Читать книгу The Cultivation and Manufacture of Tea - Edward Money - Страница 12

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I have heard the first Tea in India was planted here. The lucky 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 from good. The hot dry weather of the North-west is not at all suited to the Tea plant. Hot winds shrivel it up, and though it recovers when the rains come down, it cannot thrive in such a climate. One fact will, I think, prove this. In favourable 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 their ruin), the following appears, showing how small are the number of flushes in the 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 dryness 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 favourable, as many as five gatherings may be obtained.

Three general gatherings.

These, however, may be reduced to three general periods for gathering—viz., from April to June, from July to August 15, and from September to October 15. If the season be a dry one, no leaves ought to be taken off the bushes after October 1, as by doing so they are apt to be injured. If, however, there are good rains in September, leaves can be pulled until October 15, but no later, as by this time they have got hard and leathery and not fitted for making good Teas, and it is necessary to give the plants good rest in order to recruit. Some plants continue to throw out new leaves until the end of November; but those formed during this month are generally small and tough.

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 twenty and twenty-five?

Labour is plentiful and cheap. The great distance from the coast makes transport very expensive.