Native Gardens. 43 



The favourite and most fruitful coffee districts 

 in Ceylon some years ago were, and probably still 

 are, those situated at an elevation ranging from 

 2500 to 3500 feet, although there are coffee estates 

 under cultivation at all elevations, from about 500 

 to over 5000 feet, while native gardens may be met 

 with, sometimes bearing good crops along the coast 

 actually at sea-level. In these cases, however, the 

 plants will invariably be found growing under the 

 shade of the Jack, cocoa-nut, or other suitable trees, 

 without which protection all chance of their thriving 

 permanently would be out of the question. These 

 native gardens are, moreover, limited in extent, and 

 are generally richly manured, and often well watered 

 during the dry season. 



The foregoing conclusions will be found further 

 borne out in those districts of Ceylon in which 

 coffee cultivation has been attempted below IOOO 

 feet elevation, such as Cornegalle, Kaigalle, &c. ; 

 abandoned properties on every side bearing evidence 

 that humidity and rainfall have been insufficient to 

 neutralize the high temperature. In the neighbour- 

 hood of Kandy there are properties which, even at 

 1800 feet above sea-level, seem to owe their present 

 existence chiefly to shade and irrigation. On 

 some of them powerful irrigating machinery and 

 appliances are kept constantly in operation during 

 the dry season. 



