372 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[November i, 1883, 



4Tn Ye.\u from 1st July to 30th Juue 



■Weeding at El ... ... ... E2,400 



Pruning and suckering ... ... 400 



Koads upkeep ... ... ... 400 



Drains upkeep ... ... ... 2Q0 



Buildings, permanent, clerihew, engines, etc. 5,000 

 Gathering, curing and chspatch of GOO cwt. 



cocoa at R4 ... ... ... 2,400 



Contingencies ... ... ... 900 



Superintendence and allowances... ...3,.500 



Conductor ... ... ... 500 



4,000 



R15,700 



5th Yeah from 1st July to 30th June. 



AVeedingatRl ••• — - R2,400 



Truuing and suckering ... ... 400 



Roads upkeep ■•• ••• •■• 400 



Drains upkeep ... ••■ ••■ 250 

 Gathering, curing and dispatch of 1,000 cwt. 



cocoa at R3-50 . - •■• 3,500 



Building upkeep ... ■•■ ••• 200 



Contingencies ... ■•• ■■■ ^tJO 

 Superintendence and allowances... ...3,500 



Conductor ... •■• •■■ 5"f 



4,000 



R12,0.50 



Interest on Kxpenditnre. 

 5 years' interest on cost of land at R8 per 



centon... ... ■•• ...E5,000 R2,000 



5 \ ears' interest on 1st year's expenditure at 



R8 per cent on ... ... . ...18,800 7,520 



4 years' interest on 2nd year's expenditure at 



R8 per cent on ... ... ...10,750 3,440 



3 years' interest on 3rd year's expenditure at 



RS per cent on ... ... . ...10,250 2,400 



2 years' interest on 4th year's expenditure at 



RS per cent on ... ... . ...15,700 2,512 



1 yar's interest on 5th year's expenditure at 



R8 per cent on ... ... ...12,050 964 



Add interest 



R72,550 R18,896 

 ...18,896 



R91,446 

 ...81,000 



Expenditure for 5 years 



Less 1,800 cwt. cocoa sold at R45 



Debt on estate at end of 5tli year R10.446 



Add for purchase of other 50 acres at R25... 1,250 



RU,09G 



The expenditiu-e each year after tliis, allow- 

 ing 11^1,000 for m.-inu'ring would be .about... 16,500 



Ag.ainst which put proceeds of s.ale of 1,000 

 cwt. cocoa at R45 ... ... ■■• 45>000 



Year's profit ... .•• - R28,500 



Value of estate at 5 years old with only 



5 cwt. per acre— this is at the rate of o 



years' purch.ase— .. •■■ ...RllO.OOO 



As a few remarks on each heading of expenditure in the 

 above estimate will make it more intelligible, 1 shall en- 

 deavour to give this with the aid of information received 

 from friends of largi^r experience tlian myself, on many points 

 connected with the cultivation of cocoa. This pro- 

 duct being still in its infancy in Ceylon, no authorit- 

 ative statement can bo made as to the best way of cultiv- 

 ating it; but such knowledge as we have has been gained 

 by experience, and can, therefore, bo rehed on. 



The cocoa plant has been in the island for many years 

 (perhaps over 30 years), but till withhi the last six it 

 was not systematically cultivated. When our attention was 

 drawn to this as a "profitable cultivation, we were most 

 fortunate in having at our doors a variety— perhaps the 

 very best we could possibly have had— that has proved, 

 by the vigor of its growth, its fruitfuluess, and the range 

 of elevation— from sea level to over 2,000 feet— at which 

 it will grow and yield prob.ably, that it is well adapted 

 to our climate ; and the prices reaUzed in the European 



markets leave nothing to be desired. There are over a 

 dozen other varieties of cocoa in the country, but, till we 

 hear more about them, I would advise our sticking to what 

 we know to be a prime favourite with buyers. 



New estates opened were, until recently, planted under the 

 shade of the forest, all the smallertimber being cut out and the 

 larger trees left. 'This was found in about the second year of 

 growt'n to be hurtful to the plants, tending to draw tfiem up 

 lanky and weakly. The jungle had, therefore, to be cut down 

 carefully at considerable expense, and where shade has been 

 left, it has been and is still being gradually thinned out. I 

 believe the general opinion now is that direct shade is not 

 good for cocoa, though it remains to be proved whether 

 light and chequered shade is not beneficial. 



Land. — The very best land that can he got should be 

 secured for cocoa ; the plant is a deep feeder, and to thrive 

 well must have a good subsoil. Dunibara, parts of Slatale 

 and Kurunegala have the best soils in Ceylon for its growth — 

 dark friable chocolate of great depth ; the vigor of the trees 

 in such soils shows how they revel in it. But, alas ! where 

 are we to get soil of this description in any of the forests 

 that are still remaining. IMany of the chena lands in the 

 lowcountry have very fine soil yet (the surface only has 

 been skimmed), but t'ne native titles are very defective ; 

 and if one does venture, and purchases small lot after small 

 lot till he gets a fair-sized block, the difficulties and delays 

 in the way of getting a " title of quiet posses.sion" from the 

 Government are most vexatious and almost insurmountjible. 

 AVe must therefore 1)9 contented with what we can get, and 

 that is generally inferior soil. Light soil with a good deep 

 subsoil is to be prefi-rred to one with a rich surface soil 

 but hard impenetrable subsoil. Very steep land is to be 

 avoided, but moderately steep suits very well : rich flats are 

 the best. I have only estimated R25per acre for purchase 

 of land, but, in a few years, when capital returns to the 

 country, and there is a demand for land for cocoa, I fancy 

 it will not be got for double that figure. I have made an 

 error in opening the whole of the 200 acres in the block ; 

 to admit of opening 200 acres, the block should have other 50 

 as a reserve. Kven supposing that every acre was available 

 that is suited for planting, it would be still necessary to leave 

 belts as protection against wind, as, however well cocoa will 

 do without .shade, it will not tolerate wind. On no account 

 should land be felled in a locality knowu to be windy ; 

 and after the estate is opened, belts of suitable trees for 

 shelter should be thickly planted in all exposed situations, 

 Kurserics. — For making these, flat land near water should 

 be chosen, and they should be in 3 or 4 different spots 

 if possible, as this makes the carriage easier when plant- 

 ing out. Pandals of light jungle sticks and covered with 

 small leafy branches must be put up, high enough to 

 admit of a man walking underneath without stooping. 

 The surface soil should then be scraped into heaps, and 

 the baskets filled with this, well pressed down nith the 

 knuckles, but not p.atted as the coolie is so fond of doing; 

 the baskets behig filled place them 6 deep in a row and 

 to any dist.ance the space will allow in length ; they 

 must be placed perfectly upright, and to keep them in 

 that position a " varachchi " tied to a few pegs (hiven 

 into the gi-omid on either side of the beds will do. If 

 earth Ls tilled into the spaces between the baskets, at 

 about every 10 or 12 rows across the beds, it will 

 he an advantage. Tliis must be carefully seen to, for, 

 if the coolie is left to hin^self (and kauganies and con- 

 ductors are often not one whit better), the baskets are 

 sui'e to be placed at every conceivable angle but the right 

 one. The baskets being in position, just put one seed in each 

 about one inch below the surface, tlie hroad end down- 

 wards — some prefer to germinate the seed before sowings 

 after sowing well water. Any seed that does not grow 

 in a fortnight should be replaced by a fresh one, and 

 this should be done till there is not a vacancy. Owing 

 to the greater and more rapid evaporation, the outside 

 rows of trees sufl'tr ; to prevent this, heap earth against the 

 baskets. The plants sliould be watered once daily, and, 

 in very dry weather, twice. I have .allowed for enough 

 jjlants to plant the clearing, and do the first supplying. 

 I have never tried pkauting at stake, but believe it is some- 

 times very successful. Should the season, however, be a dry 

 one, the clearing is sure to be very patchy, and I 

 hardly think the risk worth the money saved. 

 Some plautei's aver that they dare not use b.askets, 

 as the white ants would be sui'e to attack them 



