5C Coffee Planting. 



becomes settled, and a condition of the atmosphere 

 more in accordance with popular ideas of the 

 tropics, again resumes its sway. 



Later on, the north-east monsoon comes in and 

 brings with it considerable rainfall. This is ex- 

 perienced, however, more in Ceylon than in Western 

 India. In the former island it occasions a second 

 " wet season," which sometimes extends with inter- 

 missions from October till near Christmas adding, 

 as may be supposed, considerably to the difficulty 

 of gathering in the crop. 



The point next in importance after elevation is 

 Aspect, for although it will very probably not be 

 practicable to get land exactly to one's mind in 

 every particular, it is perfectly permissible in this 

 as in other matters, to approach as near to perfec- 

 tion as circumstances will allow. 



Many drawbacks it may become a necessity to 

 submit to, but there is one which must be sedulously 

 avoided, i. e. a bleak and exposed aspect, this being 

 one of those evils that can neither be mitigated nor 

 remedied. The monsoons which, as has been seen 

 above, blow incessantly for three or four months 

 together, are assailants which coffee bushes cannot 

 withstand. Not unfrequently large fields of wind- 

 blown coffee have had eventually to be abandoned 

 in despair, after years of persevering and expensive 



