Dec. I, 1S85.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



439 



CEYLON UPCOUNTBY PLANTIKfr EEPOBT. 



TEA MACHINEUV — WTIATHER : COPFEE A.ND CACAO — 

 UIVEKSITY or OPINION. 



9th November lS8y. 



Those who hare tea machinery for sale arc feel- 

 ing the effects of the improved times, and are book- 

 ing large orders for erection next year. 



The weather still continues very favourable for all 

 planting operations. It is i-ipening up the coffee 

 also, which as far as I have seen still continues to 

 be a tine sample. But with little of it. and fulling 

 prices, the poor old thing is considerably neglected. 

 Cacao is looking woU, where its surroundings are 

 favourable, and the plumpness of the bean now 

 being harvested will surely cheer the hearts of the 

 bonbon uianufactvfrers, and give tine prices to the 

 grower. 



1 hear that there is considerable diversity of 

 opinion rrgai'ding the quality of the sample which 

 was cured in Jackson's tea drier. Some have praised 

 it highly, atlirmiug In addition that the bitter llavour^ 

 which is sometimes prascnt was completely done 

 away with, leaving the nib sweet and nutty ; 

 others again don't esteem it as at all equal to 

 that which has been naturally dried. These opjios- 

 ite estimates are from men who know what they 

 are talking about, and who have considerable ex- 

 perience in cacao curing. What it is to be an 

 authority! The other day I heard a discussion on 

 the merits of tea seed jjlanted at stake, germinated 

 and ungerminated, and the man who had i)ut it in 

 ungcmiinated seemed to have succeeded quite as 

 well as if not better than the other. If the weather 

 turns out dry after planting, the ungerminated seed 

 does the better of the two ; while showery weather, 

 which suits the germinated, is also favourable for 

 the other kind. 



PEPrEKCOEN. 



CEYLON AS A FIELD FOR COLONISTS 



BY A 1'LANTER's WIFE — 1. 



A good deal has been written lately about colon- 

 ising in New Zealand and Australia with regard 

 to "What shall I do with my sons ?" Perhaps it 

 may not be altogether out of place to say some- 

 thing about colonising in Ceylon. The island is 

 such a short distance from India, that Anglo-Ind- 

 ians are inclined to overlook it as a Held for 

 colonising, for, amongst all the i^lauters I have 

 met, I cannot remember having come across one 

 retired Indian otlicer. Y'et they abound in New 

 Zealand and Australia, and they are roughing it 

 there to a far gieatcr extent than they would have 

 to do in Ceylon. Of course I shall be told that 

 Ceylon is played out, and that there is no further 

 field for either adventurers or investors. This may 

 be true with regard to adventurers but it is not so 

 with capitahsts who have money to invest ; and 

 the Indian officers who go to Australia and New 

 Zealand generally go as small capitalists. I should 

 like, therefore, to describe my own and my hus- 

 band's experiences in Ceylon as agriculturists. 



My husband went out to the colony in 1869, 

 with no more money than would keep him whilst 

 he learnt the language (Tamil) and a little knowledge 

 of coffee planting. Coffee was than beginning to pay 

 in that wonderful way which so completely turned 

 men's heads, and George had no difficulty in getting 

 a berth. As soon as he had gained a httle practical 

 knowledge, he obtained work on better pay. The 

 planters, with their luimpcr crops, were a liberal 

 set of men, and they were rejoicing in prospective 

 fortmies too nmch to be stingj' with their rupees. 

 C'corge was equally led away by the furore, and 



j was as full of faith in the resources ot the island 

 I as the rest. Coffee, they said, would grow any- 

 I where, down in the valleys, upon the steep hill 

 sides, even on the carl-road if you could only plant 

 it there. The successful planters built spacious 

 stone bu''ngs tor store and pulping houses; uu- 

 ported expetive machinery; la'd out new roads, 

 ■liich area credit to 'the island to this day, and 

 j biult bridges, churches, and handsome bungalows 

 i in the certainty that their El Dorado was found. 

 On the strength of a rciliunerativo berth, George sent 

 for me in fuKilment of our eng»gement. He told mo 

 to bring out my saddle and piano, and all the 

 > pretty things I could gatlier together for my house, 

 as I should have a good deal ot entertaining to 

 do. Full of hope, and congi-atulated by all my 

 I friends, I left ray English home under the impres- 

 j sion that I should return in a tew years with a tor- 

 tune. George met me at. Colombo, and supported 

 I by a bevy of his Ceylon friends, we woro married. 

 I The journey up country was delightful. The line 

 to Kaudy is a never ending joy witii all its trop- 

 ical beauties, and to this day it has a charm for me 

 each time I pass along the wcU-romenibered route. 

 My new home was on the other side ot Kandy, 

 high up among the hills. It was a pretty little 

 bungalow, built of wood off the estate, and the 

 necessary furniture, such as chairs, beds, sideboard, 

 tables, &c., was provided by the owner of the estate. 

 I had plenty to do in putting up curtains, and spread- 

 ing out all my wedding gifts and pretty orna- 

 ments. The housekeeping seemed a formidable 

 aft'air at first sight, but, under my husband's 

 guidance, I soon mastered the intricacies, and took 

 a delight in teaching the cook new dishes. He was a 

 Tamil and very apt at learning. My other servants 

 were West Coast boys — as they called themselves — 

 from Travancore. Servants in Ceylon, who 

 are not Singhalese, always speak of their 

 native country as their " coast," and ask per- 

 mission to take a holiday so that they may go to 

 their " coast " to see their relations. The com- 

 paratively easy and idle lite I led was a revelation 

 to me. I had quite prepared myself for hard 

 colonial labour, such as I had heard ladies in 

 New Zealand and Australia undertook, and I was 

 agreeably serprised to find that I was not obliged 

 to cook, or make beds, or clean rooms, or fetch 

 water. In fact the lite was more luxurious than the 

 one I had left in England. I had time for gard- 

 ening, sewing, reading, writing, or music. I rode 

 out to see my neighbours, and entertained them 

 when they could find time to come and see me. 

 I walked out with my husband on the estate, and 

 found amusement in seeing him teach the coohcs 

 their work. How often I have seen jjruning taught. 

 George would take the knife from the coolie, and 

 cut a few branches himself. Then we would stand 

 and watch the man till he seemed to have got 

 into the knack of it. But the moment our backs 

 were turned the conservative Tamil would go 

 back to his original mode, and slice and chop away 

 at his own sweet will. 



Wc were very happy and free from care in thoso 

 days, though we were not altogether without our small 

 troubles. What happened to disturb our peace of mind 

 was something which, I fancy, is a common experi- 

 ence to many young couples. AVc did not gauge our 

 income. When young people first begin' house- 

 keeping they are sometimes hardly intimate enough 

 to go minutely into defails concerning the expend- 

 iture. The bride shrinks from questioning her 

 husband about how he has been accustomed to spend 

 his income ; and the Inidegrroom likes to give his 

 wife curie blum-lic, and throw the whole matter into 

 h«,r handa with a confideuce which is meant as a 



