COFFEE. 



39 



the datum of 40Z. per acre is really moderate ; and at 30Z. for young 

 coffee, adding also 130,000 acres in private hands, as available for 

 planting at 5/. per acre, we are enabled to arrive at the following 

 estimate : 



£ 



196.000 acres full bearing at 40/. 7,840,000 



54.000 „ young coffee at 30/. 1,620,000 



130,000 „ forest laud at 5Z 650,000 



100,000 „ patna grass, &c., at 15s 75,000 



Total for plantations .. .. 10,185,000 

 Add for native gardens at 25/. 1,125,000 



Total £11,310,000 



" If to this be added the value of factories, stores, offices in town, 

 &c., the total present valuation of investment in the coffee industry of 

 the island approaches the sum of 13,000,000Z." 



The coffee estates in the Badulla district are situate in two different 

 directions ; those on the Badulla side lie in an easterly direction, and 

 are mostly on spurs running out from Nammanakolie Kande, and those 

 in a south-westerly direction on the Happootelle ranges. The eleva- 

 tion of the estates above the level of the sea is from 2400 to 4800 feet. 

 Those on the Happootelle side are from 25 to 37 miles from the town 

 of Badulla ; those on the Badulla side from 3 to 12 miles. Badulla 

 is 156 miles from Colombo, and 84 from Kandy. The heavy blossom 

 appears in August and September. The principal crop is picked from 

 April to July. A small crop, chiefly from young coffee, is picked 

 from September to December. 



The crop available for export has already doubled in twenty-five 

 years. It would seem that if the problem is solved, of sufficiently 

 maintaining, by manure and proper cultivation, the bulk of the present 

 estates, so as to continue an average yield, there are resoui'ces in Ceylon 

 which ought to carry the crop eventually to nearly double the present 

 export of coffee. It will be a long time before that result can be 

 realised, if it ever comes, but in 1880 there ought to be crops averaging 

 1,500,000 cwts. of coffee, plantation and native, to deal with. In the 

 five years ending 1875 we get an average annual export of 710,806 

 cwts. of plantation coffee, which, for 220,000 acres under culture, 

 would give a rate of about 3 cwts. per acre. Of the land planted or 

 tilled, however, it must be remembered that 40,000 acres must be 

 classed as " young coffee," and of this a great proportion has not yet 

 borne a berry. Again, there is a considerable extent of old worn-out 

 coffee land, yielding, perhaps, 2 or 3 cwts. per acre. Making 

 allowance, therefore, for these circumstances, the average yield, even 

 during the last three variable seasons, cannot be much less than 

 5 cwts. per acre. The native cultivation of coffee has usually been 

 calculated to extend over 50,000 acres, but it varies very much 

 according to the character of the season, the prices of produce, and 

 the cheapness of money. The quantity of native coffee shipped in the 

 five years was 497,080 cwts., giving an average of 124,270 cwts., or a 

 total average of 835,076 cwts. 



