The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-09-29
A COFFEE FARM.
HOW THE PLANT IS RAISED ON
THE ISLAND OF CEYLON.
Obtaining and Clearing a "Block" of
Land Planting the Coffee
Crol' Time-Preparine
for Market, Etc.

account In CeylOQ QaQ TO 90 was 10 lOOk
out for suitable "block" of jungle, by
which name all virgin forest is known,
in contradistinction to forest which had
been once felled and allowed to grow up
again, which is known as chena. All
the forest lands are in the possession of
the British Government, and when the
planter had located block he sent in
his application to the Government, which
then sent up a surveyor, who surveyed
it and the surrounding jungle as we'll.
This was cut up into blocks averaging
generally 200 acres, and was then ad-
vertised to be sold at public auction at
the nearest Government kacherie, gen.
orally Handy, the mountain capital. On
the day of the sale all planters wishing
to buy assembled, aud the land was then
put up at the upset price of SIS an acre
and knocked down to the highest bidder.
Once in possession of the land the next
thing was to have it cleared. This was
let out to Cingalee contractors whose
mode of operation is, to say the least,
unique. The embryo coffee estate Is
generally, if not always, situated Oh the
side of hill. The. contractor sends
his men into the jungle in line, they
then begin to cut upward, only cutting u
tree about half through, with their short
axes or cutties. When they reach the
top they select row of the largest trees
which they cut right through, these fall
ing on the next row bring them down,
and so on until the whole fifty or hun
dred acres fall with an almost simultanc-
GUS crash. tits grand sight to watch
large block of forest falling in this way.
The felled jungle is then left on the
ground for about three weeks, until it is
thoroughly dry and withered, when the
natives are again sent in with sire
sticks" and soon the whole pile is blaz-
ing fiercely. What magnificent scene
it is, too, to sec flames leaping up higher
and higher, and to hear the great rocks
and powders cracking with the heat like
the report of artillery, but it would cause
pangs of sorrow in the heart of an Amer
Jean lumbcrman to see piles of valuable
lumber thus ruthlessly e:troyed-ebony,
worth $10O ton, satin wood, mahogany
in fact, all kinds of timber which
would be immensely valuable If there
was only transportation. But there are
no rivers there to float the logs down to
rail or steamer, and the cost of transpor-
tation would be so great that the only
thing to do is to burn. All this
wealth, however, is not entirely lost,
as the ashes arc q most valuable
fertilizer. The ground once so FAR
cleared, although it is still thickly dot
ted with charred stumps, the next thing
to do is to fix upon the site of tenn
porary bungalow, where the superintend-
ent may reside while planting what is now
known as the clearing" Lines or
quarters for the coolies are next in Or
der. Then the clearing has to be traced
for roads and drains, and bridges built
across the streams After that comes
tie ''lining." All coffee is planted in
rows five feet by four feet, which run in
regular order across the clearing. A
coolie then digs a hole about eighteen
inches by eighteen inches, and into this
is put the coffee plant by coolic who
comes after the 'holer," and Immediately
following the planter" is the "filler
ill.," who fills in the hole, and, when that
is completed, the clearing is planted and
becomes and estate. The planter does
not at once, however, begin to reap any
benefit from his labor for fully three
years. During his time of waiting he
has plenty to do; the estate must be
kept entirely free ofweeds, large bunga-
low, and q store with machinery for pull
ing the coffee and preparing it for mar.
ket must be built, and hundred and
one little things that are necessary before
the place is 'punkka totum" or first
class estate.
After the estate is once in bearing cof
fee planting becomes more horticulture
tnan agriculture. Every tree has to be
separately "handled," ''pruned" and
nlanured. The manuring is the most
expensive part of coffee planting. On
some estates large numbers of cattle arc
kept in splendid cattle sheds built after
the most approved fashion, but in addi-
ton to cattle large quantity of patent
forcing fertilizers arc used. The most
important time of the year for the planter
ia crop time. All the anxiety of the
blossom setting has passed, and now the
trees are covered with the bright red ber
ries that are to bring him fortune. Then
it is that he requires all the coolies he
can muster to pick the cherry, for q part
of the estate that is exposed to the morn
ing sun may, after shower of rain, ripen
up suddenly, and if they ore not picked
Mt once the cherries will ripen so fast
that they drop to the ground, and, al
though not absolutely lost, will be use
less for pulping purposes. What an in
spiriting sig ght it used to be in the palmy
days to see an estate with big crop on,
all ripened up, that is, provided you had
e good force of coolies. A line of coffee
was assigned to each coolie, who, first
placing large sack on the roadway,
would 90 to work with small sack, into
which he would put the berries as they
we're picked. When the large sack was
filled he would carry it to small rcceiv-
ing house which was connected with the
coffee store by means of piping through
which water constantly flowed. In the
receiving house sat the planter with a
bushcl measure, which, when filled, he
tipped over with his foot and the coffee,
going through hole in tie floor into
the piping, was foated down 10 the store.
Once the coffee arrives at the store it is
received in cherry loft, from whence it
goes to the "pulper" This machine re-
moves the outer skin. and tn" two beans
inside go into series OF cisterns. In
the first it is left to fcrment for day or
two, WI en- it is conveyed to the next,
where it is we'll washed, after which it is
taken out on barbecue to dry in the sun.
When it is thoroughly dried it is known