CEYLON COCOA ESTATE 67 



the Estate where the coffee is in full blossom, 

 and a most lovely sight it is. Coffee branches 

 grow laterally, and all along them are white 

 waxy flowers like jessamine, growing 

 so thickly that each branch looks like a white 

 wand. Imagine tier above tier of these 

 branches against the background of glossy 

 green leaves, something like Portugal laurel. 

 Some of the trees are not only in blossom but 

 at the same time are loaded with the red and 

 the green berries (here called " cherry ") of the 

 ripe, and the unripe coffee. The scent of the 

 blossom is almost overpowering, and reminded 

 me of a mixture of orange blossom, and 

 paregoric and squills, if such a scent can be 

 imagined. 



Our kitchen garden has proved a success, 

 and we feel proud to cut our own lettuces, 

 radishes, and mustard and cress and bye and 

 bye look forward to peas, beans, carrots, 

 turnips, cucumbers and melons, which all 

 promise well. I have also planted a croton 

 hedge, and have put down a number of rose 

 cuttings so I hope later on literally to make 

 "the wilderness blossom as the rose." 



March 14th. — The beauty of the coffee blos- 

 som has already passed, and now we are almost 

 praying to have no rain for a few days that the 

 blossom may set. This morning I discovered a 

 new and perfectly unexpectedly beautiful walk. 



