CEYLON COCOA ESTATE 37 



hatched, but alas ! a stray hen trampled one 

 little chick to death. Here, as elsewhere, they 

 are difficult things to rear and proportionately 

 expensive to buy. 



It is two o'clock, and the bungalow has 

 awakened to life once more. An hour ago, 

 I slept in my room, the servants slept in the 

 kitchen, the carpenter and mason slept beside 

 their work, and the dogs slept in their kennels, 

 reminding one of the ancient fairy tale ; but 

 here no enchanted prince came to break the 

 spell. We all awoke of our own accord, when 

 the afternoon siesta was over. If you try 

 getting up at 5 a.m. on a hot summer day you 

 will find how very sleepy you do get by 

 midday. I tried in vain to prevail upon Rob 

 to take a rest but he declared he must be off 

 to watch the shade lopping, for if he left the 

 coolies for a moment they would be sure to 

 cut down the wrong branches. The shade 

 lopping is an important business on cocoa 

 Estates. Cocoa will not grow without shade, 

 but too much is equally fatal, so it is quite an 

 art to decide upon the right kind, and the 

 right amount of shade to leave. Much 

 anxiety is felt just now about the cacao disease 

 which has done deadly damage in many parts 

 of the island. Some planters aver that it 

 attacks plants grown with too little sunlight, 

 whilst others again advocate as an antidote 



