8 COFEEE PLANTERS’ MANUAL. 
that it may almost pass for virgin-forest—the land 
having rested so long and been enriched by the 
decaying leaves and branches without huving borne 
crops for all that time. Even grass lands are occa- 
sionally opened, and where they are favourably situ- 
ated for manuring such lands sometimes do well. 
They are generally uncertain, however, and always 
expensive, and i do not recommend the tyro in Coffee 
Planting to try his hand at such cultivation. There 
is nothing like virgin forest :—given a block of good 
forest land, at a suitable elevation, with a desirable 
lay, and a favourable exposure—not subject to be 
swept by wind, or inundated by water—and you 
have the natural conditions necessary to the forma- 
tion of a good plantation. If you do not make a 
good estate with such favouring elements, blame 
yourself and not the situation. Yes, but says my 
young friend, ‘‘ That is all very fine—you have stated 
a number of conditions that should be favourable. 
How am I to find these out?” Listen, and I will 
tell you. 
ist.—Good Land. One indication of this quality, 
is, if it be heavily timbered. Rarely do you find 
tall, straight, strong trees growing on bad land. Next, 
mark the soil. What depth do you find of virgin 
mould, t.¢., of the decomposed vegetable matter that 
in course of ages has been shed by the trees, and has 
rotted where 1t fell, and remained there forming soil? 
In steep lands very often a great deal of what should 
be such mould has been washed away by the ‘inces- 
sant rains to which Ceylon is periodically subject. 
In that case you need not be surprised, if you find 
only six inches where the forest is centuries old. If 
the land be flat, or only gently undulating, you may 
find several feet of this description. It will be a 
mine of wealth to you, and save the need of manure 
for many years to come. The other is, however, the 
more common way, simply because the great majority 
of our coffee land is situated on the slopes of steep 
mountains, whose altitude draws down the passing 
elouds, which in the rainy season wash away much 
of the surface soil. In the absence of such soil, 
however, in any great quantity, we must look to 
the sub-soil. A rich chocolate is my favourite, and 
I have generally seen the best estates where that was 
the body of the soil. But a deep blaek is also good 
—sometimes indeed very fine. And there are other 
kinds not to be despised. A free friable kind of 
soil, is generally a very desirable first condition, 
whatever be the colour. But it should not be sandy, 
clayey or ferruginous. If well studded with large 
boulders so much the better. These keep the soil 
