- COFFEE PLANTERS’ MANUAL. 5 
and burning ; while you may, from carscity of labour 
or its inefficiency, lose a season, before you are able 
to plant tke field: as your Tamil labourers are slow 
at this work, while Sinhalese do not cire about it. 
They would much rather look out for fresh work at 
‘a new clearing, than even contract—fond as they are 
of contracts—to clear up a bed burn. And if they 
do undertake it, it will be at a price that generally 
makes the Planter regret having undertaken the risk 
of the burn. There are cases in exceptionally dry 
-districts, or seasons, Where this work may be done 
profitably by the Planter himself: but the risk is so 
‘great, that as a rule it is better for him to avoid it. 
As workmen, at this sort of labour, Sinhalese are pro- 
ficient. very Kandyan especially is so in a high 
‘degree: in fact he seems born with an axe or a catty 
in his hand, so expert is he in the use of these 
tools. Sinhalese generally are fond of this work : and 
-contractors can readily be got to undertake any quan- 
tity of clearing at the rate of from £2 to £2 10s. 
per acre; £2 5s, may be considered the average cost 
by means of a contractor, of felling, lopping, burning 
and clearing up, so as to leave the land ready for 
planting. Engage your contractor then at once And 
you must provide him with tools, which of course 
he returns to you on the completion of the work. 
To clear one hundred acres, which we shall assume 
‘as our young Planter’s first clearmg, 5 dozen axes 
and 4 dozen bill hooks will suffice. With this stock 
he can start his contractor in the work of felling. 
Nor will other tools be required till this operation be 
finished, and he be ready to commence lining. 
Before proceeding further, I shall describe to our 
young friend the process of felling and clearing—a 
process with which he will have no more trouble, if 
he act as above advised, than seeing the work per- 
formed, and paying his contractor for the job. The 
felling is'a very simple, yet a very interesting pro- 
cess. Fancy fifty men, each armed with a sharp axe, 
taking post at the foot of a hill, every man behind 
his tree. At the appointed time, whack, whack, goes 
every axe, till a niche about half through the tree 
is cut on the lower side. Then each axe is plied 
on the upper side, a little, say half a foot above the 
‘eut on the opposite or lower side. This upper in- 
‘cision need not be so deep as the lower, which is 
on the side, to which as a rule the tree is intended 
to fall. The upper cut suffices if it break the skin 
and approach the centre by about one-fourth the 
thickness of the tree or even less. Tier after tier 
sof trees is thus served in succession, till the top of 
‘the hill is reached, if not too distant, or broken 
