99 
 
 Such a result as is shown for ISTO, and the probable 
 result of 27 flushes to the end of that season, could not be 
 
 ^**^-e-*-*-*- B -*<*- Ce C\* < *"V-<^*> +-tje o^^-rn 
 
 obtained without high cultivation and liberal manuring. 
 The land in Question had been manured every year since it 
 was planted, but an extra dose was given in the cold weather 
 of 1869-70. The ground was therefore very rich. 
 
 I think therefore 25 flushes in the season may be looked 
 for on o-ardens in good Tea/climates, when high cultivation 
 
 ft- V-f/ ~ A&n-Cf 
 
 and liberal manuring is reported to. Where manure cannot 
 be obtained, I think, even if in other respects the laud is 
 highly cultivated, more than 22 flushes will not be obtained. 
 Where neither manure nor high cultivation are given, above 
 18 flushes will not be got. -**^ ^-+t ^^-^a^ 
 
 It seems to be a general idea with planters 
 diagram, page 102,) that when a flush is picked the suc- 
 ceeding flush, at an interval of say ten days, are shoots 
 from the axis of the leaf down to which the previous flush 
 was picked. Thus in the diagram supposing the shoot to 
 be picked down to the black line above 2. The idea is 
 the next flush will be a shoot springing from the same 
 place, viz., the axis of leaf d. But it is not so. In the 
 above case it will take a whole month, after the said 
 shoot has been picked, before the new shoot from the base 
 of the leaf d is ready to take, probably six weeks in Hima- 
 layan gardens. 
 
 'Tis true the flushes follow at about ten days from each 
 
 -~2*e*t&-fi,t <7^*t>^ 
 
 other, but they are other shpots. The replace/nenM)f the. /? 
 
 > .a^i^ f ' 1 *^r &*Z^f 4eJ!S.?- -*-*<- T X^G' <f** <*-**tr tf^rfrr e^t Titff^'^&fei**, 
 
 sHoot j;aken is a^wherte month m developing. I have care- / 
 fully/watched tb^ and am sure I am right. 
 
 With similar treatment gardens in Cachar and Assam 
 would probably give two or three more flushes in the season 
 than Chittagong, because there the spring rains are much 
 more abundant ; and I am very certain that, if the day ever 
 comes that manure in large quantities is procurable in those 
 

 
 100 FLUSHES. 
 
 districts and is applied, the yield on those gardens will be 
 very large. / 
 
 ' cyt, 6>~*-&<n- 
 
 The difference between very small and very large .profits ' 
 is reprej^fc^oby 18 and 25 flushes, so I strongly .advise afT/ 
 planters. to cultivate highly and to get all the manure they 
 
 ,^~^f^f/.~ ^ '<e~yje^ 
 
 /possibly can. If even procured at a high figtjreit (the 
 manure) will pay hand over hand.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 LEAF-PICKING. 
 
 THE first consideration is how to get the largest quantity 
 of leaf without injuring the jrees.^ ^ ^ ^_ ^ 
 To a certain/extent, it is true, that the more a Tea bush is 
 
 ,/fn-unecT and* p>ed the more it /;will. yield. It appears as if 
 V 1 y\ <W^x /de^fefefc, . . " 
 
 nature were always/trying to repair theviolence done to tlie 
 
 tree by giving new mouths or leaves to breathe with in place 
 of those taken away. I may exemplify my meaning another 
 way.y A Tea bush which has/sis many leaves on it as itrequires 
 
 11 T**^?-*-^*^ ^^o^*e^ &vJO~, f^^e^^f-**^ - 
 
 will tlir^fw out tardily new snoots, and their number will be 
 small. In other words, a plant which is not |frunea and from 
 
 which thevoungjleaves are not taken^grows gradually large 
 
 and bushy, and tfaen gives up flushing altogether. It has all the 
 leaves it requires, and it has no necessity to throw out more. 
 If, however, nature is too much tried, that is if too much 
 
 6^frc, e^cjf -tUvA -ntj^ <rrux>* 
 
 violence is done to her, she/sulks and will exert herself no *-***/> 
 more. Up to this point, therefore, it is well tp^rgeiierV*^ 
 How can/ve know when we have reached it? -^-^^e^^c^r 
 Only general ^^escanbe 1^1 aown. ExpeH^ce^the 
 great desideratum on this, and many other suqjects^mmected 
 with Tea. / , 
 
 &-Q&V0* *&-+? 
 
 If the plant can always be ^ept in such a state that the 
 foliage, without being very much so, is still less than nature 
 requires, I conceiyethe pbiect will be attained. 
 
 The greatest violence as done/to the plants when it is 
 
 n ji&&k&<&(, <6^^;i*4 J . . . 
 
 pruned, and reason would seem to arcme that when this vio- 
 
 ' Xes^StSlg? i^otoU ^ > 
 
 lence is repairing, that is when the first shoots in the spring 
 show themselves, and until new mouths (or leaves) in sufficient 
 quantities exist, until then but little leaf should be picked. 
 
 Fdrtunatejy, moreover, while in the interests of the plant 
 this is the best plan, it also is the mode by which the largest 
 yield of leaf will be secured in the season. I go to show this.
 
 102 PICKING. 
 
 The ordinary size of a good full-grown Tea-plant, at the 
 end of the season, is say 3^ or 4 feet high, and 5 feet 
 diameter. It is pruned down say to a height of 2, with a 
 diameter of 3 feet. It is then little more than wooden 
 stems and branches, and to any one ignorant of the modus 
 operandi in Tea gardens, it would appear as if a plantation so 
 pruned had been ruined. The tree remains so during allots 
 
 . .... ^P* ^^u^lo^rt' 
 
 hybernating period, that is during the time it is raiting and 
 the sap is down, (this period is longer or shorter, as the 
 climate is a warm or cold one, and it is always during the 
 coldest season) but on the return of spring new shoots start 
 out from the woody stems and branches in the following 
 way : At the axis or base of each, leafxris a btfcffihe germ of 
 
 * O-rftut+JtjfJ:*-*- x~~i#J*f'l'- 
 
 future branches, these develop little by^/little, until a new 
 shoot is formed of, say 5 or 6 leaves, with a closed bud at 
 top. Then if it be not picked the said bud at top hardens. 
 At the ais or base of each of the said 5 or 6 leaves are 
 other buds, and the next step is for one, two, or three, of 
 these to develop in the same way and form new shoots. The 
 original shoot grows thicker and higher until it becomes a 
 wooden branch or stem. The same process, in their turn, is 
 repeated with the new shoots. A diagram will make my
 
 PICKING. 103 
 
 ,^/meaning clear. We here have a shoot, fully developed of 
 six leaves, counting the close leaf a at top as one, viz., the 
 leaves a, b, c, d, e,f. The shoot has started and developed 
 from what was originally a bud at K } at the axis or base of 
 the leaf H. In the same way as formerly at Ka. bud existed, 
 which has now formed the complete shoot or flush K a, so at 
 the base of the leaves c, d, e, /, exist buds 1, 2, 3, 4, from 
 which later new shoots would spring. These again would all 
 have buds at the base of the leaves, destined to form further 
 shoots, which again would be the parents of others, and so on 
 
 to the end of the, season, or until the tree is pruned/ ' , ., 
 
 . <?.***><&] Jt ,, <*< -t*^*<x*~*- r *^y. v yEUX?*fce^ 
 
 It willyreadily/be seen the increase is tremendous. It is 
 
 only limited by the power of the soil to flincr out new sh 
 
 fa* 4*^1 ..^ *<?(** i j uifj 
 
 and the necessities, ot/the plant, for as I have yexuia 
 
 ,f#1-**2**<^ , , +*A*it &- *' 
 
 when as mucy/ioliage exists as the plant requires, but few 
 new shoots are produced. 
 
 Now supposing the shoot in the diagram to be (with per- 
 haps another not shown at //) the first on the branch /././. in 
 
 the spring (the said branch, having been cut off or pruned at 
 
 T ^ i ' Ai ^^f^*'^/^'^^WA^**r, 
 
 the upper /). It is then evident the sai^r shoot is destined 
 
 to be the parent and proSice^/bfall the very numerous 
 branches and innumerable shoots into which the plant will 
 extend in that direction. It is in other words the goose 
 which will lay all the future eggs. If, eager t^oegin Tea 
 making early, the planter iij^ifilt off, the extension on that 
 part of the tree is thrown back many weeks. It may be 
 taken off at 1, 2, or 3 (the back^ines drawn show the proper 
 way to pick leaf), the least damage will be done if it is taken 
 off at 1, the most at 3. - , 
 
 The said shoot Ka is the first efjror^of/Sattire to repair the 
 violence done to the tree by pruning. It is the germ of 
 many other branches and shoots, and it oujrht never to be 
 taken. I have, I hope, made so much plain. **^^*c^A^6 
 
 Thcre is, however, another consideration. Any shoot, left
 
 104 PICKING. 
 
 to fully develop and harden, does not throw out new shoots 
 from the existing buds 1, 2, 3, 4, so quickly as one^ checked ^ 
 in its upward growth by nipping off its head. Forjmstance, 
 supposing the shoot under consideration not to be the first of 
 the season, but on the contrary to be a shoot, when the 
 plant has developed sufficiently to make picking safe. If 
 taken off at 2, then the new growth from 2, 3, 4 will be 
 much quicker than it would be had the whole shoot been left 
 intact. 
 
 Our object then with/rsZ shoots should be to secure this 
 advantage without destroying any buds, and this we can do 
 by taking off simply the closed leaf at the top (a). This 
 must be done so as not to injure the bud at the base of the 
 second leaf b (I have not numbered it, for there is no room in 
 the diagram to do so), and we shall thus leave all the buds on 
 the shoot intact. 
 
 Again here the interests of the plant, and profit to the 
 planter, go hand in hand. The closed bud a in this case will 
 be found very valuable. I go to show this. 
 
 The value of Tea is increased when it shows ll Pekoe tips/' 
 Only the leaves a b make these. They are covered with a fine 
 ' snky wiiitish down, and if manufactured in a particular way 
 make literally white or very pale yellow Tea,* which mixed 
 with ordinary black Tea show as ie Pekoe tips." In ordinary 
 leaf-picking these two leaves are taken with all the others, 
 but unfortunately, when manufactured with them, they lose 
 this white or pale yellow color, and come out as black as all 
 the other Tea. , 
 
 As the season*goe^>&? though this is less and less the case, 
 till towards the end, nearly all the a b leaves show orange 
 colored in the manufactured Tea. They are then never how- 
 ever white (the best color) as they can be made when treated 
 separately. No means have yet been devised to separate 
 * I mean manufactured Tea. The iufusiou is called liquor.
 
 PICKING. 105 
 
 them before manufacture from the other leaf, and though 
 sometimes picked separate, the plan has serious objections 
 (see page 106). In the case, however, of the first 2 or 3 
 flushes the \velrare of the plants demands that no more should 
 be taken, and though the quantity obtained will be small, it 
 will, if carefully manufactured so as to make " white Pekoe 
 tips," add one or two annas a lb~ to the value, when mixed 
 with it, of one hundred times its own weight of black Tea ! 
 
 More will be found under this head in the Tea manufactur- 
 ing part. I now beg the question that the said downy 
 leaves taken alone are very valuable. 
 , In detailing the mode^fjaieking I advocate, it would be 
 
 ietS-t*^ ^7*^ ctA^ttt-VJ^kM^t 1 - 
 
 tedious to go minutelj/mto the reasons fbi\ each, and every^ 
 thing. I have said enough to explain a gooaaeal,but will 
 add any thing of importance. Of the latter are the follow- 
 ing. . /#/ 
 
 Tea can be made of the young succnpn^Teaves omyT' The 
 younger and more succulent the leaf the better Tea it makes. 
 Thus a will make more valuable Tea than >, b than c* and -so 
 on : e is the lowest leaf fit to make Tea from, fortnouga a very 
 ' coarse^ kind can be made from /, it does not pay to take it. 
 The stalj^lso makes good Tea, as far as it is really succulent, 
 that is down to the black line just above 2. 
 
 The leaves are named as follows from the Teas it is 
 supposed they would make : 
 
 a. Flowery Pekoe. 
 b. Orange Pekoe, 
 c. Pekoe. 
 d. Souchong, 1st. 
 e. 2nd. 
 /. Congou. 
 
 c Pekoe. 
 
 e Pekoe Souchong. 
 
 Mixed together . . . \ ^ ' " 
 ( a, b, c, d.
 
 106 PICKING. 
 
 If there be another leaf below /, and it be taken, it is 
 named, and would make Bohea. 
 
 Each of these leaves was at first a flowery Pekoe leaf (a), it 
 then became a b, then c, and so on. * /? 
 
 That is to say, as the shoot developed, and a new flowery 
 Pekoe leaf was born, each, of the leaves below assumed the 
 next lowest grade. / , 
 
 Could the leaveiHftto mok^ each kind of Tea, it is pro- 
 posed to make, be picked and ^epT'separate, and each be 
 manufactured in the way most suitable to its age, and the Tea 
 to be produced, the very best of every kind could easily be 
 manufactured. But this cannot be ; the price of Tea will not 
 allow.it, andihe labour to do it would moreo ve'r laiE/ fthas 
 
 6-**4tJt*>AftX . 'j'f~***S~t -^ . 
 
 been attempted ag#m and again to do it, partly to the 
 ext^t of taking the Pekoe leaves a, b, c, separate from the 
 others (for the manufacture best suited to these upper leaves 
 is not suited to the lower), but it has beenas often abandoned, 
 and I doubt if it is now practised anywhere. I am sure it 
 will never pay to do it. . / 
 
 j+f.^jtj^ *& L %//t>*^9'vC'' 
 
 Picking leaf is a coarse operation. It is performed by 80 
 or 100 women and children together, and it is impossible to 
 follow each^and see it is done the best way. They must be 
 aught, chect^fand punished if they do wrong, and theu it 
 will be done more or less right ; but perfection is not attain- 
 able. 
 
 1 advise the following plan in picking. Please refer to 
 the diagram : 
 
 If the garden has been severely pruned (as it ought to be) 
 takexmly the bud a for two flushes ; then for two more nip^* 1 
 the sta^/above 1, taking the upper part of leaf c, as shown 
 (done with one motion of the fingers). Then from the 5th 
 flush take off the shoot at the line above 2, and by a separate 
 motion of the fingers take off the part of leaf e, where the 
 black line is drawn. By this plan, when the rains begin,
 
 PICKING. 107 
 
 the trees will show a large picking surface, for plenty of 
 buds will have been preserved for new growth. After the 
 month of August you may -pick lower if you like, as you 
 
 /Ce^j*-*-r ' _''% -t^v-e^fr-t t/< ' 
 
 cannot hurt the trees. Fo/mstance, you may nip the stalk 
 and upper part of leaf e together, and separately the upper 
 part of/. 
 
 The principle, however, of picking is to leave the bud at the 
 axis of the leaf down to which you pick intact. 
 
 Some planters pick all through the season at the line above 
 1, and take the d and perhaps the e leaf separately. I do not 
 like the plan, for though it will make strong Teas, the yield 
 will be small. Moreover, the plants will form so much foli- 
 age ; they will not flush well, and again /they will grow so 
 high that boys who pick will not readily return the top. 
 
 Shortly the principle I advocate is to prune severely, so 
 that the plant in ^self-defence must^Jhrow out many new 
 shoots. To be 
 
 then, till September, to pick so much that the wants of the 
 plant in foliage is never quite attained, and after September 
 to take all you can get. 
 
 I believe this principle (for the detailed directions given 
 may be varied, as for instance when trees have not been 
 heavily pruned) will give the largest yield of leaf, and will 
 certainly not injure the plants. 
 
 i
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 ^xt^y t*r> tc^f 
 
 'MANUFACTURE. MECHANICAJ/CONTKIVifNCES. , 
 To manufacture your leaf into apod Tea is certainlv/one. *"* 
 
 r ,, r , **+***]**+ t-*~,r ttL^gjif^f-e-**. . c<s^&-f. fcCZT-ri 
 
 of the first conditions lor success, ylt will avaiyutue to 
 have a good productive garden if you mabe inferior Tea. 
 The difference of price between well and ill-manufactured 
 Tea is great, say 4 as. or 6 d. a ft>, and this alone will, during 
 a season, represent a large profit or none. 
 
 Fortunately for Tea enterprise, the more manufacture is 
 studied the more does it appear, that to make good Tea is a 
 very simple process. The many operations or processes, 
 formerly considered necessary, are now much reduced on 
 all gardens. As there was then, that is formerly, so there 
 is now, no one routine recognized by all, or even by the 
 majority ; still simplicity in manufacture is more and more 
 making its way everywhere, and as the real fact is that 
 to make the best Tea, but very few, and very simple processes 
 are necessary, it is only a question of time, ere tne fact 
 shall be universally recognised and followed out. 
 
 For instance, panning the_ ^_ roll"*/ was formerly uni- 
 versally practised. Some panned once, some twice, some 
 even three times ! But, to-day,/pans are not used in most 
 gardens at all!! Other processes, or rather in mpstcases 
 tjie repetition of them have been also either ctiscarM or 
 abridged. But a short st%ment of manufacture in old days, 
 
 * In describing manufacture I shall call the leaf brought in " leaf until 
 it enters on the rolling process. From that time until the drying over 
 charcoal is concluded " Roll," and after that "Tea."
 
 MANUFACTURE. 
 
 109 
 
 and the simplest mode of manufacture now will best illus- 
 trate my meaning : v**fa*+~4 
 
 
 One and a common old plan. 
 
 One plan to-day by which the best 
 Tea can be made. 
 
 Days. 
 
 Number 
 of 
 opera- 
 tions. 
 
 Detail. 
 
 Days. 
 
 Number 
 of 
 opera- 
 tions. 
 
 Detail. 
 
 1st 
 
 r 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 Withering. ****>**** 
 1st Rolling. 
 
 1st 
 
 1 
 2 
 
 Withering. 
 Rolling. 
 
 
 3 
 
 2nd 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 Fermenting. 
 
 
 4 
 
 Fermenting. ^'^V *-*" 
 
 lafl-j 
 
 4 
 
 Sunning (if sun.) 
 
 
 5 
 
 1st Panning. ^fatT 
 
 -} I 
 
 5 
 
 Firing (Dholing.) 
 
 2nd 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 3rd Rolling. 
 2nd Panning. 
 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 4th Rolling. 
 
 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 Sunning. ^ <** -*&*t 
 
 o/*^ 
 
 ^o 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 1st Firing (Dholing.) 
 
 
 ^^ 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 Cooling and crisping. 
 
 
 ,^/c^ 
 
 -e.. *. *>H&L+, Xs^tJi 
 
 3rd 
 3 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 2nd Firing (Dholing ) 
 
 
 5 
 
 Total days and 
 operations. 
 
 Total days and opera- 
 tions. 
 
 2 
 
 So much for simplicity, and I affirm that no more than 
 the five operations detailed are necessary. I shall try to show 
 this further on. 
 
 In studying Tea manufacture I first tried, in order to gefc 
 
 e a 4LC-*i&J^ 
 
 ^m$Ie data to go on, to ascertain the effect of each and 
 every operation, and not only that but the effect on the made 
 Tej^of^ach operation exaggerated and diminished. It would 
 be tedteTis, and of no use, to set out in detail all the experi- 
 ments I conducted, the results only I will try and give.
 
 110 MANUFACTURE. 
 
 I began at the beginning. Why wittier at all ? I made 
 Tea (following out in each case all the other processes 
 detailed in the old plan) of 1st, totally unwithered leaves ; 
 2nd, of leaves but little withered ; 3rd, of leaves medium 
 withered ; and 4f h, of leaves over- withered. 
 
 I arrived at the following results : Unwithered or under- 
 withered leaves break in the rolling and give out large 
 quantities of a light green colored juicX during the same 
 process. The Tea is much broken ancLof a Teddish grey 
 
 ~5y> -O jfcT jtrst* fC40L- 
 
 color. The liquor is very pale in color, crouay,/weaK,soft, .<* 
 and tasteless. e*tm*"*&~~S- 
 
 Over-withered leaf on the other hand takes a good twist oh 
 in the rolling, gives out but little juice which is of a thick 
 kind, and of reddish yel)pw color. The Tea is well twisted, 
 " chubby/ in appeara^rce, and blacker/ than ordinary. The 
 liquor of an ordinary depth of color, clear with a mawkish 
 taste. 
 
 The medium withered leaves made good Tea. but I found 
 
 &&>faL&-tJ&ilC&^*r* 
 
 the withering should be rather in exceess of what is gene- 
 rally done to ensure strength. I will show later to what 
 extent I think leaf should be withered. 
 
 The next point was rolling. I knew some planters rolled the 
 leaf hard, others lightly. That is, some rolled with force till 
 much juice was expressed, others with a light hand, allowing 
 little or no juice to be pressed out. Which was the better ? 
 
 After many experiments I arrived at the following : Hard 
 rolling gives darker colored and stronger liquor than light 
 rollinor.. Hard /railing destroys Pekoe tips,* inasmuch as the 
 
 j^eb^Jfcfe, J^jb KKujsJP 
 
 juice expressed stains them black. 
 
 Light rolled Tea has therefore many more Pekoe tips than 
 hard rolled. 
 
 Hard rolled Tea is somewhat blacker than light rolled. 
 
 * Pekoe tips are the whitish or orange colored ends that may be seeu in 
 Pekoe Tea. See page 114.
 
 MANUFACTURE. Ill 
 
 In all, therefore, but the point of Pekoe tips hard rolling 
 is better. 
 
 The next question was what is the advantage of repeated 
 rollings ? I rolled twice, panning once between, vide old plan? 
 and found the Tea as well made, and as strong as others rolled 
 three or four times. I then decided to roll no more than twice. 
 The second time was, I then thought necessary, as I found the 
 leaf of the roll opened in the pan, and a second rolling was 
 requisite to twist it again. , 
 
 But what did panning do ? I heard pans had been discon- 
 tinued in some gardens. In what way was then panning an 
 advantage? I made Tea, fermenting it between the two roll- 
 ings, but not panning it, and it was^equally good. I tried 
 again and again, but never could deteSthaT panning caused 
 any difference to either the Tea, the liquor, or the out-turn,* 
 In short, though I never found panning dicr any harm, I 
 equally found it never did any good.. Its use is, in fact, 
 simply barren of all results. -X^^tofa* -&*.-*+*,; <mt<t 
 .A^t-Ajt^ . S 
 
 I therefore dispensed with it. Having done so, why roll 
 
 the second time at all ? I experimented and found the second 
 rolling as barr.cn of resuUs as the panning. 
 
 ^t n*~* O-rJCi'f^f.Jt-rt 
 
 I had now got rid cooperations 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 in the 
 old plan. The next was No. 9 " sunning." I made Tea with, 
 and without it, and found as follows : 
 
 Sunning between the fermenting and firing processes has 
 no effect whatever on the liquor or the out-turn, but it makes 
 the Tea rather blacker, and as it drives of and much of the 
 moisture in the roll, the firing process after it is shorter and 
 does not consume so much charcoal. What little effect 
 therefore it has is good (for if not continued too long, it 
 
 * The out-turn are the Tea leaves after infusion.
 
 112 MANUFACTURE. 
 
 does not make the Tea too black) and it is economical. I 
 therefore decidedon retaining it.* 
 
 Next came the operations 10, 11, and 12, viz., " first firing," 
 <l cooling and crisping, and second firing." Where these are 
 done (and they are done in some gardens now) the usual 
 thing is to half -fire the roll the same afternoon and evening it 
 is made, then allow it to " cpoj. and crisp" all night, and finish 
 the firing next day. I ifiecTOiis plan, and also the plan I 
 have now adopted, of doing the whole firing at one time the 
 same evening. I tried the experiment again and again, and 
 always found the Tea, the liquor, and the out-turn was the 
 same in both cases. In short that the three operations did no 
 more, and no less than the one. As the three entail extra 
 labour and extra expense in charcoal I abandoned them. 
 
 I thus reduced the twelve operations detailed to five, and 
 naturally by so doing much decreased the cost of manufac- 
 turing Tea. I in no way lay claim to having devised this 
 simplicity myself. Part had been done by others before I 
 ever turned my attention to it, and I have done no more than 
 help with many to make the manufacture of Tea a simple 
 process. 
 
 I was now convinced that, (though I had still much to 
 learn regarding the said five processes), success was comprised 
 therein, and that to multiply them could not avail. T&^*_ 
 
 The next consideration is What are the qualities desired 
 in Tea to enable it to command a good price at the public 
 auctions, either in Calcutta or London ? The brolcersinthese 
 cases judge of the Tea first, value it, and give their report and 
 valuation to intending purchasers and sellers. From what 
 appearances and qualities do they judge ? 
 
 * At the end of the season, however, sunning has more than the above effect. 
 
 Cr-r^t^t&fc, 1sfJfs***JL* C 
 
 It then makes the Tea " chubby* fa\ form, of a reddish color, and improves the 
 strength of the liquor.
 
 MANUFACTURE. 113 
 
 They judge from three things, first, the Tea; secondly, the 
 liquor ; thirdly, the out-turn. 
 
 The Tea, The, color should be black, but not a dead black, 
 
 arfcyj ( Qfif / 4~za*+t4t 
 
 rather argreyish LjMck with a/gloss on it. No red leaf should 
 be mixed with it, it should be all one color. The Tea should 
 be regular ; that is, each leafshould be about the same length. 
 
 j , ill T^t^*** 1 *** f*4 &*&***& i / , 
 
 and should have a/uniform c#se t^fst, m all but " broken 
 Teas/' (These latter are called " broken," because the leaf is 
 more or less open and broken). The Tea should also be regu- 
 lar of its kind, that is. if Pekoe all Pekoe, if Cono-ou all 
 
 -zr->tj&e^*t 'cif. 
 
 Congou ; for any stray leaves in a Tea of another kind, if 
 even of a better kind or class, will reduce its value. In the 
 higher class of Teas, viz., Pekoes and Broken Pekoes, the 
 more Pekoe tips that are present the higher, in consequence, 
 will its price be. ^^ iaa ^ >^_/. 
 
 / The Liquor. In taste this should be strong, rasping, and 
 pungent, with, in the case of Pekoes, a " Pekoe flavor/'^ 
 There are other words used in the trade to particularize cer- 
 tain tastes, but the words themselves would teach nothing. 
 Tea-tasting cannot be learnt from books. If the liquor is 
 well flavored ; as a rule, the darker it is in the cup the 
 better. But to judge of Teas by the color of the liquor 
 alone is impossible, for some high class Teas have naturally 
 a very pale liquor. 
 
 The Out-turn. A good out-turn is generally indicative of 
 a good Tea. It should be all, or nearly all, on 
 black (burnt) leaves should a P^ r JnJt- A^fe 1 
 in some of the leaves, is not obi ectipnaJ^T^ia'is^ generally 
 
 <^^^r^M^cfe- ^cfa.)/** , , ,, *&*'&&&** , ., 
 
 indicative m pungent liqftor, but the prevailing color should 
 be that of a bright new penny. v4>^W tt<&*.i* 
 
 Every planter should be more or less of a Tea-taster, and 
 should taste his Teas daily. After a time (particularly if he 
 gets other Teas to taste against his own) he will learn 
 to recognize, aT ^/ivents, a good as against a bad Tea, a 
 
 DIVISION OF SUBTROPICAL HORTICULTURE 
 COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
 
 114 MANUFACTURE. 
 
 strong as against a weak Tea, &c. No Tea should be put 
 away with the rest until it has been, tasted. It may be 
 
 <prMfMfc9 -fl^ **T Xi 6*-Jcr& B ~ f ~* m - "*~~jp' 
 
 burnt or have other defects, not apparent till infused, and ' 
 one day^ badTea will bring down considerably the value 
 of aTwhole bin of good Tea.//^ >^L. i^,o/^~*~ 
 
 The fancy, amongst brokers and dealers, for " Pekoe tips" 
 in all Pekoe Teas, constitutes the one great difficulty in Tea 
 manufacture. If the leaves which give " Pekoe tips" (see 
 page 104) are separated from the other leaves, and manufac- 
 tured separately and differently, that is rolled very little and 
 very lightly, not allowed to ferment at all, but sunned at once 
 after rolling, and if there is sun enough finished in the sun, 
 otherwise by^a^very (light and gradual heat) best placed 
 above the drawers in the (Dhole-house) if this is done, I say, 
 these will come out perfect " Pekoe tips' ' of a whito color, 
 which is the best. 
 
 If not separated from the other leaf, but manufactured 
 with it,,the sap from the other leaves, expressed in the roll- 
 ing, stains these said leaves, which are covered Avith a fine 
 white silky down, and makes them black like all the rest of 
 the Tea ; the Avhole of which is then valued lower, because 
 there are no " Pekoe tips." 
 
 NOAV in the latter case "the Pekoe tips^are theraajl Jhe 
 same, only they don't show. The Tea is really 'luslTas good. 
 
 i otesj ^f^^f.1 SLcJf-eJLsm- 
 
 in fact a shade better with black than AAnth Avhite or 
 tips,* but it does not sell so well, and as we cannot argue 
 the brokers^ ordealers intoa rationaj^view of the case, AVO 
 must humour their fancy (the)'' are virtually our masters) 
 and give them the Pekoe tips, if we can. 
 
 HOAV are Ave to do it ? The plan of picking these small 
 leaves separately, in order to manufacture them separately, 
 does not answer. It is too expensiA T e ; it diminishes the 
 
 * It is better because ' the tips" having been hard-rolled give stronger liquor.
 
 MANUFACTURE. 115 
 
 yield of a garden, and labor for it fails. All this is shown 
 at page 106. Is there any other way ? 
 
 It may be done during some periods of the season when 
 there is not leaf enough on the garden to employ all the leaf- 
 pickers, by setting a number of them to separate the said 
 two leaves from the others after the whole leaf is brought to- 
 
 ^e^g^lft_a^ . n 
 
 the factory. This is expensive, but it pays when there is- /. 
 
 labor to do it, for then the Teas can be made very showy S*^ ^ 
 and rich with whfte Pekoe tips. 
 
 An ingemons xplanter, a Mr. McMeekin in Cachar, 
 invented a rolling table with thie/^bject^f^sep^arating the said 
 leaves. It is constructed of battens, and while rolling the 
 leaf on it, many of the small leaves fall through. The said 
 table is now well known in Cachar, and is in use in several 
 gardens. I have tried it and find that it in a great measure 
 answers its object, but the objection to it is that the leaf 
 must be rolled lightly, and lightly rolled leaf, as observed^ 
 does not make strong Tea. 
 
 , The, Peko tips, nia^. be, in a great measure, preserv 
 > tf;-&>r/ ^f^fSSJCTf \&K~ c^rjL^^+J * 
 
 rolling /all fye ^ihj^uy on a conamon table. But then 
 
 again the Tea is wea^and the plan will not give so many 
 Pekoe tips as McMeekin's table. 
 
 In short, in the preserrf; state of our knowledge, except by 
 the hand process, (a tedious and expensive one for separating 
 the leaf), strong Teas and Pekoe tips are incompatible. 
 / The difficulty isjust where it was, and will so remain until 
 
 J^^cl&*i*>> -*<&+?&** tfAft^, . 7 . 
 
 dealers give up asking toy Pekoe tips (not a likely thing) or 
 till a machine is invented, to separate quickly and cheaply^ 
 the two said small leaves from the others after they have 
 been all picked together. That such a machine is possible 
 
 . i i *-** ^f^efe* a, l <tX^,jflu^tf- 
 
 I am certain, and the inventor would confer a boon on the 
 Tea interest far beyond the inventor of any other machine, 
 for all the other processes can be done by hand without much 
 expense, this cannot. 
 
 Q
 
 116 MANUFACTURE. 
 
 I may here notice such machines and contrivances as 
 exist for cheapening the manufacture of Tea, or rather such 
 as I know of. - 
 
 Rolling machines have for their object the doing away with 
 hand labor entirely for rolling the leaf. Kinmond's rolling 
 machine is first on the list, for it is the best yet invented.* 
 
 Kinmond's consists of two circular wooden dis^the upper 
 one moving on the lower, which is stationary, with an eccentric 
 motion. The a1ljacenTlSc#$$ the said discsare made mugh" 
 by steps in the wood, cut in lines diverging from/tlnT centre . 
 to the circumference, and over these rough faces is mivl&P' 
 coarse canvas, ^^t^f^o-e^. 
 
 The leaf is placed between thp d) sc j? an d rolled by the 
 motion described. The lowercfiscs is^rrangeg/by means of 
 weights running overpufieys, so that it shall press against 
 the upper with auy force desired. 
 
 The motive power, as designed by the inventor, is either 
 manual, animal, or steam. 
 
 Mr. Kinmond showed me this machine, just after he had 
 invented it, at the Assam Company's Plantations in Assam 
 some seven years back, and I have since seen it working by 
 manual and steam power. With the former it is quite use- 
 less, for by no arrangement can sufficient or regular force 
 enough be applied.^- With the latter it does very well, and on a 
 
 Xf^c^r ff^f^A^ c:qM*A-*~ 
 
 large garden which will render the owday for the machine, and 
 engine ^stifiable (theformeris, forsuch a simple machine very 
 expensive) it may 'probably eventually ^rove an efconomy. ****~~ 
 
 Not having seen it under animal power, I can give no 
 positive opinion as to how it would answer, but I see no 
 reason why it should not do well. I believe wind or water 
 
 <*&4 c .f>^/fcGt iio <*ZZi-"i 
 
 power might, on suitable/sites, be easily applied to it, and 
 they would certainly be the cheapest of any. 
 
 * It teas the best, but is^uperse^&flry a new rolling machine, Jackson's, I have 
 seen quite lately. See the Addenda at the end.
 
 MANUFACTURE. 117 
 
 Another rolling machine was invented by a Mr. Gibbon, 
 and a good deal used in Cachar. I have never seen it. 
 
 Kiumond's is, I believe, the ,-be^^rQlling-machine yet 
 invented (though it is fajpto state I know no other except by 
 report), but I do not believe in any Tea rolling-machine 
 superseding entirely the necessity of hand rolling*. A rolling- 
 machine may be, and is very useful, to roll the leaves partly, 
 that is, ta break the cells, and bring the leaf into that soft 
 '^ma^y state that very little hand labor will finish it. No 
 rolling-machine yet invented can, I think, do more than this, 
 and it is, I think, doubtful, if any will ever be invented that 
 will do more. Machines do not give the^iclHmal twist which 
 
 jft& It^JtA 0S + <*%ff 'tf^^TsJf/ 
 
 is obtained by the hand. I ^ras told lately that most of the 
 gardens in Cachar that had machines had droppeOhem and 
 gone back to hand-rolling. I cannot help thinking this is a 
 mistake. They should use both, the hand-rolling for the final 
 part alone. Very few rolling-men would then suffice with aid 
 of the machine to manufacture a large quantity of leaf. 
 
 I only know of one other Tea rolling-machine which is 
 Nelson's. It does not profess to do more than prepare the 
 green leaf for rolling, which, as stated above, is, I think, all 
 that any machine will ever do. I have never seen it working 
 
 *> **^**^V<7^ e. 
 
 but it appears simple, being nothing more than a mangle./ 
 The leaf is placed injGags^alicl then^compressed under rollers, 
 attached to a DOX, weighted with stones. The prospectus 
 states, it will prepare SOtbs. green leaf in fifteen minutes, and 
 that one man can then finish as much of such prepared leaf 
 in three minutes, as would occupy him twelve minutes if the 
 same had not been prepared. I see nothing uunl^fy^in^ttnV; 
 The machine, though inferior to Kinmond's in its,arrangement, 
 ought to be cheap enough to bring it within the reaclrof all.f 
 
 * I had not seen Jackson's machine when I thought as above. . // 
 
 f Unfortunately it is not. It is advertised at Rs. 300, withjwgeadv royalty *^* 
 of Ks. 50 the first year and 20 after. The royalty should bedroppMTand th(/ / 
 machine sold for Ks. 150, which would give the inventor a good profit.
 
 118 MANUFACTURE. 
 
 a y e already spoken of one of McMeekin's inventions. 
 
 His cJiest-oJMrawers for firing Tea is, I think, superior to 
 his batten taG!e7 It is now so well known, and in such 
 general use, that I shall describe it very shortly. It is 
 nothing more than a low chest-of-drawers, or traysfi fete (pin a 
 frame one above the other, the bottom of each tray being fine 
 
 iron/Tvire. so that the heat from the charcoal, in the masonry 
 ^z<^fc^f^^ . . , ., . . , -a^<f?c *.?~*^f ,, ,, 
 
 receptacle over which it is placed, ascends through all tlie 
 
 drawers and thus dries or fires a large quantity ^J' ^" 
 at the same time. By the old plan, asmgte x /*vicker sieve 
 was meerteomside a bamboo frame, called a " dhole/' which 
 was placed over a charcoal fire made in a hole in the ground. 
 On the sieve the roll was placed, and all the heat after pass- 
 ing through this one sieve was wasted/ Mr. McMeekin's 
 idea was to economize this heat by passing it through several 
 drawers. 
 
 Most planters use these drawers, and there is no doubt in 
 
 e*h6.<xL, Jt^imTe. . 
 
 /the space saved, and the economy ot heat, it is a great step in 
 advance over the old barbarous method, where not only was 
 the heat wasted after passing through one sieve, but a great 
 deal was lost through the basket work of the " dhole" itself. 
 
 Still I do not advocate four, still less five drawers one above 
 the other. I think the steam/ascending from the lower 
 
 6-*^+.06f4*J&*+ 
 
 drawers must, more or less, injure the roll in the upper ones. 
 I cojnme myself to two, and even then in the top tray 
 leave a small circular space vacant by which the steam from 
 the lower drawer can escape. 1 utilize the heat that escapes, 
 partially, by placing "dhallas" in tiecg aoove, with roll in 
 them. These are supported by iron rod^/let into the wall 
 and are useful, not only for partly drying the roll, but also 
 for withering leaf when there is no sun. 
 
 Some planters have proposed to- do away with charcoal 
 altogether under McMeekin's drawers, supplying its place 
 by hot-air. The first point in considering this invention
 
 MANUFACTURE. 119 
 
 . is the question whether the fumes of charcoal, as some 
 r^ are necessary to make g-ood Tea. If they are not neces- 
 
 sary (that is, if they produce no chemical effect on the Tea, 
 and therefore heat from wood, devoid of smokewould do as 
 well) there can be no doubt such heat would be cheaper, and 
 more under command, by this or some other plan. Are then 
 the fumes of charcoal necessary ? 
 
 I do not know that any one can answer the queryT / cer- 
 tainly cannot, for I have never made Tea with any other 
 agent than charcoal, and I have never met with more than 
 one planter who had. He said the Tea was not good. Still 
 it would, I think, require very careful and prolonged experi- 
 ments to establish the fact either way. Speaking theoreti- 
 cally, as it appears, the only effect of charcoal is to drive all 
 the moisture out of the roll and thus make it Tea, I cannot 
 but believe other heat would do as well. It is however a 
 question that only experience can solve. 
 
 I have now (four years since the above was written, and at 
 the time I am preparing the second edition of this Essay) 
 been for some time employed on experiments with a view to 
 settle the above question. Whether I shall be able to devise 
 a simple apparatus to effect the manufacture of Tea without 
 charcoal is doubtful, but I can, I think, now safely affirm 
 that the fumes of charcoal are not necessary to make Tea. 
 On this point I am myself quite satisfied. The advantages 
 of making Tea with any fuel (wood, coal, or anything- else) 
 would be numerous. 
 
 1. Economy. 
 
 2. Absence of charcoal fumes. 
 
 3. Less chance of fire in Tea Houses. 
 
 4. Probably reduced temperature in Factories. 
 
 5. Great saving of labor. -^-t-j^> ^t^-,>,.o 
 
 6. Saving of fuel for it takes much wood to make a 
 given weight of charcoal.
 
 120 MANUFACTURE. 
 
 3&-ea6Kj&-ojtee /Zce/v^K^o*- 
 
 In addition to all the above, the wholesale /destruction ^ 
 of forests that now takes place in all Tea Districts, in order 
 to supply the charcoal for Tea, would be much lessened.* 
 
 I have seen a machine advertised for packing Tea, that is 
 to say for so pressing it down that a large quantity shall go 
 into a chest. I have never seen the machine and so cannot 
 say how it works, but I do not think such a machine at all 
 necessary. By the mode of packing, described at page 
 149, as much Tea as a chest will hold, with safety, can be 
 put into it. If more were forced in, the chest would pro- 
 bably come to pieces in transit. ^7 -&^tA^_^>- , 
 
 I see a sifting machine is now being .advertised. " Jack- 
 
 Zif^e.t*^*<~ * -f-*^- 
 
 son's sifting machine." I have seen drawing)? of it, but 
 not the machine itself. In the one respect, that it is mu 
 larger than any thing used hitherto, it is more likely 
 succeed. <J*Z ^^ f*e*&# 
 
 / t4>~fls*+***~4 
 
 There is a machine for sifting and fanning Tea at one and 
 the same time. I know not who invented it. It is a simple 
 winnowing machine with jievep placed in front of the fan. 
 By means of a ro<Mind crankattached to the, axle of the 
 
 j***'-, . i , -*V*I*M* . , 
 
 fan the sieves are made to shake from side to 
 
 side when the fanners are >urned. The Tea is put into the 
 upper sieve, a coarse one, and passing successively through 
 finer ones, is thus sorted into different Teas. The open leaf 
 
 at the, same time is blown out by the fan. 
 
 fce^&f ffi -**? 
 I purchased one, but I do not find it does the work well. 
 
 Sifting Tea is a nice process, and I did not find it sorted 
 the Teas with any nicety. I have taken out the sieves, and 
 use it now only for fanning, which it does very well, though 
 no better than an apparatus which could be constructed 
 at one-third the cost. 
 
 I do not believe in any present or future machine for sift- 
 ing Tea, inasmuch as it is an operation, which to be well 
 * See this subject further discussed in the Addenda.
 
 MANUFACTURE. 121 
 
 done, has to be continually varied. More will be said on 
 this head further on. 
 
 I have now detailed shortly all the Tea machines or con- 
 trivances I know, or have heard of, and in my opinion Tea 
 manufacture has not been much benefitted by any. I must 
 however except rolling machines for these, as stated, are 
 very useful to partially roll-leaf, but in mvppinion it must be 
 finished by the hand.* There is plentycT room yet for inven- 
 tors. The machine, as before observed most to be desired, is 
 one to separate the small Pekoe leaves from the others, ere 
 the rolling of the leaf is commenced. If such a machine 
 existed, it would much increase the value of all Indian Teas, 
 and if the Agricultural and Horticultural Society are inclined 
 to offer a prize for any machine it should be this. 
 
 At the point, where the separation should take place, 
 
 xJi , . . _</> ^- 
 
 alkis much tenderer than elsewhere, and tins led me rethin 
 a blow or concussion, on the, mass of green leaf might effect 
 the object. I attached a bow/fry the centre to an immoveable 
 
 / board, placed at right angles to thg plane of a table Hike the 
 , . '*. ,&jfaf+*fff* *^-J?\ ,^ j***^" 
 back of a dressing tome) ancUhenf causing, ear to drop from 
 
 labove, subjected it to sharp str/Kes from the string of the bow. 
 It effected the object partially, for many Pekoe ends were 
 detached, but it bruisecflmd cut the pthja: leaf too much also. 
 
 t*c&6 -~Z>i*~* ; -~-*~x-* -*Z^-*^g/'Vi< t /. b*fb 
 
 I believe a revolving barreL with blunt, burthiu narrow iron 
 
 >^ ^yje^tAt^^C^-^r 
 
 7 plates inside, which would strike the leaf placed within, as the 
 
 barrel was turned, would perhaps answer. I giye the above 
 
 ^*a>4***-f-*-^^ i*-t****2 . '^^eWjfc-Z-etX-t- 
 
 idea for what it is worth, for any in^fenuvegeniusto improve on. 
 
 As it is impossible, as far as I can see, to construct any 
 machine, which should cut the stalk only in the right place, 
 ergo, I believe some arrangement which would take advantage 
 of the fact, that the stalk is tenderer there than elsewhere, is 
 the only one that could answer. 
 
 * I now believe Jackson's rolling machine, previously alluded to, wilJ finish the 
 rolling entirely.
 
 wnicn 
 
 /^ear 
 
 122 MANUFACTURE. 
 
 Now to return to the manufacture of Tea.. I will consider 
 each of the five operations detailed, which I believe are all 
 that are necessary to make good Tea, separately. , 
 
 lC*wmj&i<te*~- - JtAj>~A-if-*^f 
 
 Withering. There are several tests to show when leaf 
 . it&Wf^&kz IT/? 3vf&**e*L+f/ iJW^'t&^li 
 
 is withered. Fresh leaf ^squeezed m the hand, ufeld near the 
 
 ear, cracfcfes, but no^ounoshould be heard from withered leaf. 
 Again/ fresh, leaf, pressed together in the palm of the hand, 
 
 J-*37a?t . , i . . . T^fi*/^ 
 
 when reLeasea, springs back to nearly its original buj#, but 
 withered leaf, in li^e circumstances, retains the shape into 
 ,which it has been pressed. The staj of withered leaf will 
 ncPdouble, without breaking, but fresh leaf stalks, if bent 
 very, little, break, Practice ti^ugfi' soon^^i ves/a* tSt 
 
 Zjt+-6t*~r +^*fi ~e atet^ 1&*'f^ f p ,T i c T- i 
 
 superior to all these, viz. the^ieel of the leaf. Properly 
 withered leaves are like old rags to tSy holcT"of, and no 
 further test after a time, than the feel of the leaf is 
 necessary. 
 
 The agents for withering leaf are sun, light, heat, and air. 
 Of these the most powerful is sun, for it combines all the 
 others with it. Light is a powerful agent, for if some leaf 
 be placed in a partially dark room, and some in a well-lighted 
 verandah, the latter will wither in half the time the former 
 will take. If light and moderate ventilation be present, heat 
 is a great accessory to rapid withering.^ 
 
 There is often great difficulty in withering leaf in the rains. 
 It can be witheredin Tea pans, but "the out-turn" is then 
 more or less injured, for after infusion the out-turn comes out 
 green instead of the proper "new penny" color. Withering 
 in dholes is also objectionable for the same reason, though if 
 the heat is moderate the green effect is less. It is further a 
 long and tedious operation. 
 
 Space and light are the great 
 \vefweather. Bamboo medians, ti^ above* 
 
 6-A-t**'<4&y*s&-~ 
 
 constructed m every available space. 
 
 covered with wire* mesh, may also be made (by means of
 
 MANUFACTURE. 123 
 
 weights running over pulleys) to run up to the roof of any 
 ^building. The leaf withers well in such frames, for heat 
 , and much heat is given out by dholes. 
 
 It signifies not though where leaf is spread as long as 
 there is space and light. Houses made of iron and glass 
 would be far the best for withering leaf, for, if well ventilated, 
 all the necessary agents for withering, detailed in the last 
 page, would be present. I do not iloubt the day wJIU come 
 when these will be used, for propejpfy withereoleaf is a 
 necessity for good Tea. 
 
 In dry weather, when leaf comes in from the garden, spread 
 it thinly anywhere and turn it once early in the night. It 
 will generally be withered and ready to roll next morning. If 
 not quite ready then put it outside in the sun. Half an 
 hour's sunning will probably finish it. 
 
 In wet weather, if there is any sun when it comes in, or 
 any time that day, take advantage of the sun to wither the 
 leaf partly, so much that, with the after withering all night 
 under cover, it will be ready next morning. If not ready 
 next morning put it out in the sun, if there is any> till it is 
 ready. 
 
 In very wet and cloudy weather, when there is no sun and 
 continual rain, so that the leaf cannot be put outside (for 
 remember that outside, when there is no sun, the light alone 
 will wither it) artificial withering of some kind must be 
 ^esortecl to. I have mentioned the only means I know of 
 for doing this. 
 
 As properly withered leaf is an important point in making 
 good Tea, it is well worth while to keep one or two men, 
 according to the quantity of leaf, for that work alone. They 
 soon learn the best way to do it, and if made answerable the 
 leaf is properly ready for the rollers, the object is generally 
 attained. In this and every thing else in Tea manufacture, 
 give different men different departments, and make them 
 
 R
 
 124 MANUFACTURE. 
 
 answerable. Much trouble to the manager, who should 
 supervise all, and much loss to the proprietor from bad Tea, 
 will then be avoided. 
 
 olling. TJiis is a simple operation enough when the men 
 tEe knack* OT rLx^Some planters advocate a ^frcular 
 motion of the hands when rolling, under the impression it 
 
 gives the leaf a better twist. Some Hkerolling it forward. 
 
 i i "i i i jf c *^ P ^?7^ **^^**-*, ^^" &*f~f x**u* 
 
 but bringing it back without letting it turn during iye back - 
 
 ward motion. J^elidVe in neither way, for it appears to me to 
 be rolled no better, or no worse, by these plans than by the 
 ordinary and quicker mode of simply rolling it any way. 
 The forward and backward motion is the simplest and quick- 
 est, and the way all rollers adopt, who are given a certain 
 quantity of leaf (say 30 ft>s. a fair amount) to roll for their 
 day's work. In this ordinary rolling the ball in the hands, 
 'tis true, does not turn much in the backward motion, for 
 'tis more or less pulled back, but whether it turns or not, 
 does not, I believe, signify the least. 
 
 Rolling in hot pans was formerly extensively practised. 
 It is not much done now. I have tried the plan, but found 
 no advantage in it. ^ * 
 
 Rolling on coarse mats, placed on the floor, might be seen 
 also. When I visited the Assam Company's gardens near 
 Nazerah in Assam, I saw it done there. It is a great mis- 
 take. The coarse bamboo mat breaks the leaf sa<Sy, and 
 much of the sap or juice from the leaf, which adds much to 
 the strength of the Tea, runs through the coarse mat, and 
 is lost. 
 
 One and the principal reason why Indian Tea is stronger 
 than China is that in India the i nice or sap is generally 
 retained, while in China it is/ejrange to say purposely wasted. 
 
 A strong immovable tnftio?li^ table, with the planks of 
 which it is formed well joined together, so that no ap 
 exist for tho juice of the leaf to run through, is the best thing
 
 MANUFACTURE. 125 
 
 to roll on. If covered with a fine seetul pattie mat, nailed 
 down over the ed^es of the table, a still greater security is 
 given against the loss of any sap, and I believe the slightly** 1 
 ^ roiKrh surface of the mat enables the leaf to roll better. An 
 edging of woooyone, inch above the surface of the table 
 should be jrereweTlyDn to the edges over the mat, if there is 
 one to prevent leaf falling off. 
 
 The leaf is rolled by a line/of men on each side of such a 
 table (four-and-a-half feet is a good width for it) passing up 
 from man to man, from the bottom of the table to the top. 
 The passage of each handful of roll, from man to man, is 
 regulated by the man at the end, who, when the roll in his 
 hand is cead^ that is, rolled enough, forms it into a. tight 
 
 ^^j^^mf^t^^fe^ t "vff t*Ji^r*r~4fH>tt^ 0Cz.Ti^~isrrr q00o*-t,X~~ 
 
 oom pressed ball (a truncated shape is the most /Jonvement) 
 and paten awav^on any adjacent stand. ^Vhen he does this, 
 the roll each man has passes up one step. 
 
 The roll is ready to make up into a ball, when it is in a 
 soft Mios/^'^ate, and when in the act of rolling it gives out 
 juice freely. None of this juice must be lost, it must be 
 ppe3 up into the roll, again and again in its passage up 
 the table, and finally into the baUywhen made up. 
 
 There will be some coarse leaves in the roll which cannot 
 be twisted. These, if left, w/mld give much red leaf in the 
 Tea. They should be picked out by, say, the third or 
 fourth man from the head of the table, for it is only when 
 the leaf has been partly rolled that they show. The man 
 who picks out the coarse leaf should not roll at all. He 
 should spread the roll, and pick out as much as he can, 
 between the time of receiving and passing it on. In no case 
 allow roll to AccumuIaSKeciy him, for if sojEfept it hardens 
 
 and drieni gives extra work tcr thp la^t rollers to bring it 
 
 into the mashy state again. Besides* wmch, I rather think, 
 
 Ti*!/^ , 6$&X*^ -- 
 
 any such lengthened stoppage in the rolling helps to destroy 
 
 Pekoe ends, and is certainly injurious to the perfect after-
 
 126 MANUFACTURE. 
 
 fermeimtiuu, Inasmuch as it, the fermentation partly takes 
 place then. 
 
 This finishes the rolling process. Each man as stated can 
 do 30 fbs., but there is further work for him to be now 
 described. 
 
 Fermenting. The balls accumulated are allowed to stand 
 until fermented. I look on this being done to the right extent 
 aud no more, as perhaps the most important point in the 
 whole manufacture. 
 
 Some planters collect the roll after rolling in a basket, and 
 there let it ferment, instead of making it up into balls for that 
 purpose as described. I much prefer the ball system for the 
 following reasons : When a quantity is put into a basket 
 together and allowed to ferment a certain time, what was put 
 in first is naturally more fermented than what was put in last, 
 the former probably over, the latter under-done. The balls 
 on the contrary can be each taken in succession in the order 
 they were laid on the table, and thus each receive the same 
 amount of fermentation. I think further the twist in the 
 leaf is better perserved by the ball plan, and also that a large 
 quantity in a basket is / ^^*^ierment too much in the centre. 
 
 It is impossible to describe, so that practical use shall be 
 made of it when the balls are sufficiently fermented. The 
 outside of the ball is no good criterion. It varie 
 
 Iff^O^^e.a^faCo-tr, CAM ?, A *^~*^ * *"*' >*-^*f-<^ 
 
 color, effected by the extentAhe leaf was withe 
 must judge by the inside. 
 
 Perhaps as good a rule as any is that half the twisted leaves 
 inside shall be a rusty red, half of them green. Practice alone, 
 
 * The more the leaf is withered the thicker in consistency and the smaller 
 in quantity the juice that exudes, as also the yellower in color. Further, the 
 more the leaf is withered the darker the outside of the balls. Bnght rusty 
 red is the color produced with moderately withered leaf. Very dark green- 
 isk red with much withered leaf.
 
 MANUFACTURE. 127 
 
 however, will enable you to pronounce when the balls are pro- 
 perly fermented. There is no time to be fixed for it. The 
 process is quicker in warm than cool weather. 
 
 The fermentation should be stopped in each ball just at the 
 right time. Great exactitude in this is all important, and 
 therefore, as I say, the balls should be taken in rotation as 
 they were laid down. 
 
 The fermentation is stopped by breaking up the ball. The 
 roll is spread out very thin, and at the same time any remain- 
 ing- coarse leaves are picked out. 
 
 This concludes the fermenting process. 
 Sunning. The roll is then without any delay put out in 
 the sun, spread very thin on dhallas or mats. When it has 
 become blackish in color it is collected and re-spread, so that 
 the whole of it shall be effected by the sun. With bright sun- 
 shine an hour or even less suns it sufficiently. It is then 
 at once placed in the dholes, which must be all ready to 
 receive it. 
 
 If the weather is wet, it must directly, the balls are broken 
 up, and the coarse leaf is picked out, be sent to the dholes. 
 This is the only plan in wet weather, but the best Tea is 
 made in fine weather. 
 
 Firing or Dholing.> In the case of wet weather, unless you 
 have very many dholes, fresh roll will come in long before the 
 first is finished. The only plan in this case is to half do it. 
 Half-fired the roll does not injure with any delay, but even 
 half an hour's delay, between breaking up the balls and com- 
 mencing to drive off the moisture, is hurtful. ^^W-^jf 
 
 In any but wet weather necessitating it the roll can be fired 
 at one time, that is, not removed from the drawer, until it has 
 become Tea. / / , 
 
 The roll in each drawer must be f&jitfcen up and jnSspread, 
 two or three times, in the process of firing. The drawer must 
 be taken off the fire to do this, or some of the roll would fall
 
 128 MANUFACTURE. 
 
 through into the fire, and the smoke thus engendered would t /^ 
 be hurtfuL/Ef the lowest drawer is made to slide in and out 
 a frame wor*k covered with zinc should be made to run into 
 a gyoov^eTaiw it, and this zinc protector should be always run 
 in before the lower drawer is moved. This is part of Mr. 
 McMeekin's invention, and is very necessary to prevent roll 
 from the lowest drawer falling into the fire when it, the lower 
 drawer, is moved. 
 
 The roll remains in the drawers, subject tq the heat of the 
 
 o*Jcn*JL+^j ~ -e^r> -' 
 
 charcoal below, until it is quite dry and/ crisp. Any piece 
 then taken between the fingers should break with the slightest 
 attempt tcTbend it. <-~*y-*~ - 
 
 The manufacture is now completed. The roll has become 
 Tea. 
 
 All the above operations should be carefully conducted, 
 but, I believe the/ secret of good Tea consists simply in, first, 
 stopping theferm^tation at the right moment ; and, secondly* 
 
 / oU ptt./.~ *tx OZ'<*e* J e<^ 
 
 in commencing to drive off the moisture 1I ^^^ ate {7jtf te j>^ 
 I do not say that the manufacture There deta>red may not 
 be improved ^pon later, but I dojsay J^hat, y^the results of 
 economy, strong liquor, and well-t\yfeted leaf, its results are 
 very satisfactory, and not surpassed by any other mode at 
 present in vogue. I do not^r^tend that it will give Teas rich 
 in Pekoe tips. To attain this light rolling as shown must 
 be^e^rtecC&, but just as far as Pekoe tips are procured so 
 far must strength be sacrificed. Until the small Pekoe 
 leaves can be detached and manufactured separately, this 
 must always be the case. 
 
 From the Tea made, as described by sifting and sorting, 
 all the ordinary black Teas of commerce, as detailed at page 
 136, can be produced, excepting " ^^y^ry Ji^ekoe." 
 
 To make Flowery Pekoe tha&losed bud ana the one open 
 leaf of the shoot are alone taken, and these are manufactured 
 alone. It does not, as a rule, pay to make this Tea at all,
 
 MANUFACTURE. 129 
 
 t _ 
 
 though it fetches a long prlcef It docs not pay for the 
 
 following- reasons : 
 
 1. After the head of the flush is taken the pickers that 
 follow do not readily recognize the remainder of the shoot, 
 and consequently omit to pick many of them. A heavy loss 
 in the yield is thus entailed, sin*****r*A*v*&' 
 
 2. The after Teas, made without these small l eave jb/y' 
 very inferior, as they are much weaker, and totally devoid of 
 Pekoe tips. 
 
 3. The labor, and ergo the expense of picking the flush, 
 is double. 
 
 The manufacture of Flowery Pekoe is simple enough. 
 When the two leaves from each shoot of which it is made 
 are collected they are exposed to^he sun, spread out very thin, 
 until thev have well s/iTvellea'. They are then placed over 
 
 J JjKntriMfZZ**/ 
 
 small and slow charcoal fires, and so/roasted very slowly. 
 If the above is well done, the Pekoe tips (and there is little 
 else) come out a whitish orange color. The whiter they 
 are the better. If the leaf is rolled very lightly by the 
 hand before sunning, the liquor will be darker and stronger, 
 but the color of the tips will not be so good. 
 
 Flowery Pekoe is quite a fancy Tea, and for the reasons 
 given above it can never pay to make it. 
 
 Green Tea. 
 
 The pans for this should bo 2' 9" diameter and 11* in 
 depth. They should be thick pans, which will not, therefore, 
 cool quickly. Many are required for this manufacture, 4 or 5 
 for every maund of Tea to be made daily. They should bo 
 set up in a sloping position, and the arrangement of the fire 
 places such that the wood to burn under them can be
 
 130 MANUFACTURE. 
 
 <&.*t^*<-*^ . 
 
 put in through apertures leading into the verandah. One 
 
 chimney will do for every two pans,, and it should be 
 
 2fifti 
 built high so as to give a good cfrait, for hot fires are 
 
 /" a %'<*ZA~*fi~ *&&&,--&*' 
 7 Flatbladea sticlcs are used to stir both the leaf and the Tea 
 
 j * 't*jet.*(*'*jje^\ f - 
 
 in the pans, for the hand cannot beai/tne heat. 
 
 The men when working the Tea in the pans should have 
 
 ^Qv^ttM 
 
 high stoolsto sit on, for it is a nine hours' job. ^>^c*V 
 
 The bags in which "the roll" is placed at night should 
 be made of No. 3 canvas, 2 feet long and 1 foot broad. 
 
 I will now detail the manufacture. 
 
 To make Green Tea the leaf must be brought in twice in 
 the day. What comes in at one o'clock is partly made the 
 same day. The evening leaf is left till the following morn- 
 ing, laying it thick (say 6 inches,), so that it will not wither. 
 But if the one o'clock, or the evening leaf comes in wet, they 
 must both be dried, the former before being put into the 
 pans the latter before being laid out for the night. 
 
 The manufacture thus begins twice daily, viz., morning and 
 one o'clock, but " the roll" of both these are treated together 
 up to the time " the roll" is ready to place in the bags. 
 
 The leaf having no moisture in it is placed first in hot 
 pans, at a temperature of say 160 and s^recTwith sticks'" 
 
 o/^*~"** o-^fJitAjv^, *^ f *f < ^li *^t~^ 
 
 for aboutXeven minutes, until it becomes moist and sticky. / 
 
 * I/ 
 
 It is then too hot to hold long in the hand. 
 
 It is then rolled for two or three minutes only on a table 
 until it gets a little twisted, **~ &**^~^ ^^^^^ ^ 
 
 Then lay it out on dhallas in the sun (say 2 inches thick) 
 for about three hours, and roll it thrice during that time, always 
 in the sun. It is ready to roll each time when " the roll" 
 has become blackish on the surface. It is not rolled more 
 than three minutes each time, and then spread out as before. 
 If you put on a proper number of men to do this they do 
 each dhalla in succession, and when they have done the last,
 
 MANUFACTURE. 131 
 
 lt the roll" ill the first dhallas will be blackish on the 
 surface again, and ready to roll again. 
 
 When three rollings are done the roll should have a good 
 twist on it. 
 
 It is then placed in the pans, at the same heat as before, 
 and worked with sticks as before for two or three minutes, 
 until it becomes toohot to kgjgL^ 
 
 It is then^ : s 2 tu$ed, astight as it can be stuffed, into the 
 bags described above, putting as much into each bag as you 
 can possibly get it to hold. The m out^is then tiejj^p ami 
 the bag fy&ten^nh a flat heavy stick to consolidate the 
 mass in side, and so it is left for the night. 
 
 Next morning it is taken out of the bags, and worked with 
 the flat sticks as before in the pans for nine hours without inter- 
 mission. The temperature 160 at first down to 120 at the last. 
 
 During this last process the green color is produced, and 
 the Tea is made. It is worked quicker and quicker as the 
 hours pass. 
 
 The following are the kinds of Tea into which it is best 
 sorted : 
 
 1. Ends ...^ 
 
 2. Young Hyson . 
 
 3. Hyson 
 
 4. Gunpowder 
 
 Their relative value is in the 
 order in which they are numbered. 
 
 5. Dust 
 
 6. Imperial J 
 
 The sorting of Green Tea is a nicer operation, and take, 
 twice as long as sorting Black Tea. 
 
 If there are pans enough, and the work is well arranged, 
 there should be no night work with Green Tea, for all should 
 be over by 5 P.M. Whereas with Black Tea night work is 
 generally a necessity. 
 
 ^^Fhe^price obtained for Green Tea is more dependant on its 
 appea/ance than in the case of black.
 
 132 MANUFACTURE. 
 
 It is not easy to make Black and Green Tea in the same 
 factory. 
 
 Green Tea, if well made, pays much better than Black 
 Tea ; and as before observed I think all gardens with China 
 plants should adopt the manufacture. When once the 
 building is fitted forxt, jyna the routine established, the Green 
 Tea manufacture is always preferred by those who have tried 
 both. 
 
 The Hybrid plant makes the best Black, the China the 
 best Green Tea. Would it not then be well that each 
 planter made what he can make best ? In Hazareebagb, 
 in Kumaon, in the North- West generally, they are not blind 
 to the above, how is it that Darjeeling alone refuses to 
 change ?
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 SIFTING AND SORTING. 
 
 THIS is a very important item in the manufacture of Tea. 
 
 ^^^e^-^^-y ,-"'., 
 
 Careful and judicious sifting-, 'as contrasted with the reverse, 
 
 may make a difference of two or three annas a ft>. in the sale 
 of Teas. 
 
 I was shown some Tea, quite lately, which, as regards 
 t: liquor," was valued by the brokers at Re. 1-3 per fb., but 
 the "Tea" at only 14 annas ! This was/entirely o^ing^e 
 faulty sifting and sorting. *<.<^~-**>*^~~ -*~ *j^&* <_^ . 
 
 I don't believe in any machine for Tea-sifting-, simply because 
 it is not a regular process.* For example, you cannot say 
 that, to make Pekoe, you must first use one sieve, then 
 another, and so on. The sizes of sieves to be used, and the 
 
 <*au. --*^7B^: 0C^cA*~ <?, t 
 
 order in which they are to be used, will vary continually, 
 
 as both are decided ky varying causes, viz., the comparative 
 -^^G^,*/ ^- M o-f-^t << ' , V.i ii 
 
 fineness or coarseness of the Tea made daily, the greater or 
 
 less presence of red leaf in it, and (because Tea varies much 
 
 1-1 1 7-*?* <*-*** t+s*n0f? ty* -**?' ^<**4 . 
 
 during the season andygets coarse towards the end) by the 
 time of the year. These points all necessitate changes in the 
 sizes, and the order of the sieves. 
 
 ' Tis true sieves might be changed in a machine as required, 
 but the only machine that could even pretend to save labor, 
 would be one in which all the sieves were arranged one 
 below the other, and thus the Tea would fall through each 
 alternately, the motion being common to all. But this won't 
 do for Tea sifting. Judgment must be used to decide the 
 length of time each sieve is to be shaken ; further, with how 
 much motion it shall be shaken, &c., &c. But this is simply 
 impossible with any machine, though all necessary to sift 
 Tea well. 
 
 * We have yet to see what Jackson's Machine advertized can do.
 
 13i SORTING. 
 
 The cost of Tea-sifting by hand (see page 161) is not eight 
 annas per maund, including picking out red leaf, which must be 
 hand work. Good and bad sifting will affect the value three 
 annas per lb. or Rs. 15 per maund ! 
 
 With all parts of Tea manufacture it is well to employ 
 the same men continually in each department, but above 
 all. perhaps, should this be done in Tea-siftiuor. A wood sifter 
 
 ZT pioJa^aLajLSv*. *~%~ 
 
 is a valuaoTe man. He knows each kind of Tea by name ; 
 he knows what sieves to use, and the order in which to use 
 them for each Tea ; what the effect a larger, or smaller mesh, 
 will have on each kind, &c., &c., &c. In fact, he knows 
 much more of the practical part of sifting than his master 
 can, though the latter is, probably, a better juSgenoYTlar 
 the Teas are perfect when made. 
 
 Tea sipves are of two kinds, both round. One made of 
 Ijrasjj^vvire with wooden sides, 3| inches high, the other cane/ 
 with bamboo sides, \\ inches high only. The latter are 
 called " Chinese sieves," and though the brass ones are used 
 
 in many places, there is no, possible, comparison between 
 
 /. i 11 **-* > /4**fr- ^r^e-ft^r * 
 them, for the labor required in the usp/of the brass ones 
 
 is much greater, and the results, as regards well-sorted Tea, 
 much better with the Chinese. 
 
 Both kinds are numbered according- to the number of 
 ~ "orin^es in the mesh contained in one linear inch. Thus 
 a No. 6 sieve has six orifices to the inch in both ; but in 
 the brass kind, a No. 6 has six orifices including the wire ; 
 in the China kind, the cane between each aperture is not 
 included in the measure. Thus the orifice in a No. 6 China 
 sieve is exactly ^ of an inch square, but somewhat less in 
 a brass sieve. 
 
 As I well know brass sieves cannot remain in favor after 
 the others have been only once tried, I shall confine my 
 directions to the China kind. 
 
 I practise, aud I advise, Tea to be sifted daily. The Tea
 
 SORTING. 135 
 
 made one day, sifted the day after, and in fact stored/away/ 
 in the bins ready sifted. I find it is more carefully done 
 this way, for by the other plan a larger quantity being done 
 at once by several men, they cannot from want of practice 
 be expert. But by the daily plan, one, two, or three men 
 as necessary, can always be kept on the work, and conse- 
 quently they learn, and do it well. 
 
 To sift the following China sieves are required, and if 
 daily sifting is resorted to, they will be 
 ordinary-sized garden : 
 
 4 of No. 4 
 6 of No. 6 
 6 of No. 7 
 
 9 of No. 9 
 9 of No. 10 
 6 of No. 12 
 
 / 4 of No. 16. 
 
 cs9 a A c*- aif 
 
 Previous to sifting all red leaf should be picked out of the 
 Tea. This, as stated under the head of Manufacture, should 
 be done twice before the <l roll" is fired, but towards the end 
 
 Ml *^V? **Mfa4-*yflA**r 
 
 ot the season especially, some will stm remain inr the made 
 Tea, and this must be carefully separated. 
 
 From what I have said it is evident that no rules can be 
 laid down as to what sieves to employ to get out certain 
 Teas. Only practice can teach this. 
 
 Further practice can only enable you to judge in a Tea 
 Broker's point of view of different classes of Tea. This essay 
 would, however, be incomplete, did it not contain a descrip- 
 tion of these. Such a description has been ably given by 
 Mr. J. H. Haworth in his u Information and advice for 
 the Tea-planter from the English market," (Journal, A. & 
 li. Society of India, vol. XIV), and, as his knowledge on 
 the subject is far in advance of mine, and consequently more 
 to the point than any description I could give, I will close 
 
 * Even to break Tea on them it is a mistake to use brass sieves. Tea is best 
 broken by a wooden roller, heavily weighted with lead, run in. The/glaze or gloss 
 on the Tea is thus preserved.
 
 136 SORTING. 
 
 this chapter with the following extract from his valuable 
 pamphlet, and trust he will excuse my doing so : 
 
 Of the different classes of Tea. 
 
 Teas are arranged in various classes according to the size, 
 make, and color of the leaf. I treat first and principally of 
 the Black descriptions, as Green Teas are manufactured in 
 only a few of the Tea-growing districts of India. 
 
 The following' classes come under the name of Black Tea: 
 Flowery Pekoe. g f Broken Pekoe. 
 
 Pekoe Dust. 
 Broken mixed Tea. 
 Broken Souchong. 
 Broken Leaf. 
 
 Fannings. 
 
 Orange Pekoe. 
 
 Pekoe. 
 
 Pekoe Souchong. 
 
 Souchong. 
 
 Congou. o ' 
 
 Bohea. ^ '^Dust. 
 
 We occasionally meet with other names, but they are 
 generally original, and ought not to be encouraged, as a few- 
 simple terms like the above are sufficiently comprehensive to 
 describe all classes manufactured. 
 
 Perhaps before entering into a detailed description of the 
 
 */- "&, 4*^T-Ln, 
 
 various classes it will be well to explai^the term " Pekoe" (pro- 
 nounced Pek-oh), which as we see occurs m so many of the 
 
 names above quocL It is said to be derived from the/Chinese 
 
 words " Pak Ho" which are said to signify white down. The 
 - 
 
 raw material constituting Pekoe when manufactured is the 
 
 0^f / hZ^<r C 
 
 young bud just shooting forth, or the young leaf just expairaed, 
 which on minutp examination will be found to be covered 
 with a whitishrvelvety down? On firing these young leaves 
 the down simply undergoes a slight change in color to grey 
 or greyish yellow, sometimes as far as a yellowish orange tint. 
 
 When the prepared Tea consists entirely of greyish or green- 
 ish greyish Pekoe, with no or very little dark leaf mixed, it 
 is called Flowery Pekoe. ,-/- ./ 
 
 J^ffLccr^ AC 
 
 Flowery Pekoe is picked from the shrub entirely separate 
 from the other descriptions of Tea, only the buds and young
 
 SORTING. 137 
 
 leaves being taken. In the preparation it is not subjected so 
 severely to the action of heat as the other classes of Tea, and 
 generally preserves a uniform greenish grey or silvery grey 
 tint. Its strength in liquor is very great, flavor more approach- 
 ing that of Green Teas^but, infinitely, superior, having the 
 strength and astrmgency without the bitterness of the green 
 descriptions. The liquor is pale, similar to that,of Green Tea 
 /and the infused leaf is of a uniform green hueT In n^ 
 
 too much heatiias been employed we find dark 
 
 f . am-t^riri-e*. 7uzesis4oJis***~oCe. / 
 
 leaves intermixed, anoythe prevailing color, green, is sprinkled X**-*^*^**^ 
 
 &<*-j2^ri / 
 
 with leaves of a salmony brown tinge which is the proper color 
 for the out-turn of any other ordinary black leaf Tea. A very 
 common mistake is to call an ordinary Pekoe that may con- 
 tain an extra amount/of Pekoe ends, Flowery Pekoe. "When 
 this class of Tea is strong and of Flowery Pekoe flavor, it is 
 called by the trade a Pekoe of Flowery Pekoe kind. In 
 England Flowery Pekoe sells, as a rule, from 4s. 6d. to 6s. Qd. 
 per B). One parcel has sold ashighas 7s. 6 d. 
 
 By many^p^f>tethe e/pecfiency of making Flowery Pekoe 
 is much doubted. The true Flowery Pekoe leaf is the one un- 
 developed bud at the end of each twig/7. To pick this alone, ^ 
 
 ^p&pc^iT^. tc^^i 4^t{t -*tJaJL 
 
 without any ordinary Pekoe leaves, involves a great deal of 
 trouble and expense, and I think, though the Flowery Pekoe 
 be very valuable, that the. account would hardly j^&n/ 6 . when 
 we consider the deterioration of tfie Pekoe by the/aDst'ractiojrof 
 the young leaves. 
 . An ordinary Pekoe is a Tea of blackish or greyish blackish 
 
 ^ aspect, but dotted over with greyish or yellowish leaves which, 
 ^ *>^<xa**<**&<**^?a- ^"^"Tr 1 -*- T , ^ t4srr^> a*jj eJZ^^j 
 
 / on close mspectxfn, >nll be found to possess the downy appear- 
 ance which gives the name to Pekoe. In general we do not 
 find the whole leaf covered with down, but only part of it, 
 which in its growth has been developed later than the other 
 parts. These are called by the trade " Pekoe ends," when very 
 small Pekoe tips. A Pekoe is generally of good to fine flavor, jf-**^*- 
 and very strong, and its liquor dark. Its value is from 2s. 9J. 
 to 3s. 8rf. per Ib. 
 
 DIVISION OF SUBTROPICAL HORTICULTU" 
 COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE 
 
 RFPKFIFV rai IFflRNIA
 
 138 SORTING. 
 
 "When the Pekoe ends are of\yellowish or orange hue, and 
 the leaf is very small and^vQffjThe Tea is called Orange Pekoe. 
 
 &'*~*-a*4c- " 
 
 _, a In flavor it is much the same as an ordinary Pekoe, and many 
 growers do not separate the two varieties, but send them away 
 in the finished state mixed together. Its value is from 2d. to 
 4<d. per Ib. more than Pekoe. > 
 
 The term Pekoe Souchong is g cn ?^y Jwjj[^ to a Pekoe 
 that is'^feficient in Pekoe ends or to a bold, Souchong class leaf, 
 with a few ends mixed. "We often meet with it applied to an 
 unassorted Tea, including perhaps Souchong, Congou, a few 
 Pekoe ends, and some broken leafs. Prices range from 2s. 3d. to 
 2*. lOd. 
 
 The name of Broken Pekoe indicates at once what class 
 of Tea it is, namely, Pekoe which has been broken in the mani- 
 pulation or otherwise. It possesses the strength and fine flavor 
 of a full leaf Pekoe, being therefore only inferior to it in point 
 of leaf. In value it is very little inferior to Pekoe, sometimes 
 as valuable, or even more so, as owing to the frangibility of 
 the tender Pekoe ends, they are sometimes broken off" in very 
 large quantity, thus adding to the value of the broken Tea, 
 though at the same time deteriorating the Pekoe. Prices from 
 2s. Gd. to 3s. 4^. 
 
 Pekoe 4#sTlu=fagain still smaller broken, so small in fact as 
 actually to resemble dust. It is of great strength, though often 
 not pure in flavor, as frequently any dust^or sweepm^ifTroin 
 other Tea is mixed with it to make theHoVlarger. The price 
 of Pekoe dust may range from Is. 6^. to 2s. Sd. 
 
 A tea only slightly broken is often called by the planter Pekoe 
 dust ; again an Orange Pekoe is often called Broken Pekoe, and 
 the 'converse. A knowledge of the signification of these and 
 other terms would teach the grower to be very careful in mark- 
 ing his Teas, as the nomenclature influences to a great extent 
 the sale in the home market. 
 
 Having described the finer Teas we now come to the considera- 
 tion of the classes of Tea which form the bullfof the manufacture 
 of a garden.
 
 SORTING. 139 
 
 Souchong may ^e/t^ken as the medium quality, and when 
 experience and skilled labor are employed in the manufacture 
 as the bulk of the produce of an estate. The qualifications 
 for being comprehended underpins term are just simply an even, 
 straight, or slightly^ciMealeaf, in length varying say from half 
 an inch to one-and-a-half inch. It has not the deep strength of 
 Pekoe, but is generally of good flavor and of fair strength. 
 The prices of Souchong are from Is. IQd. to 2s. 8d. 
 
 Congou comes next. It may be either a leaf of Souchong 
 kind, but too large to come under that class, or though of small- 
 ish sized leaf, too u*ne^1j|yrnade, or too much curled (so as 
 to resemble little balls) to be so classified. The flavor is much 
 the same as that of Souchong, but the Tea has not so much 
 strength. Some of the lower and large leaf kinds may be only 
 worth perhaps from Is. 3d., to 1*. 6d., whereas the finer qualities 
 sell as high as 2s. to 2s. 3d. per ft. 
 
 Bohea is again lower than a Congou. It may be either of too 
 large a leaf to be called Congou, or, as is generally the case, 
 it may consist principally of old leaf, which on being fired does 
 not attain the greyish blackish color which is so desirable 
 for all the black leaf kinds except Flowery Pekoe, but remain 
 of a brownish or even pale yellowish hue. It has scarcely any 
 strength, and is generally of (v^f^eflaVp^^sbmetimes not, but 
 is never of much value unless of namuna kind (a term which 
 will be described hereafter.) "We may 'quote prices at from 
 3d. to Iff. 2d. per ft. 
 
 We now come to the broken descriptions of these middle and 
 lower classes of Tea. s , 
 
 Broken mixed Tea is, as its name impol-fs/amixture of the 
 various kinds of Tea broken. It may have a very wide range, 
 include some of the lower classes or approach Broken Pekoe 
 in character and value, but the kind usually thus named is a 
 Tea worth from 1*. Sd. to 2s. Gd. generally of a blackish aspect, 
 and containing a few Pekoe ends. 
 
 The term Broken Souchong is commonly and appropriately 
 applied to a Tea, which, though broken, has some approach 
 
 T
 
 140 SORTING. 
 
 to a full leaf, and that of the even Souchong character. Its 
 value may vary, say from Is. 6d. to 2s.. 2d. ,, // -, 
 
 , . ^-ffj' +*ft4f-alW'0*-*'*^0' 
 
 Broken leat is a term ot great comprehensiveness, but gener- 
 ally is used to signify a Tea worth from 8d. to 1*. Id. per fc. 
 It may be of a brownish, brownish blackish or blackish color. 
 Its strength is seldom great, but its flavor may be fair or good, 
 but in the lower qualities it is generally poor, thin, or coarse. 
 It would be better to employ this term only as a general name 
 of Broken Tea, and not to use it to signify any particular class, 
 as it is very indefinite. 
 
 Fannings is similar in color and class of leaf to broken leaf 
 as described above ; in value also much the same, perhaps on 
 the/average alittle lower. I suppose, in most cases, the mode 
 of its separation from the other classes of Tea is, as ita name 
 implies, by fanning. 
 
 Dust is a very small broken Tea, so small in fact as to approach 
 the minu^ness of actual dust. It is often .very coarse, or 
 
 " earthy" in flavor, owing perhaps to sweepings and dust having 
 become mixed with it. Its value is from Qd. to Is. 6d. In any 
 Tea of this class worth more than these quotations, a few Pekoe 
 ends or tips will generally be found, which bring it under the 
 name of Pekoe Dust. 
 
 We will now look at Black Teas in a body, and point out 
 what is desirable and what is objectionable in them, y -, 
 
 We have seen that all Teas whichtfontaiu Pekoe fetch higher 
 
 eCMJje^.P(Jt^. 
 
 prices than others, consequently we/nfer that Pekoe is a desi- 
 deratum. If we glance at the descriptions of the various classes 
 of Tea which have been given above, we shall find that it is an 
 element of strength and good flavor. I do not mean to say that 
 any Pekoe is stronger or of better flavor than any Tea which 
 does not contain Pekoe, as the soil, the climate, the cultivation, 
 the manufacture and various other causes, may influence the 
 strength and flavor of different Teas ; but, as a rule, in Teas that 
 are produced under the same circumstances, the classes contain- 
 ing Pekoe are stronger and of better flavor than those without it. 
 There is another class of Tea which I have not yet
 
 SORTING. 1-tl 
 
 described that possesses very great strength and very fine 
 flavor. This is the class known as the " namuna 1 ' kind. 
 All readers of these pages who have been connected with 
 India any time will recognise the word* though they may 
 not quite see how it comes to occupy the position in which 
 we consider it. It is said that its first application in this manner 
 arose from a planter having sent to England some sam- 
 ple boxes of Tea with the ticket " namuna" on them. These 
 Teas happened to be of the peculiar description which now goes 
 by that name, and which I proceed to describe. The London 
 Brokers have always since then applied the name namuua 
 to this class of Tea. The leaf may have perhaps the ordi- 
 nary greyish blackish aspect, with generally a greenish 
 In the pot i^^ ) ^ u 5 e 4^ < ?y irer y P a ^ e liquor, but on tasting it 
 its quality belike thepyor thin appearance of the infusion. 
 It is very strong, stronger by far than ordinary Pekoe ; in 
 flavor say about half way between a Flowery Pekoe and a 
 Green Tea, quite distinct from the Flowery Pekoe flavor, 
 possessing somewhat of the rasping bitterness of the Green 
 Tea class with the flavor a little refined. The out-turn is 
 generally green, sometimes has some brownish leaves mixed. 
 Any of the black leaf Teas may be of this class from the 
 Pekoe to the lowest dust, and all throughout the scale, if the 
 flavor be distinct and pure, may have their value enhanced 
 from 4<d. to Wd. per ffi. 
 
 Similar in every respect, except one, is the Oolong kind. 
 The one wanting quality is the strength, sometimes, by-the- 
 bye, the flavor is a little different. It may have the greenish, 
 greyish blackish leaf (though generally the green leaves are 
 distinct from black ones, the Tea thus being composed of grey- 
 ish, blackish leaves with a few green ones intermixed), 
 always has the pale liquor, generally the greenish infused leaf, 
 but sometimes it is sadly intermingled with black leaves, as it 
 is a Tea whose flavor is frequently burnt out, though its 
 
 * I need hardly remark that the Hindustani word Namuna (pronounced 
 Nemoonah) means sample.
 
 142 SORTING. 
 
 and green appearance are no doubt often caused by 
 firing. Teas of this kind on the average sell below 
 the 'ordinarily-flavored Teas of the same class of leaf. 
 
 In Teas of ordinary flavor the following rules hold good : 
 The darker the liquor the stronger the Tea, and the nearer 
 the approach of the color of the infused leaf to a uniform 
 salmony brown, the purer the flavor. Whenever we see any 
 black leaves mixed with it (the out-tucn) the Tea has been 
 overtired, and we may either expee|to find the strength 
 burnt out of it, or else to find it rnarmMby having a burnt 
 or smoky flavor incorporated with/ it, When you come 
 across an altogether black or d^y aarkorown out-turn, 
 you may be certain of pale liquor containing little or no 
 strength and no flavor to speak of, unless sometimes it be 
 eour. This is a quality which I shall now touch upon, and 
 rei that I cannot with any certainty give any reliable/*^ 
 
 whereby the planter may guarnlag^ainstthis greatest 
 of faults. It may have various grades, slightly sourish, 
 sourish and sour, depreciating the value of the Tea, say from 
 3d. to Is. Gd. per fc. The flavor of a sour Tea is hardly capable 
 of description. Jt is not so acid as sour milk, in fact not acid at 
 all, rather a sweet^Tavt^thixu otherwise being blen5e^vith the 
 sourness. It is extremely unpleat^rt/m its more/ developed 
 
 / f^oieJCt u>-vT>(f~ 6~&&**^- ^>-t*^. 
 
 rades, and cannot be easily understood except/by actual 
 
 -Is^+ts ,^^t ffrZ^gf <7{#r^ i s+rfo*1&A,e>/^ 
 
 o the unimtiatedx^his built is only perceptible m the 
 
 ' " /~~4&vb &Jt&v^fc*^<>tt jOf^efj^ 
 
 more strongly jjraykeu instances, ^fut to one of the trade the 
 least tendency to it not only condemns/ the /parcel at once 
 
 ***/ c*-*^rf<?i+i^ fao**<-r x^t^-^jest? 
 
 but also causes him to suspect any/>ther lots made'at the same 
 or any other time by the same grower, as it is a curious but 
 unaccountable fact that some two or three gardens (or growers ?) 
 atmost always produce Teas having this fault. I will not cite a& * 
 all the different explanations that have been offered on this 
 subject; I will simply quote the one which seems to have gained 
 most ground, and leave those more competent than myself to 
 express any opinion on the subject. The cause ass^uettto 
 which I refer^is that the Tea leaf after being picked is allowed
 
 SORTING. 143 
 
 to remain too long ill the raw state before being fired, during 
 which time it undergoes a process of fermentation : some then 
 say that this causes sourness, while others insujotamthat the 
 fermentation is absolutely necessary for the production of a 
 
 Black Tea. The fact that we never meet witji sourness in a 
 
 e^^lCfsnsrrr&vXjL^eC* -!t\&jioCt^i*+*f JL*^tfC< 
 Green Tea, one feature in the preparation/of which being that 
 
 it is fired almost immediately on being/gat^red, goes to 
 corroborate this view. VU^t**-^ 2 ^ ^~x &b^ y^&* && /^**-t^/ 
 
 ~^t-A>6'? a^ta^ tt^fr+ytefef jf ' 
 
 Burntness I have already referred to. As I said before it 
 may either destroy the strength and flavor altogether, or 
 sometimes without destroying the strength add an unplea- 
 sant burnt flavor to it. When the Tea hasythe flavor of 
 smoke about it, it is called smoky "pr smokj^burnt. By being 
 burnt a Tea .may be deteriorated in value, say from 2d. to Is. 
 per Hi. The symptomsoF bumtness are a dead black leaf (as 
 opposed to the greatly desired greyish, blackish color) having 
 a burnt smeUwhich often entirely neutralizes the natural 
 aroma of the Tea. In looking over a broker's character of 
 a parcel of Teas^you may occasionally meet with the terms 
 ^^^^^^^^^^n^^^ These phrases 
 do not carry a condemnatory meaning with them. The 
 meaning of tho word burnt, as used here, would be better 
 expressed by the term fired. The term malty means of full 
 rich flavor, perhaps from the aroma of this class of Tea resem- 
 bling somewhat that of malt Teas of/tke.othree above des- 
 
 O-eVt <t-t*c 
 
 criptious, you may have noticed, often fetch very good prices. 
 The meaning of the word " full" applied to a liquor is hardly 
 appreciable except by tasting. It does not signify strength 
 or flavor, but is opposed to thinness. A Green Tea may be/ , 
 strong or of good flavor, but its liquor is never full. Fulness 
 
 is generally characterised by a dark liquor. The quality 
 
 - J 
 
 ... . . . te^- n 
 
 known as body in a wine is somewhat akm to fulness n a 
 
 Tea. We speak of a/' full" -leaf Tea iu contradistinction, J;o a 
 11 i / ^*^M^f 11 i .'*<*" *&2* tJteZ^y 
 
 broken leaf. " Chgiffy is^enerally used in connection with 
 
 Bohea and other brown leaf classes of X^a., A light (in/weight) 
 brown, open or flat leaf, iu fact otj&&sembUng cjfiff, would
 
 obio^tr . ... . 
 
 it wears/ a flattish aspect./ or it may^e ope 
 
 / n r -*o6fctt* " 'Aa^tfC/A^i^f 
 
 a want of sufficient or skilful maniulation. " 
 
 144 SORTING. 
 
 chaffy. The lower classes of Tea, specially the 
 are often described as " earthy" in flavor. By this a 
 coarse low flavor is understood, perhaps often caused by the 
 admixture of real dust. 
 
 When the make of a Tea is spoken of as a "well made," 
 "fairly made,"/&c., leaf, the effect of the manipulation or 
 rolling is referred to. We may have a " well made even," or a 
 " well made mixed large and small," leaf. We may have a 
 " straight" or " curled," or as the latter is generally expressed 
 
 jen/ip plied to a large leaf Tea, "twisted" leaf. It may be 
 
 f-cAftJ , . o-efru/tfjrefettctt 
 
 latti^j-made, indicating that though the leaf is not o 
 
 ? open, which 
 
 ^ . - r -<f*-<"*^f^rf. --* 
 manipulation. A "^iry lea 
 
 is small, perfectly rolled, and very thin (in diameter) gene- 
 
 / rally rather curled, so as in fact to resemble small pieces of 
 
 7 ^Ttfent wire? It will be seen at once that only the finer Teas 
 
 ^can have a wiry leaf, principally the Orange Pekoes and 
 
 Pekoes. Some times we meet with a fine Souchong that may 
 
 be thus described. 
 
 Green Teas. 
 
 As in the North- West Provinces Green Teas form the bulk of 
 the produce, it will be well to give a short description of them, 
 though the tenor of my remarks below will show the general 
 opinion as to the desirability of making them.* 
 
 Gunpowder is the most valuable description, its price ranging 
 from 2s. 8d. to 3s. Sd. per Ib. Instead of possessing the long 
 and thin finished leaf which is the desideratum of Black Teas, it 
 is rolled into little balls more or less round, varying from 
 one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch in diameter. Some- 
 times it is not altogether composed of round leaf, but has 
 some long leaf mixed. 
 
 * I think I need hardly pause to correct the popular error that the Green 
 and Black Teas are made from two different species of plant. Most of my 
 readers will know that they are both made from the same leaf, the difference 
 lying only in the manufacture.
 
 SORTING. 145 
 
 When the Tea is of the^ shagenof, gunpowder, but is larger 
 than the size above quo^f, it is called Imperial. Prices of 
 Imperial are from lOd. to 2s. 6d. 
 
 Amongst Green Teas Hyson may be taken as the parallel 
 of Souchong of the black leaf descriptions. Undoubtedly there 
 is often much young Pekoe leaf in it, but all chance of 
 discriminating it in the finished leaf is done away with by the 
 change in color. Hysons sell from 1*. 2d. to 3s. Gd. 
 
 Young Hyson is smaller than Hyson, occasionally slightly 
 broken. It fetches from Id. to 2s. Gd. 
 
 *Si(pJ. t4e*4*-^~ 
 
 Hyson skin consists of the bold broken leaf of Hyson and 
 young Hyson. A small broken Green Tea is /seldomsent on 
 the home market. The reason of this is obviousT/W hen we 
 consider that Hyson skin only fetches from Id. to Is. it is 
 apparent that anything approaching a dust would give very little 
 chance of a profit. I have seen one or two parcels too much 
 broken to come under the title of Hyson skin, sell at 3d. to Gd. 
 per R. in London. It would be well if some of the Indian plan- 
 ters would take a lesson from the Chinese, and not send home 
 their very low Teas, black or green, as they are very difficult 
 of sale in London, and in many cases cannot pay the cost of 
 packing and shipping. The Chinese make a great quantity of 
 their broken Teas in'to Brick Tea and send it into the Central 
 Provinces of Asia, where it meets with a ready sale. I do not 
 see why this should not be done by the Indian growers. There 
 is a large consumption of Tea on the other side of the Hima- 
 layas, not very far from Darjeeling and Assam. I hear also 
 that in the neighbourhood of the growing districts, especially the 
 North- West Provinces, the natives are beginning to consume 
 largely, and/will pay 8 as. to 1 Rupee for a Tea that could not 
 possibly fetch more than Is. to Is. Gd. per R). in England. Whether 
 the natives of India, as a whole, do or do not take to drinking 
 Tea, will have a material effect on the future prospects of the 
 article. 
 
 Before dropping the subject of Green Teas I will say a word 
 or two as to the expediency of making Green Tea. I have
 
 146 SORTING. 
 
 questioned several experienced people on the subject, but none 
 can tell me their especial object in manufacturing their leaf 
 into Green Tea. One gentleman told me that he thought that 
 it was because their Tea-makers (Chinamen) knew better how to 
 make greens than blacks. I have carefully examined the leaf 
 of several of the North-west Green Teas, and noticing their Eug. 
 lish sale prices consider that they would have sold on the aver- 
 age at least 3d. per ft. higher had they been made into Black Tea. 
 The best way to test this would be to have Green and a Black 
 Tea made from the same leaf, and then to value the/me against 
 the other. I regret that I have never had the^Dpj^rtunity of 
 doing this. "We notice that the largest and most experienced 
 producers never make Green Tea.* 
 
 I must not pass over Caper without a short description. It is 
 a Tea which is made in large quantity in China, though I have 
 only seen one parcel of Indian growth. It forms a link* 
 between the black and green descriptions. The color of the 
 leaf is a very dark green, in form it is similar to a gunpowder, 
 Imperial or round leaf Congou. The liquor is pale, and the out- 
 turn green, flavor perhaps nearer to that of a Green than of a 
 Black Tea. 
 
 * This was written by Mr. Howorth some years ago. Later experience lias, 
 I think, proved he was mistaken. Good Green Tens sell to-day at far higher 
 prices than Black, but the best can only be made from China plants.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 BOXES, PACKING. 
 BY far the best Tea boxes are the tedlc ones made at Ran- 
 
 mi ^ - *** <t*0-*to(***f/*?*- *r+fr*- n , . , 
 
 goon. The wood is imperviousyco insects or all kinds, even 
 white-ants. Sawn by machinery the pieces sent to compose 
 each box. are very regular. The plank is half inch, and 
 each chest made up measures inside 23 by 18 by 18^ inches, 
 and necessarily outside 24 by 19 by 19 inches. The inner 
 cubical contents are 7,659 cubic inches, and this suffices for 
 above one maund of fine and under a maund of coarse Teas. 
 
 Each box is composed of fourteen pieces, viz., for the two 
 long sides three each, for the two short sides two each, two 
 for the bottom, and two for the lid. By the arrangement of 
 three pieces in the long sides, and two only in the short 
 sides, the centre piece of each long side is attached to both 
 the short end pieces, and thus great strength in the box is 
 insured, there being no place where it can possibly separate 
 at the joints. 9t ^ t ^^^^^^ 
 
 These boxes are not made to "dovetail." Each piece (and 
 they are sawn with mathematical regularity, as to length, 
 breadth, and thickness) must be nailed to its neighbour. 
 The best nails for this are the kind called " French Pins" If 
 inches long. ^ / 
 
 The wood is sold at Rangoon in bundles, and could be 
 landed in Calcutta for about. Re. 1-8 or 1-12 per box. The 
 boxes need not be made up till shortly before they are 
 wanted, and in this form, of compact bundles of short pieces, 
 are very convenient for transport and stowage. 
 
 Of course m many districts these boxes are not procurable, 
 and local ones must be made. If so, use hard wood, and 
 
 u
 
 
 148 PACKING. 
 
 make your boxes about the size given above, for small boxes 
 J/ add much to the cost of freight, ^t^'^f 
 
 Let the planks be f th of an inch thick, for \ inch, that is 
 -|th inch boards are not strong enough, except they are of 
 
 teak or any other very good wood. 
 
 m a. w~9*S*r~ i 4i 
 
 Take care the lomts of'the several pieces, ^composing the 
 
 0~v4fiji*- " A*r~'+*~- srtti*-t>( A&*fej&** 
 
 sides and endsrdowctf coincide at the corners, for if they do, 
 the box is very/apt to comeyftsunder. ^ ~A^*~ T ^ 
 
 The best way to arrange the pieces is as described in the 
 Rangoon boxes above. 
 
 "A form" must be made on which the inne/deaden case 
 shall be constructed. That is, a well-made, s$nooth box, to 
 box you pack in. It must be some three 
 than the interior of the original box, and have 
 
 . t^^ifcf ***** ^^-&^Z*~ 
 
 n a acrp&s insiq/g^ for handles to hit /it up, and let 
 the lead case sf^c^rit,after it (the lead case) is finished. 
 
 Solder your lead case, over your form, in the way to waste 
 least lead. In the Rangoon boxes described, two large, two 
 small sheets* and one piece 22 by 9 inches (let in between 
 the two large sheets) suffices, and there is little or no waste. / 
 
 The lead case ready, nolaup the form by the inner rods, "*^ 
 
 and let the case slide off. Put j at once iiito the packing 
 
 *faA^-4&*$~ <+**; i ,. , 
 
 box, taking C are nor^nkUs protrude inside, or anything else 
 
 -y^fLrfyejP ft^^jL~.~Z0^>oL*_ji- f ^jz - > r>--L0-t*t afre/i* tZv-y/L* ILA*. 
 
 which will hurt it, and thus prjgpare all the befees for^the ' 
 ^break of Tea you are about to pack, fj' +~~/S*~ y'f fc/>*^ 
 
 One great advantage the Rangoon boxes, and in fact all 
 machine-sawn boxes, have, is their equal or nearly equat 
 weighty Purchasers of Teas, at the public auctions, require /* ' 
 c< the tare ' of boxes to be as near the same weight as possi- 
 ble. If the tares -differ much, say more than 31bs., the 
 Tea will be depreciated in value. It is well there should be 
 about the same weight of Tea in all the boxes that contain 
 
 Large lead is 37 by 22 inches. Small lead 25 by 19 inches.
 
 PACKING. 149 
 
 -Cr-& 49-ff~>tS* &*- *x- i^O' 
 
 any one kind, but this is not nearly so essemial, as approxi- 
 mation in " the tares."* ^ 
 
 Your boxes all ready and lined with lead, choose a fine day 
 for packing. Do this whether you finally dry the Tea in the 
 sun or over the dholes ; for even in the latter case it is well 
 
 tA-st*^tt*C4 &CJ3~-~* S ,?- J' 
 
 to avoid^a damp day. ** t^"?*^^?.**-. ^x^t^. 
 
 But before you pack you must bulk/^ That isjyou must 
 mix all the Tea, of any one kind, so ifitmtfatefy' together that 
 
 *-^>* -*-*-t-^2y2^-t * Ji~r&-r-nJt**, t^*^f~~ fjtf(^le&e~ *Lj*f&t'*Je^?^e **, 
 
 samples takenutfut of any number or chests shallj^gree exactly. 
 This can be done by turning out all the Tea on a large cloth 
 placed on the floor, and turning it over and over. No two days' 
 Teas are exactly alike, and you have perhaps a^month (say 
 Pekoes) to pack. It is therefore necessary to mix them well. 
 
 Though I know many planters think the fumes of charcoal 
 necessary and beneficial for the last drying, I do not. I have 
 tried both sun and charcoal for it, * and no difference was *. 
 
 T^LeststeA ex^fxS*^ m , ,, , . *0><^fa^l^ 
 
 perceptible. The former costs nothing, is moreyCommodious,// 
 and I always employ it when possible. The sun cannot burn 
 the Teas, the charcoal, if the heat is too great, may.f 
 
 Whether you use sun or charcoal put the Tea hot into the 
 boxes. The only object of the final drying is to drive off the 
 moisture, which it will certainly, in a more or less degree, 
 have imMbeij jjHice"its manufacture. Even the large zinc- 
 lined bmswhich should be fitted up in all Tea stores, and in 
 which the Tea is placed after manufacture, will not entirely 
 prevent damp, so in all cases a final drying is necessary. 
 
 Keep it in the sun, or over the charcoal, until it is hot 
 throughout, hot enough to ensure all the moisture having 
 been driven off. Then put into the box/fenpugh to about one- 
 quarter fill it. Now/let two men rock thebox, over a half 
 inch round ironoai'/placed on the ground, until the Tea has 
 
 * I now put exactly the same weight into all the boxes holding any one 
 kind of Tea. 
 
 t If I devise an apparatus for my furnace experiments, Tea will be beat 
 dried in that way when there is no sun.
 
 1 50 , PACKING. 
 
 " l^** 01 ** ^> K, -I ~ 
 
 /well settled. Then place a piece of carpet over the Tea, the 
 exact size of the box, and let a man stand inside and press 
 it down a minute or two with his feet. Now fill up nearly 
 another quarter, and press it again over the carpet as before. 
 Repeat this, putting less and less into the box each time, as 
 you near the top, until it is quite full, but do not rock it the 
 last two or three times at all. Only press it with the feet as 
 described. No patent screwj)ress, or anything else, will 
 pack the Tea better or mope closely than this plan, and when 
 the men are practised at it, you will find there will not be a 
 difference of more than two or three Ibs. in the Teas of any 
 one kind put into the boxes.* 
 
 The box full, just even with the top, and well pressed down 
 to the last, lay over the Tea a piece of the silver paper, which 
 is found inserted between/^ach sheet in the lead boxes. This 
 
 prevents/ any/solder or fosm a^tincr on the Tea when solder- 
 f ^df- A^ft'3^^&&*Pl&~* * ., 
 
 ing the top. Nownt on/the lead sheet top, solder, and nail 
 
 on the wooden lid. 
 
 /W$Qty Tea in each box. The boxes ready lined, with a lead 
 cover loose, must be all weighed before the Tea is packed, and 
 
 again a f te V$/ are ^Ikd an d soldered down, but before the 
 
 wooden lidisput on. The difference of these weights, minus 
 
 .-"?- p^Etrz^w**/3< < 
 
 the weight of the. little solder used in fastening down the top 
 , . . ,. i* 7 ^?^?**^- t^e3p~ L . ^MP**d. A 
 lead, (for which all^wvgay one pound to give a margin also), 
 
 will be the neLweight of Tea in each box. 
 
 Thin iron hoopjfag, puTround both ends of the boxes, much 
 increases their strength, and is not expensive.! 
 
 Sfampeach box on its lid and on one end. Use for this 
 zinc plates, with the necessary marks cut out in them. A 
 bfusnrun over these with the coloring matter does the work 
 well and quickly. 
 
 * Best to weigh and put in exactly the same quantity. See note, p. 148. 
 t This should, except the lid part, be put on the boxes before the Tea is 
 paced.
 
 PACKING. 151 
 
 Let the stamp comprise the kind of Tea, the plantation or 
 owner's mark, the number of the box, and the year, for 
 instance- 
 
 Pekoe. 
 
 A 
 
 B C 
 
 u> 187L 
 
 mvoic?you send with the break must give for each 
 
 box the number, the gross weight, the tare, the net Tea, and 
 the kind of Tea, with a declaration at foot that the Teas of 
 each kind have been, respectively, well bulked and mixed 
 together before packing. 
 
 Remember the larger the quantity of Tea, of any one kind 
 to be sold at one auction, the higher the price it will probably 
 Sell, if possible, twenty or thirty chests of one kind 
 of Tea at the same time, for small quantities, as a rule, sell 
 below large both in Calcutta and London.
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 MANAGEMENT. ACCOUNTS. FORMS. 
 
 &-r 
 
 .0 / SYSTEM and order, a good memory, a good temper, firm- 
 ness, attention to details, agricultural knowledge, industry, 
 all these, combined with a thorough knowledge of Tea cultiva- 
 tion and Tea manufacture, are the^equisltestor the success- 
 ful management of a Tea plantation. ^^, ^fc^ 
 
 To find men with all these qualities, is, I allow, not very 
 easy, still they do exist, and such a one must be had if success 
 in Tea is looked for. s / / 
 
 Before the work is given out each day the manager 
 should decide exactly what is most required, and apply it to 
 that. He should write down, when distributing the men, 
 the works and the number employed on each. This paper 
 he should carry in his pocket, and he can then verify the 
 men at work at each or any place when he visits it during 
 the day v / - 
 
 47 -i/fr/tA*r,X/* 
 
 The writer, the moonshee, and the jemadar, if there is one, 
 should write similar papers when the coolies are mustered in 
 the morning, and the manager should detail to each of these 
 men which work they are particularly responsible for. This 
 should also be shown in the (< morning paper." 
 
 Each of the above men then measure out the work to the 
 coolies. Visit it once or oftener in the day, and measure 
 all that remains undone at night. A daily report of the 
 
 Ot-ftsyT^fJsK&4*C&-~~ , 
 
 work is keni, written by the writer in the evening. 
 
 The two forms, mvetr below, are those I have adopted. 
 The latter is/smScT to local labor paid daily, but it can 
 easily bettered to "suit^eitner^ local labor paid monthly or 
 imported coolies.
 
 MANAGEMENT. 
 
 This is the Morning Paper. 
 
 153 
 
 Work to le done on 
 
 187 . 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Detail. 
 
 1 
 
 ft 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 a 
 
 1 
 
 
 -3 
 6 
 
 In whose 
 
 w 
 
 Probable 
 
 a 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Total Coolies 
 
 
 The column of "probable numbers" is given, so that before 
 it is known exactly how many men will be present for work 
 they can be divided in the most Ipsely way. 
 
 Each head man (called 'idfate, " mangee/' &c., in different 
 districts) is best desf^^^eaSy a letter or number. In neither 
 form would there be room to put in names at length. 
 
 The form below written in the evening is roiade into a 
 book for each month. The advantages of it for after refer- / 
 ence are great, and it has many other advantages too 
 numerous to detail here, but which will be appreciated when 
 it is used :
 
 154 
 
 Work on 
 
 MANAGEMENT. 
 for 
 
 187 , 
 
 Detail of Work. 
 
 No. of Garden. 
 
 f 
 
 g. 
 
 
 
 | 
 
 t^ftejfcjy oz . 
 Measurement and 
 Remarks. 
 
 "~ -^-^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Total at work 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 As. 
 x 3 = 
 
 * ' Command 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 x 2^ = 
 
 Sick 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 x 2 = 
 
 Absent 
 Total 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 x 1 = 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Picking Leaf 
 Making Tea 
 Tea Sorting 
 
 Cut = 
 
 Total = 
 
 The following is the plan I recommend for the leaf-picking 
 and the Tea accounts. 
 The leaf of each picker is best measured in the field and
 
 MANAGEMENT. 
 
 iX 
 
 in one basket, each picker bringing his or her leaf to the 
 factory twice a day. The pickers are paid so much per 
 basket, holding in any case 2gftjs. I find the most 
 venient plan to give the mangee in charge of the pickers 
 tickets of any kind for this, which tickets are changed for 
 money in the evening. As each load of leaf comes/hi/ 
 through the day it is weighed, and this gives a check on/j/y 
 the tickets given by the mangee or mate. This is the mean- 
 ing of the two columns in the form below " tickets by leaf" 
 and tickets paid." 
 
 In the form the first column of " leaf results" shows the 
 condition of the leaf when picked whether wet (W) or dry 
 (D). Unless this were noted the proper amount of Teas 
 the leaf f>uglit to make^coujdjiot be known, and there wauld 
 be no check against theft^ which is cffr^ied^jen^ to a great 
 extent in many gardens. 
 
 As explained previously, only the sections ready in each 
 garden are picked. The sections are not entered in the form, 
 only the number of the garden. The flushes now noted are 
 the 20th, in some 21st, or 22nd in others. 
 
 The Tea is calculated from the leaf. It should be 25 per- 
 cent, if the leaf is picked dry and 22 per cent, if picked wet. 
 As each load comes in a memorandum is made as to whether 
 it is dry or wet, and the figures in the column " Tea should 
 be" are thus found. 
 
 The Tea is weighed the morning after it is made and 
 entered in the column " Tea made." The precentage it bears 
 to the leaf is then calculated and entered in the account 
 column. 
 
 After sifting the whole is weighed again, and the result 
 entered in the column " Tea after sifting/' Doing this is 
 
 W
 
 MANAGEMENT. 
 
 156 
 
 very important, for it chocks theft. Directly after it is 
 weighed this second time it is put in the bins in the store. 
 
 Daily Leaf and Tea Account. 
 
 TEA RESULTS. 
 
 LEAF RESULTS. 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 Tickets. 
 
 1 
 
 Flushes. 
 
 ^ 
 
 Date. 
 
 I 
 1 
 1 
 
 Tea made. 
 
 j 
 
 Tea after it is 
 
 State of leaf. 
 
 J 
 
 1 
 
 Number of G 
 
 20 
 
 , 
 
 22 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 f 
 
 3 
 
 
 17" 
 
 
 
 October 
 
 
 
 
 
 220W. 
 
 
 \ 
 
 5 
 
 310 
 
 
 
 ,, 
 
 
 Sunday, 1st 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 600 D. 
 
 410 
 
 360J 
 
 7 
 
 112 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 
 228 
 
 S?0 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ( 
 
 3 
 
 " 
 
 51.) 
 
 " 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 | 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Monday, 2nd 
 
 198 
 
 200 
 
 21 
 
 199 
 
 D. 
 
 462 
 
 440 { 
 
 9 
 
 lift 
 
 )f 
 
 M 
 
 9. -5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 \ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ( 
 
 1 
 
 430 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 \ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Tuesday, 3rd 
 
 231 
 
 230 
 
 25 
 
 233 
 
 W. 
 
 200 
 
 180 < 
 
 2 
 
 f> 
 
 tt 
 
 liJO 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 L 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 210 
 
 
 
 HOO 
 
 Wednesday, 4th ... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Thursday, 5th 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Friday, 6th 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Saturday, 7th 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Total for the week 
 
 
 
 32 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 S 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 this system is cai&^cfourno Tea (exceeding a It) or so) 
 
 ' . a^y^^f'ct^r'e^f 
 
 can be stolen, without its being at once/missed, and the 
 importance of this cannot be el^^erated. Tea proprietors 
 do not guess liow much is lost ni this w4y. Maund^upon 
 inaunds might be stolen in many gardens, and unless the 
 theft were accidentally discovered, there is nothing- in the 
 Tea accounts to show it to the manager.
 
 MANAGEMENT. 157 
 
 I have suppositiously filled/up the three first days of the 
 form. The 820 lt>s. leaf picked on Sunday is made into Tea 
 on Monday. The 198 is written down Sunday evening. 
 On Tuesday morning when the Tea is weighed and found to 
 be 200 Ibs., that is entered in the Monday line as also the 
 percentage. On Tuesday evening after it is sifted and made 
 into different Teas, it is weighed again and found to be 199 
 bs., and so entere d. ... _x 
 
 In dry weather after sifting,,^ wing to dust flying onyft is 
 always a little less. In wet weather, on the contrary, it 
 increases in weight. In jthe Tuesday line where " W" shows 
 
 lit was a wet day and the Tea 230 Ibs. before sifting-, is 233 
 
 A i mi 'wu>+**i*^<x-. *b W&e*x**y r*f> *tr~ 
 
 afterwards. Ihis is owing to moisture ^bi^ra.^aiid it is the 
 
 only objection to sifting daily, whatever the weather. The 
 advantages of the plan though are so great, as explained, 
 that I put up with this, and practically I do not find it detri- 
 mental. Of course, as previously explained, all moisture is 
 driven off before the Tea is packed. However, to make all 
 quite safe, after a very wet damp day, the Teas might be 
 redried for a few minutes over charcoal before being put into 
 their respective bins. I do not do this myself though, and 
 do not think it necessary. 
 
 I hope now I have made the above form plain. It is in a 
 book and each page will hold one week. The total of the 
 Tea made in the week is added up and shown at foot, and 
 that amount is then transferred to the credit side of the Tea 
 store account. Thus (see both forms) 16 maunds, 32 Ibs. is 
 credited. 
 
 The form given below is also kept in a book, and the total 
 of the right hand side, subtracted from the left, gives at any 
 time the quantity of Tea in store. 
 
 DIVISION OF SUBTROPICAL HORTICUi 
 COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE 
 BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA
 
 158 
 
 MANAGEMENT. 
 
 Tea Store Account. 
 
 KXCEIPTS. 
 
 EXPENDITURE. 
 
 Week ending 
 on Saturday. 
 
 Tea made in 
 week. 
 
 Total. 
 
 Date. 
 
 1 
 
 is 
 
 To whom. 
 
 i g 
 
 .5 '1 
 J" 
 
 Total. 
 
 
 Mds. 
 
 fta.JMds. 
 
 BM 
 
 
 z 
 
 
 Mds. 
 
 fts. Mds. 
 
 *,. 
 
 Brought 
 over 
 
 
 
 
 405 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 Brought 
 over 
 
 
 
 3,1 
 
 14 
 
 October 
 
 7th 
 
 16 
 
 32 
 
 
 
 October 
 
 3 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 40 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 
 1 1th 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ilst 
 
 17 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 73 25 
 
 
 
 -"ith 
 
 14 
 
 40 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 63 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Carried oyer 
 
 
 I! 
 Carried over 
 j 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Kegarding account^ between the 
 
 11. 
 
 and ms 
 
 manager 
 
 employers I think they should bepf the simplest kind. If 
 a man can be~~trusted. he shomd^Q trusted, if he cannot, no 
 
 <4*e> Jit*f+ 0fe-r-r &*. t-ctiCj e^ 
 
 system of accounts/ will restrain him. and he should be kicked 
 
 ** f . t T^c6^'t-^*< f .&-C-<S* *--* +-^ 
 
 out. A simple account-current furnished monthly, showing 
 under few heads the receipts and expenditure, is all that can 
 be required. It is not by any papers received from a manager 
 that an opinion can be expressed as to how he does his work, 
 and how the plantation progresses. A competent person 
 visiting the garden can easily ascertain, and in default of
 
 159 
 
 this, and combined with this, the only true test is the Balance 
 Sheet at the end of each season. 
 
 Shortly, it is not by the form, the nicety, the detail of 
 accounts between manager and employer, that success is 
 insured or even forwarded. It is, as far as accounts are 
 concerned, by the forms and system the manager adopts as 
 between him and his subordinates, and these he should be 
 able to show are good to the employer, or any one deputed 
 by him to visit the garden. 
 
 The profit shown yearly, whether it is large or small, all 
 things considered, is however still the only true ultimate 
 test.
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 COST OF MANUFACTURE, PACKING, TRANSPORT, &c. 
 THIS is as follows : It will vary more or less according 
 
 e^aSf^t^i .&* A**-') 1*+*n ff-err'-*'*' 
 
 to the/sjKJg!, r^rte of w^tges, &c., but in the form the tables are 
 given, it not suitable to any case, it can^easgy be made so. 
 
 I have added Sorting, Packing, Freight to Calcutta, and 
 Broker's Charges in Calcutta, to the cost, so that all is 
 ^npmoed from the moment the green leaf is picked off the 
 trees till the hammer falls at the public auction. 
 
 Table cost of Manufacture, Sorting, Packing, Transport to 
 Calcutta, and Broker's Charges for each maund of Tea. 
 
 Ks. As. P. Us. As. P. 
 Manufacture. 
 
 1 head man with the pickers, say 040 
 
 320 Ibs. green leaf picked, at 1 pice 
 
 perlb.* ... ... 5 
 
 1 man withering above leaf, at say 
 
 4 annas ... ... 4 
 
 \ share head man in Rolling- 
 house ... ... 2 
 
 10 men rolling above, at 30 Ibs. 
 leaf per man, and say 4 annas 
 per man j^^-- 2 10 8 
 
 i-boy clearing out ashes of Dhole 
 
 house, at say 2 annas ... 
 
 Carried over ... 
 
 * In practice the basket in which the leaf is measured being made to 
 hold 24 Ibs., for which a ticket is given, representing 2 pice, the leaf to make 
 a uiuuud of Tea does not really cost so much.
 
 COST OF MANUFACTURE. 101 
 
 Rs. As. P. Rs. As. P. 
 
 Brought forward ... 8 5 2 
 
 share head man in Dhole house 020 
 
 1 man firing " Dhole work" say 040 
 | maund charcoal for Dhole work, 
 
 at 8 annas ... ... G 
 
 Lights for night work, viz., turn- 
 ing green leaf and dholing, 
 
 say . /,.. ... 4 
 
 *t,Qs+^* J&Jfar JL-++ <JAygs\J^t~&**~&^*-~ 
 
 Wear ?fad tear oFdhallas, baskets, 
 picking baskets, fuel for arti- 
 ficial withering, &c. ... 1 10 
 
 970 
 
 Sifting and Sorting. 
 l\ boys to pick out red leaf, at 
 
 say 2 annas ... ... 3 
 
 1 sifting man, at say 4 annas ... 4 
 Wear and tear of sieves, say ... 3 
 
 073 
 
 Packing. 
 Ibox ... ... ... 1 13 
 
 4 sheets lead, viz., 2 large and 2 
 
 small ... ... 1 6 
 
 Labor of lining box with lead, 
 solder, closing lead, closing 
 wooden box, stamping, and cost 
 of nails ... ... 9 
 
 Labor of drying previous to pack- 
 ing, whether in sun, or over 
 Dholes, including charcoal, if 
 the latter are used 009 
 
 Carried over 3 5 9 14
 
 162 COST OF MANUFACTURE. 
 
 Rs. As. P. Rs. As. P. 
 
 Brought forward ... 3 5 9 14 3 
 
 Labor of filling the box, shaking 
 it well, and pressing down the 
 Tea (2 men) ... ... 6 
 
 356 
 
 Transport. 
 Freight to Calcutta for one maund 
 
 Tea, say ... ... 1 12 
 
 1 12 
 
 Broker's charges in Calcutta. 
 
 &<&Vjeit**~ 
 
 Landing, lotting, and advertising 
 
 per chest ... ... 14 
 
 Brokerage at 1 per cent, on the 
 amount sale, say Rs. 70 for 
 the maund ... ... 11 3 
 
 193 
 
 Total for one maund Tea ... 16 90* 
 
 N.B. If more than two maunds Tea are made per day, 
 some of the items under head of " Manufacture" would be a 
 little less. See page 70 where it will be seen that each 
 maund of Tea is worth to the manufacturer (after deducting 
 all costs) Rs. 50. 
 
 * After experience has shown me this amount, when any quantity of Tea 
 is made, ia too high Rs. 15 or 15-8 would be nearer the mark.
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 COST OF MAKING A 300-ACRE TEA GARDEN. 
 
 IN the following estimate 100 acres is supposed to be 
 planted the first, 100 acres the second, and 100 acres the 
 third year. / _^7 /V 
 
 To elucidate a table! shall draw up in the next chapter 
 showing the probable receipts and expenditure on such a 
 garden for a series of years, I shall suppose this plantation to 
 be begun in ISTo^and number the years accordingly. 
 
 The expenditurewould^iily, in the supposed case, begin in 
 the latter part of 1874, but it is more convenient to regard it 
 as commencing 1st January 1875, and thus keep each year 
 separate. ^ ^, 
 
 I estimate all new cultivation as planted " at stake/' that is, 
 the seed sown in situ. Nurseries are only to fill up vacancies. 
 
 I shall not pretend in this to go into minute details, such 
 as are given at (page 83), for it is simply impossible to 
 
 f>&C f#r*-77-^L-* . f ^*"-<^/^<{ zuyzVeyc- 
 
 do so. The cost 01 making a^antation. must/vary greatly, 
 being determined by climate, avaitaufe laoor and its rat 
 
 of laud, nature of jungle to/clear, &c^&cT In this 
 estimate only round numbers can be dealt with. The prices 
 
 T <?zje/e-7^*- '^- -** *<# f-e* fc*faf**<> ( 
 
 I assume are ave^Piig^r ones, neither suited to very heavy 
 jungle, and very expensive labor, or the reverse : 
 
 linear (1875). Es. Rs. 
 
 Purchase 700 acres land, at Rs. 8 per acre ... 5,600 
 
 40 rnaunds seed, at Rs. 70 (') ... . ... 2,800 
 
 Nurseries for vacancies and labor transplanting (') ... 200 
 
 First temporary buildings ... ... ... 1,000 
 
 Carried over Rs. ... 9,600 
 
 (1). The cost for seed, nurseries, and transplanting iucreases each year as the area, 
 over wliich vacancies my exist, euiarges.
 
 164 
 
 COST OF MAKING A GARDEN. 
 
 Brought forward Rs. ... 
 
 All expenditure to plant 100 acres, at Rs. 80 per 
 
 Acre( 2 ) 
 Cultivating the said 100 acres first year, at Rs. 50 per 
 
 acre (') 
 
 2nd year (1876). 
 60 maunds seed, at Rs. 70 ( l ) 
 Nurseries and labor transplanting (') 
 Repairs, buildings and some new ones still of a tem- 
 porary nature ... ... ... ... 
 
 All expenditure to plant the second 100 acres, at Rs. 70 
 
 per acre ( 2 ) 
 Cultivating first 100 acres, at Rs. 60, second 100 acres, 
 
 at Rs. 50 per acre ( 3 ) 
 
 3rd year (1877). 
 70 maunds seeds, at Rs. 70 (') 
 Nurseries and labor transplanting (') 
 Buildings for Tea manufacture (temporary) and repairs 
 
 to buildings ... ... ... 
 
 All expenditure to plant the third 100 acres, at Rs. 60 
 
 per acre ( 2 ) 
 Cultivating first 100 acres, at Rs. 70, second at Rs. 60, 
 
 third at Rs. 50 per acre ( 3 ) 
 
 
 
 Interest on first year's outlay two and a half years, 
 second year's outlay one and a half years, third 
 year's outlay half year, at Rs. j> per cent, per annum 
 
 Total expense to make the 300-acre garden 
 
 9,GOO 
 Rs. Rs, 
 
 8,000 
 5,000 
 
 4,200 
 300 
 
 22,600 
 
 23,000 
 
 32,300 
 
 5,357 
 
 83,257 
 
 The garden is now made at a cost, including interest on all outlay of 
 Rs. 83,257, and I am very confident thata good 300-acregarden can 
 
 as set out, be made for that sum. The rates assume^nTso libewfHhaT **7 
 ******* tt><^ " 
 
 a fair margin is allowed forbad seed or any other misfortune. 
 
 ('). The cost for seed, nurseries, and transplanting increases each year as the area, over 
 which vacancies may exist, enlarges. 
 
 ( 2 ). The expenditure for planting the 100 acres each year includes cutting and clear- 
 ing jungle, removing roots, digging, staking, pitting, and sowing the seed. In fact all 
 expenditure including part of the puy of Manager and Establishment. The rate per acre 
 decrease! each year, because each year there is more expenditure of other kinds, which 
 helps to pay for the Manager and Establishment. 
 
 ( 3 ). The reason why the rate for cultivation on the 100 acres planted each of the three 
 first years increases each year, is given in the Table and remarks at pages 83 & 84.
 
 COST OF MAKING A GARDEN. 
 
 165 
 
 Brought forward Rs. ... 83,257 
 Mkyear (1878). 
 
 20 maunds seed, at Rs. 70 ( 4 ) ... ... 1,400 
 
 Nurseries and labor transplanting ( 4 ) ... ... 500 
 
 Repairs, buildings ( 5 ) ... ... ... 500 
 
 Cultivating first 100 acres, at Rs. 80, second at Rs. 70, 
 third at Rs. 60 per acre () 
 
 5th year (1879). 
 10 maunds seed, at Rs. 70 ( 4 ) 
 Nurseries and labor transplanting ( 4 ) ... ... 
 
 Repairs, buildings ( 5 ) ... 
 
 Cultivating first 100 acres, at Rs. 90, second at Rs. 80, 
 third at Rs. 70 per acre ( 6 ) 
 
 6th year (1880). 
 Nurseries and labor transplanting ( 4 ) ... ... 
 
 Repairs, buildings ( 5 ) 
 
 Cultivating first 100 acres, at Rs. 100, second at Rs. 90, 
 third at Rs. 80 per acre ( 6 ) 
 
 7th year (1881). 
 
 Nurseries and labor transplanting ( 4 ) 
 Building a permanent Tea Factory and Tea Store and 
 
 repairs to buildings ( 5 ) ... ... 
 
 Cultivating first 100 acres, at Rs. 100, second at Rs. 100, 
 
 third at Rs. 90 per acre ( 6 ) 
 
 Bth year 
 
 Nurseries and labor transplanting ( 4 ) ... ... 
 
 New permanent houses for Manager and Assistant and 
 
 repairs, buildings ( 5 ) 
 Cultivating first, second, and third 100 acres, at 
 
 Rs. 100 per acre ( 6 ) 
 
 21,000 
 
 700 
 500 
 500 
 
 24,003 
 
 500 
 500 
 
 27,000 
 
 500 
 12,500 
 
 29,000 
 
 500 
 
 23,400 
 
 25,700 
 
 28,000 
 
 42,000 
 
 39,000 
 
 (*) The seed to be bought is now less each year, as it is produced on the garden, and 
 after the fifth year no more has to be purchased. From the fourth, and all subsequent years, 
 nurseries for vacancies are calculated at Ks. 500 which is enough, as the garden has been 
 previously yearly replenished. This expenditure will be continual as long as the garden 
 lasts, for there will always be some vacancies to replace. 
 
 ( 5 ). Rupees 500 is a fair sum to estimate for ordinary annual repairs to buildings, and it 
 will be required as long as the garden lasts. A temporary Factory was made in 1877 and 
 a permanent building is now allowed for in 1881. Permnnent Manager's and Assistant's 
 houses are also allowed for in 18S2. The garden can afford this now, for the profits are 
 large. (See Table at page ). 
 
 ( 6 ). For the rates assumed here see page 83. 
 
 cnc nc
 
 166 COST OF MAKING A GARDEN. 
 
 9M year (1883), and all years after. 
 
 Nurseries, at Rs. 500 () .. ... 1 , nnn 
 
 Repairs, buildings, at Rs. 500 ( s ) ... ... J *' 
 
 Cultivating the 3 acres, at Rs. 1 per acre ( 6 ) ... 30,000 
 
 31,000 
 
 Nothing is allowed for interest after the third year, for soon after that, 
 viz. fifth year, the garden begins to give profits on the yearly operations. 
 
 All the above figures are carried out in the Table in the next Chapter 
 page 171, and how large the profits on Tea may be will there be seen. 
 
 In none of the estimates of cost, up to this, is the expense 
 of manufacturing the Tea included. It would have been 
 very inconvenient to do so. The cost is so much per man ad of 
 Tea, and I prefer estimating the Tea at its market rate minus 
 the cost of manufacture as shown at pages 162 and 70. 
 
 (*). The seed to be bought is now less each year, as it is produced on the garden, and 
 after the fifth year no more has to be purchased. From the fourth, aud all subsequent years, 
 nurseries for vacancies are calculated at Ha. 500, which is enough, as the garden has been 
 previou>ly yearly replenished. This expenditure will be continual as long as the garden 
 lasts, for there will always be some vacancies to replace. 
 
 (5). Rupees 500 is a fair sum to estimate for ordinary annual repairs to buildings, and it 
 will be required as long as the garden lasts. A temporary Factory was made in 1877 and 
 a permanent building is now allowed for in 1881. Permanent Manager's and Assistant's 
 houses are also allowed for in 18S2. The garden can afford thia now, for the profits are 
 large. (See Table at page 171). 
 
 (6). For the rates assumed here, see page 83.
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 HOW MUCH PROFIT TEA CAN GIVE. 
 
 WE havo already estimated the cost of making and cultivat- 
 ing a plantation of 300 acres. We must now ascertain how 
 much Tea that area will give yearly. 
 
 It is a very wide question what produce an acre of Tea 
 will give. 
 
 The following- is an extract from the " Report of the Com- 
 missioners appointed to enquire into the state and prospects 
 of Tea cultivation in Assam and Cachar," addressed to the 
 Government of Bengal and dated March 1868 : 
 
 " Average produce per acre" 
 
 " The returns of actual produce of gardens in 1867 which we 
 have obtained are so few in number that it is impossible to take 
 any general average from them. The produce in these varies 
 from three and-a-half rnaunds to one and-a-half maund per acres 
 omitting the more recently formed gardens. 
 
 " Prom information received during our tonr we have reason 
 to believe that some gardens produce mm;e than the highest rate 
 
 ' 
 
 per acre here mentioned ; but, in the ab^enc^of returns ofi/foa'ct 
 
 ^ we^annot notice these instances. 
 
 " Nr. Haworth, in his pamphlet already qu0lea, speaks of the 
 produce of Cachar gardens as follows : 
 
 '"I believe that three maunds per acre is fully one-third more 
 than the present average yield of gardens in Cachar, after deduct- 
 ing the area of plant under yielding age. 
 
 " ' There is no reason, that I 'am^i\vj$e of, why the yield of Tea 
 should not soon be raised to four maunds, and more gradually 
 six maunds per acre, equal to twenty-four maunds of leaf per acre 
 (less than one ton per acre for a green crop, which is still a very 
 small one). Even now there are gardens in Cachar which give 
 
 t^ fLfUI^Ct^.
 
 168 PKOFIT. 
 
 au average of from five to six rnaunds per acre this season. Some 
 of these gardens have really no apparent advantage over their 
 less fortunate neighbours, beyond that of a somewhat better 
 system of cultivation and pruning; and these improvements even 
 are to such a small degree ahead of the general practice, that I 
 feel justified in saying I cannot place a limit on what the in- 
 creased yield should be under a more rational system of cultiva- 
 tion, and the application of manures on a liberal scale, leaving 
 out of consideration altogether what might reasonably be expected 
 from a good system of drainage in addition.' 
 
 " Mr. James Stuart, Manager of the Bengal Tea Company's 
 gardens in Cachar, has also given two mauuds an acre as the 
 general average of Cachar gardens for the past season, including 
 young gardens of two, three, and four years old. 
 
 " We do not think it necessary to quote in detail the opinions 
 of all the gentlemen examined by us on the subject of average 
 produce per acre. A garden that can give four rnaunds per acre 
 is undoubtedly a good one ; and we have no doubt there are such 
 or even better ; but we do not think they are so common as to 
 warrant our taking more than three inaunds as a safe average." 
 
 Mr. A. 0. Campbell, Extra Assistant Commissioner at 
 Burpettah, in his " Notes on Tea cultivation in Assam/' pub- 
 lished in the Journal of the Agricultural and Horticultural 
 Society of India, Part 3, Vol. 12, page 309, says : " Good 
 Tea land can be made to yield as high as seven maunds per 
 poora." I forget exactly how much a poora is, but I believe 
 it is near an acre. 
 
 In the Report to Government by the Commissioners, quoted 
 above, at page 9, Mr. T. Burland, after estimating- the cost of 
 cultivation per acre per mensem at Us. 9-10-2, adds : 
 " With the above expenditure per acre it is probable that much 
 more than five maunds of Tea will be obtained from an acre 
 of fair plant. "*" 
 
 * See my estimate for cultivation at page 83. I there estimate Ks. 100 per 
 acre per annum from the sixth year, so that Mr Burland six years ago had 
 come to the same opiuiou about high cultivation that I hold.
 
 PROFIT. 
 
 All these estimates, though but the last, are based on the 
 cultivation of Tea as carried on hitherto with few exceptions, 
 that is to say, on gardens covered with weeds for many months 
 in the year, and to which no manure has ever been given. 
 With such cultivation, particularly on gardens planted on 
 slopes, 1 think myself that the yield will not exceed four 
 maunds at the outside. 
 
 High cultivation and liberal manuring will, I believe, at 
 least double the above, if the plants are of a high class. How- 
 ever here I give a Table on the subject which I have carefully 
 framed. 
 
 Estimate of probable yield per acre on flat land, good soil, in a 
 good Tea climate) and with hybrid plants, if really high 
 cultivation and liberal manuring is carried out. 
 
 Year. 
 
 Supposed Year. 
 
 Estimated yield per 
 acre in maunds.* 
 
 1st 
 
 1875 
 
 
 2nd 
 
 1876 
 
 ... . 
 
 3rd 
 
 1877 
 
 
 4th 
 
 1878 
 
 2 
 
 6th 
 
 1879f 
 
 4, 
 
 6th 
 
 1880 
 
 5 
 
 7th 
 
 1881 
 
 6 
 
 8th 
 
 1882 
 
 7 
 
 9th 
 
 1883 
 
 7i 
 
 10th 
 
 1884J 
 
 8 
 
 * Calculating Tea by maunds is convenient, inasmuch as pounds necessitate 
 such lengthy figures for all calculations. The maund here employed is how- 
 ever quite an arbitrary measure. It is not the Indian maund, it equals and 
 is represented exactly by 80 Ibs. Any number of maunds multiplied by 80 
 will naturally give the Ibs. of Tea. 
 
 f Up to this point, viz., the fifth year inclusive, the figures given have 
 been much more than realized and that on a garden with 15 per cent, vacan- 
 cies. It has been though highly cultivated and liberally manured from the 
 
 J From the fifth to the tenth year is assumptionj^cept that I know one 
 garden which, to my certain knowledge, has given more than ten maunds an 
 acre, and this in spite of about 15 per cent, vacancies. The garden is 
 an old one, planted about 18 years ago. It is also a very small one. The soil 
 is very poor, but the plants are of the highest class. It was much neglected 
 till about eight years ago. From that time it has been highly cultivated in 
 every way except in the point of irrigation, for it has not that advantage. It 
 has been most liberally manured.
 
 170 PROFIT. 
 
 I do not think plants reach to perfect maturity under ten 
 years. Certainly not with ordinary cultivation, perhaps with 
 high cultivation, seven j-ears would suffice. 
 
 That eight maunds per acre as estimated in the table just 
 given can be realized, under the conditions stated, I have no 
 doubt whatever, but I am equally certain that the size of 
 some gardens in India must be much reduced if even five or 
 six maunds are looked for. Not only must they be reduced in 
 size, but they must be highly cultivated, must be manured, 
 
 and no vacancies allowed.. However, I haveMJGrefTon all 
 Al . , , , -S-fJu^/ 4* 4*ie*;*7**** 1 -"'' , 
 
 these points before, and nee^ not repeat here, for unless 
 
 the reader is convinced before this that a large area and low 
 
 . . ~~&- V^&tfe&sfttdr . 
 
 cultivation won t pay, it were wa^te/to write more. 
 
 I now give a table showing the result for 12 years of a 
 plantation such as I have advised.
 
 PBOF1T. 
 
 171 
 
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 6801 A 
 
 3 a" S" e" 5 ? S" a" ! I = ; I 
 
 3 
 
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 ss : . : . . : : (M 05 t-_ 
 
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 K" o" " 
 
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 s 
 
 rnctnm 
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 wjd 840B 
 
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 aaas jad pjai^ 
 
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 3 : 1 I ! * S5 S S S S3 
 
 *""' "^^HWtO^OiO^-r^ 
 
 OL V 7.91 
 
 saSsd 938 'pajonpap 9JB ^jodsnBJ} pnB 'autJioBd 
 'ajtn3BjnnBra jo isoa jays 'pnnBra jad'os '81 
 
 I | | | | 
 
 IN US 
 
 -' : 
 
 o> o <- 
 
 it 
 
 . 
 
 1
 
 172 PROFIT. 
 
 The necessities for success in Tea are : 
 
 1. A good climate. 
 
 2. A good site. c*^p*~j' 
 
 3. Perfect knowledge in Tea cultivation and Tea 
 
 manufacture on the proprietor's part or that of his 
 manager. 
 
 4. Seed from a high class of plants. 
 
 5. Local or cheap imported labor. 
 
 6. Facilities for manuring. 
 
 7. Cheap transport. 
 
 Do not dispense though with even one of the seven points 
 named, for the truth is simply, that Tea will pay very well 
 with all the above advantages, but will utterly fail without 
 them. 
 
 Such is my advice to intending beginners. To those who 
 have gardens, I say, reduce your areas till of the size you 
 can really cultivate them highly, and procure manure at any 
 cost. 
 
 I shall not have written in vain, and Tea enterprize in 
 India will flourish, if the motto of planters in future be 
 " A full area, highly cultivated."
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF INDIAN TEA. 
 
 A FEW words on the past, the present, and the future of 
 Indian Tea will now conclude this Essay, and will, I hope, 
 be acceptable to the reader. , 
 
 The subject is one of growing importance, but being a new 
 one, there are points connected with it "on which the public 
 are .very ignorant, and should be enlightened. 
 
 To begin with, the following facts are not disputed by 
 those who know anything of the subject : 
 
 (1). . Indian Teas have far more body, that is strength, 
 than China Teas. 
 
 (2). Indian Teas consequently command a higher price, 
 at the London sales, than China Teas. 
 
 (3). ,In spite of its hjgher price, it is far more economical 
 than the -China produce, as, generally speaking, one-third of 
 the quantity suffices. 
 
 (4) . There are lands enough in India to grow all the Tea 
 required for England's use, and indeed for all her colonies. 
 
 If these are facts, and I confidently affirm they are so, 
 how is it that the following holds in England? 
 , (\). Indian Tea is not known to the public. 
 
 (2). Except in one or two shops in London and Glasgow, 
 unknown to the mass of the people, not an ounce of pure 
 Indian Tea can be bought in all England. 
 
 (3). That India is even a Tea-producing country is 
 scarcely known in England. 
 
 I think I can explain some of these anomalies. 
 
 Tea is an acquired taste; by which I mean, not only that 
 the adult who had never tasted Tea would not like it when 
 first offered to him, but also that, with those who consume
 
 174 PAST AND FUTURE OF INDIAN TEA. 
 
 it regularly, any Tea that differs in flavor from what is 
 habitually drunk is not relished. ** s*t+e# ^mJtJ&zj^^ 
 
 It matters not whether it is int rinsically better or worse, 
 enough that .the^ flavor is different, for that reason it is not 
 liked. 
 
 Indian Tea differs widely from China Tea, and for that 
 reason is rarely appreciated by those accustomed to the latter. 
 a long time it appeared as if this difficulty w r ould be a 
 ar to the general introduction of Indian Teas in England, 
 and so indeed it would hia/ve^^oved/had the short-sighted 
 policy adopted at the comme ncement by one /ir two Indian 
 Companies, that their Teas should be sold retail ^apKffe, ^ 
 / ,that is unmixed with China, been followed out. It did not 
 *^ jfvail to tell John Bull it was better Tea, that it was far 
 
 . aju-r, ^^^*F <&<*st4>'e'&*6&f' 4***^* 
 
 stronger, that it was in/ no \yay /adulterated ; tor he simply 
 shook his head, the flavor was different to what use had 
 made him familiar, and he would none of it. 
 
 ut little by little, in spite of the .above, it made Us way. 
 rocers soon found that the 'worst' id esf thewal:5Fclass of 
 
 China Teas received body and were made *saTeaaJe byan addi- 
 tion of Indian Tea. It was not long after this that the trade 
 discovered that pretty well all China Teas were improved, if 
 proportions of Indian Teas were mixed with them. In 
 short, the fact was recognized by Tea vendors that China Teas 
 were weak, and much improved if mix ed with Indian, ^_ 
 
 mi, ur *u j i ** -f*?~*&&* ** +*t 
 
 Ihe public were thus educated to relish the superior 
 
 flavor of Indian Tea, and did so, when the quantity mixed 
 with the China was not so great as to make the new flavor 
 too "prouonce." Little by little the custom of so mixing 
 became very general, so much so that it may almost be said 
 to-day that if Indian Teas cannot be purchased pure, no 
 more can China. A mixture of China and Indian Tea, the 
 latter small as compared with the former, is what is now 
 g euerally used in Great Britain.
 
 PAST AND FUTURE OF INDIAN TEA. 175 
 
 This is the case to-day. ^Q m ^ w iU ^ be in the future? 
 
 As the Englisli/pahiTeis educated to like the flavor of 
 Indian Tea, more and more of it will be demanded in the 
 mixture made up for the public, and though the day is dis- 
 
 , *<>x ***** L**f . l J 
 
 taut, nay may never arrive on account or its greater cost ; 
 when it will be generally drunk pure, I do not myself doubt 
 that the demand for it will go on steadily increasing for 
 years to come, as it has for years passed. 
 
 It is an important quer^ if, with a largely increased 
 demand, the supply will be equal to it. Very far from 
 all India has a good Tea climate, which is a peculiar one, 
 and only exists in perfection in Assam, Cachar, Chittagong, 
 and lands in Bengal close to the foot of the Himalayas. 
 
 But iu these d ! stricts alone there are lands sufficient to 
 supply nearly the whole world with Tea, so that it is not the 
 lands which areAranting, though the.Gpvernment prices for 
 the lands are prohibitory and will cnecKcultivation. But 
 in Assam, Cachar, and the Terai below the Himalayas labor 
 is very scarce, while in Chittagong the area fit for Tea is 
 not large, so that I do not anticipate any very sudden 
 increase of the cultivation, though year by year it is on the 
 increase, and will so continue. ' 
 
 On the other hand, I do not, for the reasons stated, viz., that 
 Tea is an acquired taste, and thus a new kind is not at first 
 
 p^ataBS^utfcipate any very sudden increase in the demand. 
 
 T & <rW *MAfaf. c ii- 
 
 If, however, I am ^frongf and from a largely increased 
 
 demand the prices of Indian Teas rise, I do not doubt that 
 the cultivation will be quickly extended, and that after an 
 interval of four years (it takes that time for the Tea plant to 
 produce) the supply will be equal to the then wants of the 
 English market.^ JL/e&^^ 
 
 The future of Indian Tea is, I think, a bright one, and I 
 know nothing in which capital can be more profitably invest- 
 ed if the business is conducted with knowledge and expert-
 
 17G PAST AND FUTURE OF INDIAN TEA. 
 
 ence, but to embark iii it without these two requisites is 
 ruination. 
 
 A few figures may be given here. The imports into 
 Great Britain of Indian Teas have been yearly increasing, 
 till in 1873 they amounted to 18,36'7*,0'00 M pounds, and 
 judging from the estimate out here of the produce this year, 
 viz., 1874, the imports into Great Britain in 1874 will not 
 be far short of twenty millions of pounds. 
 
 But as the annual consumption of Tea in the United 
 Kingdom is not less than one hundred and thirty millions 
 of pounds, India is still very far from supplying enough to 
 give a mixture of fth China and th Indian Tea. 
 
 The finest China Tea sells m LondoiV^laoncL at 2s7^4e/. to 
 2s. 6d., while the finest IndiaM^m rjon5^etcTes^s?to3s. Gd., 
 and I believe the London Tea-dealers would haul with satis- 
 faction the a3vent o^rnuch larger imports of the latter. 
 
 What then will be the future of Indian Tea? It is an 
 important query. The industry is one which, if successful, 
 mio-ht attain to wide limits, and help not a little/to x relievo 
 
 . . . '*^^$*4iT*^ U-* 
 
 the Indian State Exchequer, while it would afford q^wpation 
 to many of a class of Englishmen who at present look about 
 in vain for employment, -a--* -*y*J~+-t' ~ 
 
 Tea speculation has passed throuo-h ihe first t\vo preliminary 
 i i-u -25T*^S 1 .4*r!tapl' 
 
 phases to which most new^ventures are liableX First we 
 
 had the wild rush, the TmacTfever, when every man 'thought 
 that to own a few Tea bushes was to realise wealth. In 
 those days existing plantations were bought at eight and ten 
 times their value; nominal areas of 500 acres were paid for, 
 
 ,,-L,. &&*$ e~eJfb i srr^lZ&i* ^jbuJc-tyA-yt*^*- 
 
 whicF, on su*seq4ent measure lament, proved to fee under 100 ; 
 new gardens were commenced on impossible sites and by 
 men as .managers who not only did not know a Tea-plant 
 from a cafmage, "but who were equally io-norant' of the com- 
 monest rules of agriculture. ' Boards^alily paid, with 
 Secretaries still more liberally remunerated, were formed
 
 PAST AND FUTURE OF INDIAN TEA. 177 
 
 both in Calcutta and London to carry on the /enterprise : 
 
 <&+,. j^ 
 and. in short, money was lavished in every cbnceivaDlo way//? 
 
 while mismanage"ment ran rampautTn.each /denartment. It 
 is not strange that the whole thing collapsea,the wonder 
 is it did not do so earlier. 
 
 The second stage was then entered unpn. , Numbers 
 j^+v^fU** **+? 'Z**4f++*, fa** 
 
 / been bitten, and the idea, once formed, grew apace that Tea 
 
 could not pay at all. Every one wanted to ^11^/and down 
 went all Tea shares to a figure which only increased the 
 general panic. Many Companies, and not a few individuals, 
 unable to carry on, had to wind up and sell their estates for 
 whatever they would fetch. Gardens that had cost lakhs were 
 sold for as many hundreds, and the very word ' Tea^ stunk 
 in the nosr$8ofuie commercial public. A few of the best 
 Companies held on, as also such individuals embarked in the 
 speculation as could \veamer jfhe storm ; but some of the 
 Companies were bowed'aown with heavy debts, and it 
 
 i -,! c ^ L ,1*e n J^e4i+~** e4 
 
 has been, with many from that cause, a losing race ever 
 since. / , 
 
 jfij^jt 4fi^JL->/& ^*J* i*/C? 
 
 This great smajifi Q0cu:pred seven years ago. I purpose, 
 therefore, to examine into the future prospects of the indus- 
 try, now that time has been given to test its vitality. Naturally 
 the mistakes made at the first have not been repeated since, 
 so the speculation has had more or less of a fair chance to 
 show what it can do. 
 
 In the first place the Share List of Tea Companies in the 
 public prints does not at all represent the true position of Tea 
 property to-day. It only gives the dividends declared, and 
 the value of the shares, in those few limitecfliability Com- 
 panies which were able to weather the storm, but who, in 
 common with all the others, were bowed down with debt, 
 and are suffering up to the present time, both from that and 
 the numberless mistakes made at the commencement of the 
 enterprise. There are a few notable exceptions even among
 
 178 PAST AND FUTURE OF INDIAN TEA. 
 
 the Tea Companies. Some of these have done very well, pay 
 large "dividends and are quoted at a high premium, which 
 shows that Tea can and will pay even with the disadvantages 
 attached to limited liability Companies. I mean that in these 
 latter work is always expensively done, and that much of the 
 profits'aresw^ulowedup by Secretaries, Directors, &c., besides 
 which generally from' interested motives the Teas are ~serit 
 
 v home for 'sale which private planters know from experience 
 is 720V tie 1Jest plan. 
 
 But to return to the Share List. The very many gardens 
 held by firms or private individuals are absent, and inas- 
 much as many of thase were begun more lately, and conse- 
 
 -. quently, the bluntrcgg: mime in other gardens were avoided^ib 
 is evident that their position, if it coulfl be ascertained, 
 would give the true picture needed. 
 
 There is one class of plantations Which it would be by no 
 y , ineans .fair to include. I mean those gardens bought for a 
 mere songaurihg the panic. On many of these necessarily 
 enormous profits have been made, but it proves nothing, inas- 
 much as the profits, to be legitimate profits for criticism, 
 should on the debit side include the whole cost incurred in 
 making- the plantation. To form a fair appreciation of the 
 profits Tea-planting can give, we must select gardens con- 
 structed after knowledge on the subject was attained, where 
 good management, combined with economy in all details, has 
 been carried out, and where the necessary natural conditions 
 for success exists. 
 
 But first let me explain what I mean by the " necessary 
 natural conditions for success." Manageable areas ; flat or 
 nearly flat land for the garden; a good class of indigenous 
 and hybrid plants ; local labor or any how a good proportion 
 of this ; facilities for manuring ; a good soil ; a good Tea 
 climate ; and cheap means of transport constitute these, and 
 where they exist I hold Tea must, and does, pay well. I don't
 
 PAST AND FUTURE OP INDIAN TEA. 179 
 
 believe in plantations of six and eight hundred acres; some 
 of these pay, but they would pay much better if reduced in 
 size. A garden of 300 acres, yielding even at the rate of 
 four maunds an acre, will pay much better than another of 
 500 acres, yielding Jbut two-and-a-half or three maunds, , 
 
 ml . , e(f^LoUfi/^ *-*^i f^/i^^T-t^ fatrcmr **' 
 
 1 he reason is obvious, Jmelarger produce is against a smaller 
 expenditure. Were I to commence a Tea-plantation to-day, 
 it should not exceed 300 acres in size. This passion for large 
 areas is the rock on which, more than any other, Tea Com- 
 panies have wrecked themselves; experience has already 
 shown this, and will show it more, as time goes on. 
 
 Flat land for Tea gardens is a great desideratum. Steep 
 lands are difficult to cultivate ; the soil is continually washing 
 away from the roots of the plants ; it is impossible to manure 
 them successfully, and the consequence of all this is that the 
 Tea bushes do not thrive. 
 
 The China plant gives a small and inferior produce, the 
 indigenous and hybrid kind a larger and very superior one; 
 thus I think the latter one of the "necessary conditions for 
 success." On the other points, with the exception of manur- 
 ing, nothing need be said, inasmuch as their necessity is 
 evident ; but on the point of manure I must say a few words. 
 The Tea-plant is being continually denuded of its leaves; nothing- 
 is returned to the soil ; and consequently in process of time 
 that soil is exhausted. It was held once that manure des- 
 troyed, the flavor of Tea. This idea, *al v/nance with 
 
 with all 
 
 agriculture experience, is now completely explod^cflike many 
 others received from the Chinamen who first came from the 
 flowery land to teach the art of Tea-cultivation and Tea 
 manufacture to the Indian public. Many of them had 
 never perhaps seen a Tea bush, any now 'in many respects 
 theirs was faulty teaching, and all experienced planters are 
 convinced, and it is truth that more knowledge on Tea exists 
 in Indian than China at the present time.
 
 180 PAST AND FUTURE OF INDIAN 
 
 But to return to the subject of manure, 
 generally allowed to be, a necessity to th 
 successful maintenance of a plantation. Me 
 tioii are now largely adopted in Assam an? 
 results will be a yield per acre the most sai 
 dreamt of. Chittagong, on this head, has great advantages : 
 manure in any quantity can there be procured for a tjrtfle: 
 and the results have shown its great value. 
 
 We have scarcely yet entered on the third stage to.which 
 any new speculation, after the two first, (the wild venture, 
 
 . ' f>-*%jis-jt*te->Tff\cO J>a-".v^L, *>-'/' fr'tfxz'jh ~'\' , 
 
 and the unreasoning panic nave/passedj/rerras, but as Know- 
 ledge of the financial results of Tea-plantations in the hands 
 of private firms and private individuals increases, that third 
 stage will dawn if it has not done so already. It consists in 
 a sober appreciation of the subject, opposed to both the 
 
 <^*-e7dW*o- A+As*frZi*/t --T- ,*-**-$ **t**Z~y. &&' / ZJ^M-^Tp-B, 
 
 extremely exulting and depressing ^vi^vs^passed through, 
 and when it arrives, the great and successful future of Indian 
 Tea will be only a question of time. 
 
 5382 7 
 
 DIVISION. OF SUBT; 
 
 COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE 
 BERKELEY, CAUF&RM1A
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES 
 THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below 
 
 JUN 8,95, 
 
 APR 2 i 1961 
 
 Form L-9-15>n-3,'34 
 
 UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA 
 
 AT 
 
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 LIBRARY
 
 271 Money - 
 
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 A 001 096 838 6