February 2, 1885.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



^87 



" Acreage of New Clearings to Old Estates to be 

 Opened May-Jone, 1885. 



1 Mackenzie Bros. & 



• } W. Forsythe. 

 , Donald Cameron. 



7 F. J. Wright & C.J. 



• > Inglis. 

 . Fairweather Bros. 



Nahalma 



Chines 



Lavant 



Kanangaxna 

 Dewalakanda 



Springvale 

 Kelani 

 Parusella 

 Wiragala 



200 



90 



40 



50 

 20 

 30 

 60 

 30 

 60 



Mrs. Maria Reid. 

 J. F. Millington. 

 C. L. Davis. 

 R. S. Nisbet. 

 E. P. Williams. 



Total... 600 

 " This makes a total acreage of 1,280 acres, but if I 

 have left any clearings out, I shall be much obliged for 

 the necessary additions at the hands of any of your cor- 

 respondents. It will be noted that thref or four estates 

 have a very large acreage to open. The felling of 350 

 acres on Pambagama in one block and the planting up 

 thereof will be no light work, and will tax the energies 

 of its hardworking manager. The same may be said of 

 the Yatiautota C'o.'s 150-ncre block. When we call to mind 

 the fact that most of these low-country estates are, very 

 properly, planted much closer * than estates at any altitude 

 — sometimes as closely as 3^r x 3 — some idea of the number 

 of plants required for such a clearing as one of 350 acres 

 can easily be obtained. About 4,000 plants to the acre 

 would be required planting 31*3, which for 350 acres 

 would mean 1,400,0(10 plants, to say nothing of supplies. 

 Pambagama is the name of that portion of the 1,000 acres 

 applied for by Mr. Forsythe and withdrawn from sale by 

 Government which was afterwards sold by Government to 

 him on behalf of Mr. J. Kinmond, of machinery fame. 

 It is about four miles north-east of the 37th mile-post 

 on the Colombo-Batnapura road, and about two miles 

 south of the Deraniayagala-gange, with Nahalma a short 

 distance to the north. 



"Padda boats are moored to the side of theJKelani river (at 

 Avisawala). One large boat was crammed with tea, and the 

 well-known names of Dunedin and Dewalakanda were easily 

 decipherable on the chests. Each boat holds, if I am not mis- 

 taken, about 10,1100 lb. tea nett, and the cheapness of water 

 transport may be inferred from the fact that the cost per lb. 

 of tea to Colombo is about i a cent — R12-50 a ton. To give 

 some idea of how heavy the traffic on the Kelani now is, 

 enquiry as to the number of boats which passed up and 

 down the river during a week elicited the information that 

 from 16 to 20 boats made the double journey during that 

 time. The up traffic appears to be quite as heavy as the 

 down, all, or most of, the rice for the estates adjacent being 

 brought up the river to Avisawella or Dehewitte kaddi- 

 keepers." 



CREATION OF SOIL. 

 The article we quote below from the traits Times 

 on the great Chasseriau estate near Singapore, is 

 interesting, but we do not quite undeistand what 

 is said about there being no soil, and si.il being 

 crei'ed by the action of rotting weeds and the 

 ashes of stems of cassava on felspar. All the 

 ingredients mentioned are constituents or products 

 of the existing soil. It is described as gravelly, but 

 our recollection of it, (and Mr. Chasseriau de- 

 scribed it as fairly typical of the soil of the Malay 

 Peninsula in general) is that, it was a yellow-coloured 

 clay. In thrs soil cussava grew splendidly, but coconut 

 pa ms refused to fruit and were cut down when fourteen 

 jeara old. The market for tapioca, being bverdnrie, 

 tin- enterprizibg Frenchman turned his attention to 

 Liberian coffee, which seems to flourish and to be, 

 as yet, unattacked by leaf disease which, however', 

 exists in the Straits, and ' will yet shew, we fear 

 that it can do great barm, even to the gigantic 

 coffee. It our good friend M. Chasseriau wilf take 

 the advice of one who has a grateful recollection of 

 his courtesy, he will "go in" for tea. He might 



also try cacao. We know he attached much im- 

 portance to the mode in which he utilized weeds 

 as manure, but he did not to us profess to"cr<ate" 

 soil by operating with decayed vegetable matter and 

 ashes on felspar, the felspar being, no doubt in the soil 



A VISIT TO CHASSERIAU ESTATE AT THE 



STRAITS : 

 COFFEE CULTIVATION— TAPIOCA. 



(From a Correspond* id). 



I had heard (to my mind) marvellous reports regard- 

 ing coffee cultivation on the island of Singapore • '• iwj 

 tons an acre was nothing, even as high as three Ions 

 was possible, &c, &c. 



As we in India consider 7 cwt. an acre a good paying 

 crop even at the present low rate, (I have known patches 

 m a. plantation carrying a ton), it was with feelings 

 bordering on disbelief, to say the least, that I hear,: : „ 

 above statements, which determined me to see for my- 

 self. By the kindness of a friend, I was introduced to 

 Mr. Le Chasseriau^ who invited me to come over and see 

 the Chasseriau Planting Company's Estate. As I am in- 

 terested m a Planter's paper, and therefore, to some ex- 

 tent interested in plautiug, I gladly availed myself of the 

 farst opportunity, fully determined that if my visit bore 

 out what I had heard, there was hope both for the Ceylon 

 and Indian planter. If land similar to what one sees 

 hero can produce such crops, surely the virgin soil of 

 the Wynaad should produce better, and the worn out 

 sod of Ceylon might again be made productive. Mr. C. re- 

 ceived us corteously, and after a delicious cup of coffee (not 

 his own growing) my friend left, and I was taken round the 

 plantation. The first thing that strikes a visitor from India 

 is the apparently high state of cultivation, each field a 

 nursery, and each tree a show one. Having inspected the 

 small field of about 12 acres, I was taken to another at 

 the back ot the house; here again was the samesystem 

 of cultivation carried on, and the field from the distance 

 forcibly reminds one of a young cinchona more than a 

 coffee plantation ; it must, however, be remembered that 

 the coffee is Liberian, aud not Arabian ; the trees are 

 not "topped" as in India; the lower branches are re- 

 moved ; therefore, it will be seen, oue might, easily, at 

 first sight, mistake the fragrant plant for the hitter and 

 nauseant one. It was difficult to realize how iaud com- 

 posed to a great extent of felspar can produce such 

 magnificent growth in such a short srace of time (14 

 months), and nalurally I was prepared to hear largesums 

 had been expended in fetching soil from a distani 

 well as the free use of large quantities of man ir, . iin 

 asking for information, I was told, " the soil is lying at 

 our feet ; all that is necessary to produce it is common 

 seuse and a little practical knowledge." Being deficient 

 in both, I asked for an explanation, and was made ac- 

 quainted with the method adopted on this estate for the 

 production of soil suitable for coffee. It is not generally 

 known that felspar in combination with other substances 

 is admirably adapted for a manure, and the way my 

 friend proceeds to work is as follows :— The rapid grow- 

 ing grass aud weeds on the ground are cut and heaped 

 in combination with felspar; this is allowed to rot, aud 

 the process depends much upon the weather ; if it is 

 constantly kept wet, the longed for result takes place in 

 a few days,— if not, probably weeks are necessary ; as 

 soon as the grass is thoroughly decomposed aid dry, it 

 is broken up and crumbles int., small pieces, aid' you 

 have your first ingredient. In connection with the i 

 is a large plantation of tapioca; this is a rapid growing 

 plant, and in consequence contains large quantities of 

 potash in the stalk. Tons of these are collected yearly, 

 are heaped and burnt, the result being your second in- 

 gredient. These two are mixed in equal "proportions, to 

 which is added a small quantity of animal manure, and 

 the pit, i\ by 2±, is filled with the mixture, and a soil 

 admirably adapted for the purpose is actually produced 

 at a nominal sum. Practical results are worth any number 

 of theoretical ones, and there is little doubt that the ex- 

 periment now under review is in every way a success. If 

 5110 acres can be opened aud kept up in "the same man- 

 ner that the 90 acres now under cultivation are, there 

 is little doubt but the Company will realize the fondest 



