SOIL AND CLIMATE. 2J 



was about 276 Ibs. per acre of full-grown plants. 

 Where the cost of cultivation is greatest the out- 

 turn also is greatest. In the two highest estates 

 mentioned the cost of cultivation was said to be 

 Rs. in per acre. 



It must be borne in mind, while considering 

 this subject, that Coffee requires (i) a suitable soil, 

 (2) a temperate climate within the tropics, (3) a 

 range of heat between 60 and 80 Fahrenheit, 

 and (4) a rainfall of not less than 80 inches, falling 

 chiefly in the monsoon or planting season, but never 

 withheld for many weeks at a spell. 



Ceylon is, as a rule, more humid than India. It 

 is encircled on every side by the sea, and hence 

 the collection of clouds and consequent rainfall is 

 in excess of that of India, where the rain comes 

 in certain consecutive wet months, followed by half- 

 a-year of cloudless skies and parching winds. As a 

 consequence, it may be roundly stated that 3,000 

 feet in that island of palms and spices will be 

 equivalent to 4,000 feet in India, since the heat and 

 dryness of the latter must be met by ascending to 

 greater and cooler elevations. 



This general principle suffers modification from 

 such causes as aspect, local peculiarities of climate, 

 abundance of forest shade, and special cultivation. 

 For instance, many native gardens around Colombo 

 growing Coffee Arabica are at the sea level, but 

 then they are overshadowed by thickets of foliage, 

 abundantly manured, and carefully watered in the 



