The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1900-05-22
CHAPMAN & BRIGGS Special Agents.
TRANSFORMED BY A BUG.
How the Island of CeyIon Came to BE
One of the Worlds Great
Tea Producers.

Statistics prepared by order of the
English government for the period
from 1882 to 1896 inclusive, present an
interesting account of the wondrous
progress Of the tea-growing industry
in Ceylon. In 1882, for instance, the is
land exported 607,26S pounds OF tea,
valued at $246,73 From that date on
there was a steady increase until in
1896 the figures reached the grand to-
tai of 11O,O95, ,103 pounds, valued at Sl2,-
549,O65. But this cheerful state OF az
fairs as regards tea was in measure
offset by decline in the shipments OF
coffee. In 1882 the expectation of coffee
from ,Ceylon was 42,92O,3OO pounds, val
ued at $7153,305. And proportionately
as tea climbed the ascending scale, cof-
fee went down, until in 1896 only 1885,
300 pounds of it were exported.
The rise and fall of the coffee-growing
industry, says the New York Sun, is
one of the most interesting chapters in
the history of Ceylon since the island
passed into possession of the English.
Coffee growing began seriously in 1925,
although as far back as 174O the Hol-
land Dutch had made attempts to raise
the berry just as they raised it in Java.
They tried it on the lowlands near
the sea, however, and coffee will not
thrive in that sort of locality. Itwas
only after the English had opened good
roads from the coast to the mountain
regions of the interior that the indus
try began to pick up, and under the
administration of Sir Henry Ward the
culture Of coffee was Ceylon's princi-
pal one. All the mountainous country
became an immense coffee plantation.
In 1868, 1869 and 1870 the annual ex-
portation was over 1OOO0000O pounds,
representing a value of $20,000,OO0 a
year. AT this time 100000 acres OF land
was given up to its culture. This paid
at the rate Of from 20 to 25 per cent.
on the capital invested. But at that
time the diminutive and very unosten-
tatious Hemileia vestatrix had not put
in an appearance, or rather had not yet
begun to make his presence felt. His
first recorded appearance was in 1869
but nobody then paid any particular
to him, and whatever harm
he did was not noticeable either on the
crop Of that year or the year following.
In the succeeding years. however, it
was another matter. The coffee plant
ers found that the tiny little mush-
room-lilze growth which attached itself
to the under side of the coffee plant
leaves had to be taken seriously. The
leaves faded and died, and as the pest
increased. entire plants and finally
groups OF plants became mere barren
stalks and twigs Still the little speck
with its. brilliant orange color seemed
so insignifcant in itself that its
malign influence was underestimated.
II the crops were less abundant the
fact was attributed 10 bad seasons. II
il true DR.. Thwaites, superintendent Of
the Ceylon botanical gardens, gave
very bad account OF the Hemileia vas
tatrix and prophesied disastrous re-
suits from its presence. But Dr..
Thwaites was voted to be a scientific
theorist and pedant. Small value was
set upon his gloomy predictions. And
what sfill further contributed TO lull
the planters into a feeling Of false Sc
curity was a sudden rise in the mar
ket price Of coffee both in Europe and
in America from 80 to 100 per cent. By
this increase IN the value the planters
were more than compensated for the
falling of In the size Of their crops. In
stead Of coffee culture falling of II in
creased enormously. The planters ex-
tended the field Of their operations 70
the great mountain ridge which
stretches from Adams Peak 70 NuWara
Elyia. a territory Of about 400 square
miles which had been regarded as too
humid and too Elevated Tor codee cui-
frre