1 78 Coffee Planting. 



Chunam plaster, though very nice to look at 

 when new, soon gets broken up when trampled on, 

 and is then very dirty and objectionable. 



Dutch tiles for flooring are very durable and neat, 

 but also very expensive, having to be brought from 

 a distance ; common bricks, however, form a good 

 substitute, the joints being neatly pointed with 

 mortar containing a large proportion of lime. 



When wooden floors are adopted, it is necessary 

 to see that the boards are well seasoned in the 

 first instance ; they should also be narrow, not 

 exceeding six inches in width, and not less than an 

 inch and a half thick : their tendency to warp and 

 shrink will, with these points attended to, have 

 been reduced to a minimum. 



Timber for sawing should, if possible, be found 

 among the felled logs in the clearing, as it will in 

 this case probably have lain some time, and be 

 more or less seasoned, and consequently better 

 adapted for immediate use than trees felled for the 

 purpose in the forest. In Ceylon, the sawyers are 

 very expert, and usually fell and hoist the logs for 

 themselves ; but in South India this has usually to 

 be done by the estate coolies, the sawyers rigidly 

 restricting themselves to sawing, according to the 

 most approved " caste " principles. This is a great 

 source of additional trouble and expense to the 

 planter, who often in consequence prefers doing 



