and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— October, 1912, 885 



TEA-PLANTING IN CEYLON. 



Deak Sir, — I am thinking of going out to 

 learn tea-planting in Ceylon. Gould you give 

 me a few facts about the work I should bo 

 required tu do, and say what premium to pay ? 

 What should the salary be when 1 have been 

 out there six or seven months ? 



Ceylon. 



[It is not so easy to obtain appointments on 

 tea plantations as it was formerly. In fact, 

 there are far more chances for suitable young 

 men on rubber estates in the East. Most of 

 the tea plantations are owned by companies, 

 and young men who have had experience in 

 such companies' offices, are as a rule, appointed 

 to posts on the estates— at least those who apply 

 for such positions— and they are usually sought 

 after by the junior members of the staffs. If a 

 young man is proceeding to Ceylon with the in- 

 tention of eventually taking up planting on his 

 own account, he would most likely have to 

 pay a fairly btiff premium to some planter, 

 but he would require to have, later on, 

 a considerable sum of money if he wanted to 



wn an estate. We presume, in your own case, 

 chat you seek employment as an assistant, and 

 unless you are connected with the tea trade we 

 fear you will have some difficulty in getting into 

 touch with the right people. We can, of course, 

 supply you, under "Special Service" conditions, 

 with a list of the principal tea importers, many 

 of whom have their own plantations, not only in 

 Ceylon, but in other parts. 



The climate of Ceylon, though tropical, is 

 comparatively healthy, the heat in the plains, 

 which is nearly the same throughout the year, 

 being much less oppressive than in India. Along 

 the coast the annual mean is about 80deg., but 

 this heat is usually tempered by a sea breeze. 

 On most of the tea estates in the hill country 

 the climate is healthy. The south-west mon- 

 soon prevails from May to September; the north- 

 east monsoon from October to April. The rain- 

 fall varies greatly in different parts of the island, 

 the driest averaging 30in. to 40in., and the 

 wettest 150in. per annum. In the hills, as we 

 have already indicated, the climate is excellent, 

 and in the low country the European can ke< p 

 his health if he is careful; but manual labour is 

 practically out of the question for a white man, 

 who finds his employment in sedentary pursuits 

 or in the supervision of labour. With facilities 

 for occasional change, the exercise of care aud 

 temperance, a young man would have every 



chance of keeping in good health. Life in Cey- 

 lon as in other tropical places, is practically 

 passed in the open, so that vitiated air in dwel- 

 lings is seldom a source of disease. 



The life of an overseer or assistant overseer on 

 a tea estate is a hard one, and as the nature of 

 the work involves exposure to the sun and rain, 

 there is, to some extent, risk to health. Again, 

 the native will only work properly when his 

 master's eye is upon him, and the constant watch- 

 ing and the long hours in the plantations are 

 very trying, even to the hardened planter. There- 

 fore, no one should go out to take up such em- 

 ployment who has neglected to be thoroughly 

 examined by a competent medical man. Those 

 ignorant of the overseeing of a big estate cannot 

 realise the many duties which the man in charge 

 and his staff have to perform. They are re- 

 sponsible for everything— the planting, rearing, 

 stripping of the plants, the drying and packing, 

 engagement of labourers and their payment, 

 the commissariat, the accounts, and the many 

 other items which go to the upkeep of the 

 plantation. 



We cannot recommend anyone to go to Ceylon 

 with the object of such work in view, without 

 first obtaining an appointment, unless he is well 

 supplied with funds. The annua! salaries run 

 from l,000r. for assistants of twelve to eighteen 

 months' standing to 3,O0Or. to 5,000r. for men 

 of experience. The present exchange value of 

 the rupee is Is 4d. As a rule, after three years, 

 and sometimes five, according to the agreement 

 made, a holiday is given of sufficiently long dura- 

 tion to enable a man to come home ; but the 

 question of long leave is generally arranged at 

 the time of engagement. The cost of living for a 

 European is difficult to calculate, the purchasing 

 power of the rupee being about midway be- 

 tween its nominal value of 2s and gold value oi 

 Is 4d, if local and imported purchases are con- 

 sidered together. It must be remembered that 

 the standard of living for the European is higher 

 in the tropics than in this country. Food locally 

 raised is cheap. Meat, the quality of which 

 admits of improvement, costs from 12c. to 40c. 

 per 1 lb. ; fish, along the coast and within easy 

 reach of the railway, is very abundant and 

 good ; fowls and ducks can be procured at 25c. 

 to 75c. each. Fruit is plentiful and excellent, 

 and its daily consumption is recommended by 

 the medical authorities. An outfit suitable for 

 a young man proceeding to take up a junior 

 position on an estate would cost about £35. 

 — Ed.] — Bazaar, Sept. 13. 



