July 1, 1903.J THE TKOPICAL AURIC ULTUBIST. 
43 
THE ROMANCE OF COFFEE AND 
TEA CULTIVATION IN CEYLON. 
THE MAGNIFICENT Dli'AGAMA 
VALLEY IN THE AGKAS : 
OVER 8,000 ACHES OF FORSSTLAND IN 
ONE PROPERTY UNDER THE SHADOW 
OF KIRIGALPOTA, lOTAPELLA AND 
THE HORTON PLAINS ; 
2,350 ACRES OF THIS NOVv^ UNDER 
TEA— AND CLEARINGS OF CINCHONA. 
(Diyagama visited for the first time by the 
Senior Ed. 'CO."; 
THE DRIVE INTO DIYAOAMA VALt^EY. 
We weve charmed with the drive by the 
riverside, facing a grand circlet of moun- 
tains, from Sutton to Diyagama. The con- 
tinuous tea of successive properties is 
liberally diversified by timber trees, while 
the forest and the mountains crown the 
long gien leading to the very limit of 
planting operations in Dimbula and to the 
largest single tea plantation in the district, 
or the island* if not anywhere in the 
world, florton Plains seemed very near when 
we came on the sign board marking the 
well-kept bridle path leading to the patanas 
below "the milk-stone slab " mountain and 
the well-known resthouse, only 3 miles 
distant. As we grasped the situation 
and extent of Diyagama, our first thought 
was, what a magnificent expanse of 
forest this Valley must have looked, 
when first explored, and before a single 
tree was felled! It must have been in 
1876 that Messrs. Graeme Elphinstone, J. 
Dick- Lauder and J. A. Campbell (of Waltrim) 
first passed i.ito the main Valley and 
thoroughly explored the forest, climbing to a 
vantage point from which they could look over 
the flcvt with the Agvaoya meandering for a 
mile or two, and the undulating knolls, and 
sloping valley running up to 5, 6 and 7 
thousand feet on the mountain sides. 
Altogether there are 3,12.5 acres in the 
Diyagama estate and we could only compare 
its araphitheatrical situation and splendid 
basin of soil, as well as fertile hillsides, to the 
finest expanse of forestland ever taken up 
for coffee in Ceylon. Need we say that we 
refer to Spring Valley in the Badulla district 
at the side of Namunukulakanda selected 
by the old West Indian planter, Sir Win. 
Keid, after he had traversed most of our 
hill country. Spring Valley today contains 
2,341 acres ; but the original " block " may 
have been larger. In any case our first irti- 
pression of the Uva Valley as we approached 
it with old Thomas Wood in 1865, the contour 
of its amphitheatrica! hill and forest bound- 
aries and the lower undulating expanse came 
back forcibly to our mind as we entered the 
Diyagama Valley in this year 1903. 
EARLY DAYS IN DIYAGAMA. 
Diyagama was not, however, purchased in 
one block or all at once. The original plan 
was to secure enough for a cinchona garden 
and in our "Directory" for 1875, Diyagama 
is entered for the first time ; but only as 
* Medil'jcoinbra has as much tea, though not an 
a block of 220 acres with Mr. Geo. Beck 
as Superintendent and Director during 
Elphinstone's absence in England. Cinchona, 
however, was not then planted ; only coffee 
from the start. When the Dimbula C(jfi"ee 
Company was founded in 1876, Elphinstone 
became Managing Director ; and on April 
2oth of this year, the great big purchase of 
1,500 acres of land was made, all of which 
was felled in the same year and burnt off 
on February 20th, 1877, E.irly in 1878, the 
Directory return was of 1,759 acres with 
1,720 planted iu coffee, the Superintendents 
being A. B Taylor, E. H. Fraser, J. E. A. 
Dick-Lauder, J. Gray, E. Forrest, D MacColl, 
J. M. G. Murray, A. J. Thackwell, J. D. 
Watson, W. Neaves, A. R. Wilson, J. Bal- 
main, M. Macmahon, H, M. Northey and E. 
F. Gregson. (J. B. Sharer, Accountant.) 
This long list included several of poor 
"Logie"'s proteges, whom he sent whole- 
sale to work, on "the Company's land" (a 
refuge for the destitute)— Old John Gray 
and D. MacColl being typical. — Another big 
purchase of land was made about this time, 
as related further on, and Mr. Dick-Lauder 
had charge of half the property, while in 
1879 he took full charge of all. By 1881, 
the estate was formed into five divisions 
and Mr. Dick-Lauder as Manager had 
G. D. Barnston down for the 4th and 
5th ; while H. F. C. Fyers, G. A. Tem- 
pler and A. C. Mclnnes were among the 
ne'v hands. There must have been 2,000 
acres under coffee out of a total of 3,000 
acres, beside 80 acres cinchona. In 1883, 
Mr. Dick-Lauder is down as Manager with 
E. G. Marshall, D. Griffin and F. D. Lloyd 
—total acreage 3,221 ; cultivated 2,165 ; with 
2,053 acres under coffee and cinchona ; be- 
side these products separately, and just a 
beginning with tea (10,000 bushes !). By 1888, 
there were 1,442 acres under tea— increased 
by 1890 to 1,688 acres and coffee down to 
458 acres, cinchona 150. 
COMPETITION FOR CROWN LAND. 
There was a good deal of excitement 
about the purchase of Agfa blocks of land 
during the " boom " in coffee and we recall 
the fact that Mr. A. H. Thomas in June, 1876, 
bought a lot of 184 acres at so high a price 
as R245 per acre and the late Mr. R. B. Law- 
rance in 1879 one of 289 acres at R242'4 per 
acre — and that too at a time when the 
rupee approximated very closely to 2s. 
sterling in va.lue. Tlie latter gentleman 
openly vowed that the recently-formed 
" Diyagama " or rather " The Dimbula Coffee 
Company, Ltd.", would no'o be allowed to 
get the additional 6 or 7 blocks they wanted 
to add to their property without his 
having a " say " ui the matter. This 
was in 1879 and Mr. Dick Lauder, who 
had to purchase, was a good deal 
disturbed, and calling on Mr. David Reid, 
the Railway Contractor, then residing in 
Kandy, he mentioned his difficulty. Mr. 
Reid at once took the matter up and 
arranged that he should attend the sale and 
bid freely, but apparently as an opponent of 
the Company. Mr. Lawrance, who strongly 
opposed Mr. Dick Lauder, when he offered 
tox 0. block, WAS quite content to let 3Ic, 
