64. “THE COFFEE PLANTER OF CEYLON,” 
buried in trenches or to be burnt into ashes, while 
the larger branches could be converted into charcoal. 
Purchasers of lots in Dimbula, which ar- high and 
close to forest, not likely ever to be felled for coffee 
planting purposes, have their compensating advantages 
in the Mrection we have indicated. Some of their 
young plants may be gnawed by rats from the forest, 
and there may be some tendency to bug from near- 
ness to damp and shade, but it is an immense ad- 
vantage to be close to inexhaustible reserves of humus 
and potash. With these from the neighbouring forest, 
the pulp and prunings of the estates, some cow-dung 
and a small quantity of good bone-dust or really 
rich superphosphate, we have little doubt that pro- 
perties at from 4,300 to 5,000 feet above the sea 
can be kept at an average yield of 7 or 8 cwts. an 
acre. This, in aclimate far superior to that of Eng- 
land, ought to content reasonable men. When sceptics 
point to the earlier Dimbula estates opened at a high 
elevation, estates whick bore largely for the first few 
years of their existence and then went back, it must 
be remembered that such properties were opened in 
the pre-manuring era, while portions of them, revived 
by high cultivation, are again yielding heavy and 
remunerative crops. Mr. Sabonadiére enters fully into. 
the nature and value of composts made of poonae, 
bone-dust, and guano, the latter, a substance which 
should never be used except in combination with 
others, such as poonac. Of Leechman’s compost, the 
author speaks as ‘‘ A capital manure: one pound a 
tree is a proper quantity to be used, and the average 
cost including application is, say, £6 anacre. It may 
also be beneficially mixed with other manures. On 
ahis estate it was very effective in supporting trees 
under heavy bearing.” 
Of Sombreorum, Mr. Sabonadiére’s experience does 
not seem to have been large, but it is favourable as 
recards the very cases where manuring is most re- 
quired, those of ‘‘ poor coffee.” We quote the para- 
graph :—‘‘Sombreorum is one of the artificial man- 
ures that has lately been manufactured, and owes its 
origin to Mr. R. B. Tytler of Palakelle. As opinion 
yaries much on its virtues, I have included in the 
Appendix some correspondence that has appeared in 
the newspapers upon the subject. My own experience 
of Sombreorum is that it is a yood manure; but 
having tried it on very good coffee, the effects were 
not so perceptible as would have been the case on a 
poor estate. I have seen it apphed to very poor 
‘cotfee with most beneficial effects, but I fancy it re- 
quires to be frequently applied to afford lasting and. 
remunerative results.” 
