CEYLON COCOA ESTATE u 



well-appointed English house, but of the every- 

 day life of a young planter in a rather out of 

 the way place. 



The first thing that strikes one is the intense 

 loneliness — day after day passes without a 

 glimpse of a white face. I would urge anyone, 

 sending a son to Ceylon, to study his disposition 

 and count the cost. To an English boy fresh 

 from the cricket and football fields of a public 

 school, or the companionship of the University, 

 the isolation must be terrible, and many are 

 the sad stories one hears, of moral, mental, and 

 physical breakdown. But, to a young man who 

 does not mind solitude, who interests himself 

 intelligently in his work, is fond of reading, and 

 has the luck to be under a kind and judicious 

 Peria Dorei (or Superintendent) the life is a 

 . pleasant one. 



I must here explain the rather complicated 

 system of management of Ceylon Estates, where 

 everything possible is done to safeguard the 

 interests of the absent proprietor, or share- 

 holders as the case may be. First in importance 

 comes the V.A. or visiting agent. He may, or 

 may not be, a partner in the firm of Colombo 

 shipping agents, who ship the produce, and 

 through whose hands most of the business passes. 

 He visits the Estates once in three months, audits 

 the accounts monthly, in some cases arranges 

 about the shipment of crop, and is a sort of final 



