Oct. 2, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
241 
THE PLANTING ENTEEPRISE OF CEYLON: 
IN TEA, COFFEE, CACAO, CINCHONA, 
CAEDAMOMS AND MINOR PEODUOTS: 
EXTENT OF CULTIVATION UNDEU 
EACH PRODUCT IN AUGUST, 18y3. 
NUMBER OF PLANTATIONS AND 
SUPERINTENDENTS, &o. 
No tropical industry — and probably no agricultural 
enterprise outside the tropics — has had bo much 
care bestowed on the oompilaiion of substantially 
acourate statistics concerning its position and pro- 
gress as has the Planting Enterprise of Ceylon in 
the products above-named and to a lesser extent in 
Coconuts and Cinnamon. Thirty-seven years ago it 
was a comparatively easy task to frame a list of the 
then limited number of plantations in cultivation, 
and to sum up a cultivation confined entirely to one 
product. This was done by the Planters' Asso- 
ciation in 1856 ; but no further attempt was 
made to collate the acreage in cultivation, for 
thirteen years afterwards, until 1869, when the 
present compiler first prepared a complete 
"Directory" with this information. Since then 
at twelve distinct periods— in 1871, 1873, 1871, 
1875, 1877, 1881, 1883, at end of 1885, in the 
middle of 1888, of 1890, of 1891, and now in 
the latter half of 1893,— the eompilation has 
been carefully made and the position of the 
Planting Industry accurately gauged, our figures 
being adopted not only by planters and mer- 
chants, but by the Government and Civil Servants 
as the only available and reliable returns of an 
Industry which has been regarded as the backbone 
of the prosperity of the Colony. We have, in 
laot, at the expense of muoh time and labour for 
twenty-four years bajk, been doing the work 
which properly appertained to the Agents of the 
Government, and supplying information which in 
other Colonies and Dependencies is only to be 
found in ofiSoial publioationa. However, we have 
had our reward in the intimate acquaintance it 
has given us with all the phases of the most 
important industry of the country and in being 
enabled to follow closely each successive develop- 
ment of new branches of that industry. Especially 
interesting, although involving far more trouble, 
has been the work of collating the statistics since 
a variety of new products has been added to our 
old staple ; and never perhaps has so much pains 
been taken as on the present occasion to secure 
accurate returns of the area planted with the 
all-important new staple. Tea, and with minor 
Products, although no one can be more conscious 
than the compiler of the impossibility of attaining 
perfect accuracy. Still for all practical purposes 
we believe, the results derived from our tables, 
may be taken as reliable statistics from which to 
gauge the present position of industries, the im- 
portance of which as regards the revenue, trade and 
general well-being of this community, cannot be 
overestimated. 
Taking first the total extent ol the properties 
included in our Directory, namely 724,805 acres, — 
there is an increase o( 36,973 acres on the return 
made up at the middle of 1891. This is owing 
chiefly to the inclusion of some 10,000 acres of land 
fit for tea-planting in native hands in Balangoda 
district and about the same extent added in " low 
country divisions," while the new district of 
Passara involves an addition of 3,000 acres beyond 
what was included in both it and BaduUa formerly. 
Then there has been an addition of 3,500 acres, 
through land sales, to the Keiani Valley District, 
and further areas added to Panwila, Matale East 
and West through land opened at Ukuwela ; and 
ia other distnota due to the revival of old properties 
31 
for tea, that had fallen out of cultivation and notice. 
In other directions, more correct returns have 
slightly increased or reduced the totals for each 
district. 
Turning to the mo«e important figures represent- 
ing the area now in cultivation with tea, coffee 
(Arabica and Liberisa), cinchona, cacao, rubber, 
and the host of new and old products with which 
experiments are being made in different quarters, 
we find the grand total to be 353,235 acres, or an 
increase of 19,282 acres on the middle of 1891. 
This adflition of 19,009 acres may not be considered 
muoh for the two years, more especially when it 
is remembered that over 2,200 acres additional 
have been brought into ouUivation, in the Keiani 
Valley alene, and 3,000 more in the minor Western 
Province " lowcountry " districts in the interval ; 
while Panwila, Matale West and the higher districts 
show additions ; aud there is a distinct extension 
of cultivation in Eastern Uva if we take the 
Badulla, Passara, Madulsima and Monaragalla 
group together. But old coffee land has continued 
to be " abandoned " within the past few years in 
other directions, though much of the extent, of 
course, was in a semi-abandoned state for several 
years back, and ohetly and native plantations 
make up a certain proportion. Still, in respect 
of old cofiee land, a revival has come in favour 
of tea. In Maskeliya, a comparatively young 
district, our cultivated return in 1883 was lower than 
in 1881 by 2,0u0 acres, indicating how ooSee had then 
fallen out of esteem there ; but all this has now been 
more than recovered under tea. On the other hand, 
it is noteworthy that neither in Dimbula nor Dikoya 
has any land gone out of cultivation— and the 
same is true of most of the Uva dietrictB which 
with the higher and younger divisions, never 
showed so large an area in cultivation as at present. 
That the total area under cultivation — after care- 
ful checking and verifieation of the returns — should 
stand so high as 353,235 acres (or over 550 square 
miles), notwithstanding the adverse experienoea of 
coffee and cinchona, is matter for surprise and 
gratulation, and shews how widely tea hai beea 
planted and how satisfaotory so far, have been the 
results. 
Oonsideriug the efdux of planters from our aborea 
during the period of coffee depression, no one will 
be astonished to learn that the total number of 
Superintendents fell from 1,389 in February 1881 
and 1,108 at the end of 1883 to 1,079 by Decem- 
ber 1885. Sinee then, however, the turn of the 
tide has set in steadily; for wo had in July 1883 
as many as 1,136 ; inoreaeed by June 1890 to 1,211 ; 
and by August 1891, to 1,258; while now we 
have the full number of 1,334 Superintendents 
and Assistants corresponding to 1,439 estates 
in cultivation out of a total of 1,949 proper- 
ties. It is probable that more than 8U0 European 
planters left Ceylon in the four years, between 
1881 and 1885 ; but a considerable number after* 
wards returned, while a large quota of young 
men " to learn tea" have been added to the number 
of Assistant Superintendents, Perhaps we may 
fairly say that our planting community diminished 
at the rate of sixty Superintendents or Proprietoi- 
Buperintendents a year, between 1880 and 1886 — 
and that about 260 or about 40 per annum have 
since been added of old colonists returned or new 
men from home. The total now is very nearly 
as high as in the height of our coffee prosperity ; 
but it is noteworthy that the number of separate 
plantations has decreased during the past two 
years, a fact explained by the aggregation of sma;! 
properties into one charge under the prooese wbioh 
has given us so many Limited Companiea among 
<■ tea " estates. 
