•JANUARY I, i886.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



453 



of the estate my husband was working had 

 other sources of income, and he was able to 

 remain in England, and aUow us to continue 

 working the estate for him, although, as I^ said 

 before at a reduced rate of salary, and single- 

 lianded. Three years ago, just as we were won- 

 dering for the twentieth time if our little pro- 

 perty was worth holding on to, came a perfect 

 godsend to us, in the shape of a gift of money. 

 My father, whose sons and daughters were now off 

 his hands, sent us toOO. I was for paying off 

 the second mortgage with this sum, but my hus- 

 band said no, he must have the money for tea. 

 Tea was the new hope— we ought to miikc one 

 more effort on behalf of our children, and try what 

 tea would do. As for the mortgage, if we could 

 only hold on indefinitely it would one day be clear- 

 ed off by a little inherited money we might ex- 

 ])ect to receive in the ordinary course of events. 

 Toil was sure to pay, as it had been tried in the 

 island in a small way for some years previously, 

 and had shown no signs of failure. It was said 

 to grow better at an altitude of 1,500 feet than 

 lower down. Our land would he exactly the right 

 soil — and so forth. It was the same old tale, 

 and it all looked so plausible on paper. I am 

 learning to distrust e^-ery speculation that has to 

 be worked out on paper. As soon as tlie planter 

 brings out his notebook and pencil, and goes in 

 for a golden dream in figures, I only see in it 

 a fatal and delusive road to the Fiscal sale and 

 the Bankruptcy Court. The ,£.500 went in tea 

 plants, and I smothered my anxieties once more 

 in my household duties. Three years have passed, 

 and i am beginning to allow hope once more to 

 spring up in my heart. What coffee there is on 

 the lower slopes pays for its weeding and gather- 

 ing. The cinchona stands, representing a certain 

 sum, and yielding bark each season. And the 

 lea is really and honestly flourishing, though I can 

 hardly believe it to be true. At present, we sell 

 ihe green leaf, and pluck very carefully, as the 

 bushes are quite young, but every month we can 

 see their increased gi-owth. If no canker, no bug, 

 no borer, no leaf disease, and no great depression 

 in price comes to work ruin once more, we shall 

 escape shipwreck, and bring our vessel into har- 

 bour. But we must not look to tea for a fort- 

 une. Tea, even on paper, will not pay as 

 coffee and cinchona promised. The most we 

 can hope for is a competency in our old age, 

 which will bo an equivalent for my Anglo- 

 Indian brother's pension. We shall have one 

 advantage over the Anglo-Indian, our income 

 will not die with us, but will benefit our children 

 after our death, and provide an occupation for 

 one at least of them. 



My story, so far, may sound like a warning, 

 but it is not meant for that alone. I would not 

 only point out what is to be avoided, but what 

 is to be grasped with judgment and prudence. 

 There are so many estates in the market, so many 

 abandoned bits of land which might be bought 

 cheaply, and opened up for tea, at far less ex- 

 pense than jungle. Money is scarce in Ceylon just 

 now, and capitalists at home are thoroughly afraid 

 of having anything to do with estates there. They 

 are too far off to be able to look after their 

 money. But for men Like retired officers, who have 

 time at their dis)>osal, and who have their pen- 

 sions to back them, it seems a likely field for 

 moderate success. If the retired officer is to be- 

 come an agriculturi'it, it is piobal)lc that, from 

 his previous knowledge of India, he will make a 

 far better colonist for Ceylon than the raw youth 

 from England. He will not have such a rough 



life to contend with in his old age as in Australia 

 and New Zealand, nor will he have to see his 

 daughters become drudges in the house, for want 

 of projHT servants. It is very pleasant to hear 

 people talk of the dignity of labour, and so forth, 

 but it goes against the grain to see carefully educ- 

 ated gills labouring in the kitchen with dirty 

 saucepans and buckets of waters, doing work which 

 the most ill-educated woman could probably do 

 better. It is possible in Ceylon, as I have found 

 out by experience, to do a great deal in the house 

 oneself, and conduct the housekeeping on strictly 

 economical lines, but there are always servants to 

 be got to carry heavy buckets, and do rough work. 

 It would be easy for the retired officer to reside 

 in the island on his pension whilst he looked 

 about him. Most of the planters would honestly 

 give advice, or relate experience to a neighbour 

 who sought instruction and information. Being on 

 the spot, he would be able to see for himself what 

 his projected investment was like, and all the ad- 

 vantages and disadvantages of climate and situ- 

 ation. He would be able to make a civilized 

 and happy home tor the sons who failed in their 

 professional examinations at home, and see 

 them on small estates of their own before 

 many yi>ars had passed over his head. I 

 do not piTtend to say that they will make their 

 fortunes, and it will be a mistake to start with 

 that idi^a, but they will make an honest living, 

 and, after all, that is only what forty-nine colon- 

 isls_ out of fifty accomplish. Of course I do not 

 advise any one to follow our example. I have 

 given our experiences, and our tollies, just as 

 they stand, that others may know what to avoid. 

 Above all things, I would caution young and old 

 against raising money on mortgages. They have 

 proved more fatal to the Ceylon planter than 

 bad seasons, insects, disease, or anything else. 

 It is also a most excellent thing — and this holds 

 good all over the world— never to live up to one's 

 income. — Mndnis Mail. 



WiOF.s IN Tk.v Gakdens. — The Superintendent of 

 the Darjeeling Tea Company has issued circulars to 

 planters in the hill portion of the district, asking them 

 to combine ami follow the movement initiated by 

 the Terai planters and the majority of those in the 

 Mahanuddy Valley, tor the reduction of cuolies' 

 wages by Kl all round during the five cold weather 

 months. Upon this the local papers observes : — 

 " That Mr. Harcourt's proposition is feasible is be- 

 yond question, if only planters would be true to 

 themselves for once, would bury petty jealousies 

 and personal spites, and unite for the common 

 good. The Parjeeling Company is the largest as 

 well as the most liberal employer of labour in this 

 district, and when the superintendent can see his 

 way clearly, as he evidently does, to what is 

 practically 2 per cent saving on garden working we 

 say without hesitation that those employers of labour 

 who do not back the Darjeeling Company up in this 

 movement will be making a most serious mistake. 

 If (he coolies were underpaid or overworked we 

 would hesitate in advocating a reduction of wages, 

 but knowing practically how well off the tea garden 

 coolie is, how nmch better off he is in every way 

 than the ordinary farm labomer at home, and how 

 infinitely better off he is than in his own country, 

 we say without fear or hesitation that if the em- 

 ployers of labour in this portion of the district do 

 not follow tin; lead set llieni, they will only have 

 to thank themselves for the results of their re- 

 missness hereafter." — fioneer. 



