II INTRODUCTION. 
have served for twelve if taken in time; creating in 
fact not an estate, but so many acres of bad and 
neglected coffee, that, if it is ever wrought into an 
estate, will cost much more, and be much less satis- 
factory, than if everything had been properly done 
at the right time. 
As coffee land may now cost anything from R50 
to R200 per acre, it is impossible to say what an 
estate should cost, with the price of the land included. 
Indeed the most skilful planter can only come near 
the mark of probable expenditure, when he has the 
cost of the land before him, knows the locality, the 
distance from a cart road, the probable amount of 
contributions to roads, medical wants, &c. On the 
whole, the planter who proposes to open an esiate 
will do well if, after paying for lis land, he resolves 
not to open an acre, for which he caunot command 
R200 within four years, without depending on any 
return from his crop. It is always the truest economy, 
to do well and substantially the work that has to be 
done; for, depend upon it, other things being equal, 
the most complete job of work will pay best. He 
who attends most carefully to have the underwood 
spread flat on the surface, who sees that the trees 
are properly cut to fall in one direction, and who 
insists on the large branches that stand up in the 
fallen forest being laid down, will have the best fire, 
and save both time and money thereby. He who 
traces, clears, and partially cuts his roads at the earliest 
possible time will save five per cent on all the work 
he has to do in the field. He who within the second 
year puts up permanent substantial buildings, for lodg- 
~ing his coolies and himself, will save more than he 
who repairs or renews temporary lines and bungalow. 
He who makes 18x18 inch holes will have better 
and more forward plants than he who is content with 
halt the size. He who completes a good system of 
surface drains earliest will lose the smallest propor- 
tion of his surface soil. He who begins systematic 
' weeding three weeks after the fire, and weeds all 
- over within every subsequent month, need never spend 
even so much as R1O per acre per annum to keep his 
estate perfectly clean. He who from first to last 
concentrates the bulk of his labour on whatever job is 
