, 1886-09-23
A cEYLoN coEeee ESTATE.
Preparation of tn. oround-Pianting-
ProHts-The Leaf Disease.

Pronfs-Ihe Lear Disehse.
The first thing the planter who was
going to start coffee planting on his own
account in Ceylon had to do was to look
out for a suitable block of jungle, by
which name all virgin forest is known,
in contradistinction m forest which had
been once felled AID 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 a suitable block he
sent in his application to the govern
ment, which then sent up n surveyor,
who surveyed it and the surrounding
jungle as well. This was cut up into
blocks averaging generally 200 acres,
and was then advertised to be sold at
public auction at the nearest government
kacherie. generally Handy, the mountain
capital.
Once in possession of the land the next
thing was to have it cleared. This was
ies out to Cingalee contractors whose
mode Of operation is, to say the least
unique. The embryo coffee estate IS
generally, If not always, situated on the
side OF a hill. The contractor sends his
men into the jungle in line, they then
begin to cut upward. only cutting a tree
about half through, with their short
axes or cutties. When they reach the
top they select a 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 a hun-
dred acres fall with an almost instante-
GUS crash. 1t is a grand sight to watch
a large block of forest falling in this
way. The felled jungle ia then left on
the ground for about three weeks, until
II is thoroughly dry and withered. when
the natives are again sent in With fire
sticks" and soon the whole pile is blaz-
ing fiercely. What a magnificent scene
1t is. too. to see 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
American lumberman to see piles of
valuable lumber thus ruthlessly de-
stroyed-ebony. worth 500 a ton, satin
wood. m~ahogany-in fact, all kinds of
timber which would be immensely valu-
able if there was only transportation.
The ground ono SO far cleared,
although it is still thickly dotted with
charred stumps, the next thing to do is
to fix upon the site of a temporary
bungalow, where the superintendent
may reside while planting what IS now
known as -the clearing" Lines" or
quarters for the coolies are next in order.
Then the clearing has to be traced for
roads and drains, and bridges built
across the streams. After that comes
the 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 a coolie who
comes after the -holer, and Immediately
following the planter" is the filler in
who fills in the hole. and, when thai is
completed, the clearing is planted and
becomes an estate.
The planter does not at once, however,
begin to reap any benefit from his labor
Tor fully three years. During his time
of waiting he has plenty TO do; the estate
must be kept entirely free of weeds, n
large bungalow. and a store with ma
chinery for pulping the coffee and pre-
pairing it for market must be built, and
n hundred and one little things that are
necessary before the place Is a "punkka
totum" or first-class estate. When the
estate is in bearing it will have cost the
planter for 200 acres altogether say $685.
900 to $40, 900. A 200 acre estate in full
bearing would cost in unkeep say Sl2.-
900 per annum; n very average crop
would be 800 weight of coffee per acre,
which would net S25 per hundred weight.
This would give n clear profit of Sl3, 900,
but the usual crop was nearer eight hun-
bred weight than five. When leaf dis
case set in, however, the crops were re-
duced to about one int two hundred
weight an acre, sometimes as low rs one
half hundred weight; while the cost of
upkeep, owing to The dearness of money
and the necessity of manuring heavily,
greatly increased, 80 that unless a
planter had the purse of %Fortunatus it
did not take many years to ruin him.
After the estate is once in bearing
coffee planting becomes more horticul-
ture than agriculture. Every tree has
to be separately handled" %"pruned'
and MANFRED. The manuring is the
most expensive part Of coffee planting.
On some estates large numbers of cattle
are kept in splendid cattle sheds built
after the most approved fashion, but in
addition to cattle a large quantity of
patent forcing fertilizers are used. This
was especially so after leaf disease made
its appearance. When that scourge first
began seriously to threaten Ceylon, the
planters spared nc expense in trying to
drive it out. Thousands upon thousands
of dollars were spent in experimenting
with every kind Of known fertilizer.
Agricultural chemists of standing were
brought out from England. but the
money might just as well have been
buried in the ground instead of the fer
~tilizer, for all the good it did. The
disease had come there to stay, and it is
there yet.-Cor. Chicago Herald.