488 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [Jam. 1, 1904. 
CEYLON MEN IN THE FAR WEST. 
COFFEE IN PUERTO RICO: 
OLD PLANTERS IN CHICAGO. 
[As soon as it was announced in the Chicago 
papers, that Mr. J. Ferguson was to speak in that 
city on " Ceylon," several old Ceylon residents 
sent cards to await his arrival. Among the rest 
was Mr. Augustus Waddington, who was planting 
in Ceylon from 1858 to 1868— recalling K. B. 
Tytler, Col. Byrde, senr., and other old residents. 
Mr. Waddinpton is still hale and hearty and in 
business in Chicago and he handed to our Senior, 
as of interest to him and to Ceylon planters, a 
copy of the following letter which appears to be 
from Capt. Hansard, formerly of the Ceylon Rifles 
and the Police Department, and who will be 
remembered by many of our readers. The informa- 
tion afforded is very interesting and will be read 
with profit ; and the interest is increased by 
Capt. Hansard being so well-known here, while 
his correspondent, Mr. Waddington, has also a 
warm cornerfor Ceylon. — Ed., T.A.I 
September 17th, 1898. 
A. Waddington, Esq., Chicago. 
Dear Sir, — The British Consul at San Juan has 
placed in my hands your letter of inquiry of 24th 
August requesting that I would answer direct 
to you, and this I have very much pleasure in 
doing. But I must digress for a moment to 
notice that you were formerly in Ceylon. I was 
out there in the days of the Ceylon Rifles which 
regiment perhaps you remember and by a peculiar 
coincidence one of my greatest friends out there 
was a Waddington— Cyril ; I wonder if he can 
be any relation of yours. Now to 
COFFEE IN PUERTO RICO. 
I must first premise for your general information 
that all costs I may mention will be in Puerto 
Rico currency; and, owing to recent events, we are 
in perfect ignorance as to its value, though the 
rate of exchange up to the beginning ot the war 
has varied from $7 50 to $8.70 to the 1 stg. 
Present quotations are very high and unsettled, 
and we are uncertain as to how the Government 
of the United States will take over the coinage, 
which is purely insular. The District I live in 
is at the extreme N-E. corner of the island. The 
highest point in the island is near me and is 
just over 3,000 ft. high. The District is new to 
coflE^ee, though every peasant has had a few coffee 
trees about his hut from time immemorial — and 
they bear well. Government land is to be bad 
about here in plenty at suitable elevation, say 
from 1,000 feet upwards. This is all thickly 
corered with most valuable timber ; the price for 
this has hitherto been $4 per acre (and less). But 
appropriated land can be had at about the same 
price $4 and at $5. These latter are at lesser 
elevations, considerably cleared and all robbed of 
the valuable timber. Of the several estates 
around me, I am unable to name more than 
one that is doing even fairly. The remainder, 
I fear, must be run at a tremendous 
loss, but the total ignorance of anything 
CONNECTED WITH COFFEE 
amply accounts for this. There is no such a thing 
as regularity of distance, lining, holing, pruning 
of any sort, or frequent weeding. Trees ot any 
size, pnlled out of ground anyhow and in any 
leather are put in a hole, made with the point of a 
cutlass — never singly, often three and sometimes 
even six together — and are then allowed to grow to 
any height and often with weed enough to hide 
a 4 feet or 5 feet tree, Under such conditions it 
would be misleading to quote returns, even were 
such obtainable; and ideas are so vague as to yield 
per acre or per tree. My own trees are too young 
yet to quote from and my this season's crop is only 
now ripening ; but I may say I find that, given 
fair treatment 
COFFEE DOES "WELL 
at any elevation, and for first year's bearings trees 
bear well. Another reason for none of the neigh- 
bouring estates doing well is want of capital and the 
fact that taxes have been sohigh in ourdistrict that 
nearly everybody has at one time or other aban- 
doned for a time, and (perhaps more than anything) 
to there generally having been a dishonest, ignorant 
man in charge. I cannot answer your question as 
to what the cost of Government lapd will now be. 
I can today obtain several hundred acres of land 
at $4 cash. There are several estates, of sizes 
varying from 300 to 700 or 800 acres, planted over 
with coffee. I was seeking information for a New 
Orleans gentleman about two years since and a 
place of 800 acres — with house, and 150 acres planted 
—was offered me at $15,000; but I met the owner 
when in the American lines lately and he told me 
confidentially he would not sell under $100,000 
now, because the Americans were in ; still I would 
not like to offer him the $15,000 if I did not want 
to buy. There are several ooher places about, 
whose owners would sell with little or no persua- 
sion, all with some acres of coffee in production. 
Bat knowing somewhat of the Spanish — or rather 
Puerto Rtcan— people here, I would be sorry to ask 
their selling price and in the event ot your deciding 
to come this way you could not do better than start 
enquiries through aresident- 1 mean, of course, non- 
Spanish. The clearing of foiest land would be 
somewhat costly, about $10 per acre; but this would 
be according to your views on " shade." Holing, 
say ^8 per acre. Good plants, when obtainable 
cost 25 cts. per 100; few labourers about here have 
any idea how to put in a plant. Some half-dozen 
I have taught myself, but filling holes is $1'50 or $3, 
weeding about $1'50 per acre if done frequently, 
otherwise I find it costs from $4 to $5 per acre^ 
LABOUR 
costs— good men 50 cts. per day and downwards to 
18 cts. for a boy ; they come to work at sun up and 
leave at sun down. On this point I may here say 
I quite expect that the incoming of work will 
somewhat raise the price of labour if immigrants 
do not come too. It is not necessary to make any 
estimate for barracks for labourers except at high 
elevations away from the residences of peasantry 
and then you can generally put up palm tree huts 
at $6, or IS8 each for one family. I have only one 
resident labourer— my headman, and, of course, 
the stableman. 
I have a Gordon pulper, an American washer 
and drier with engine and boiler, and a Gordon 
(Smout) huller. I only know or have heard of 
one other place in the island having 
ANY MACHINERY 
but several— many— have " tojona " and some dry 
their coffee ; there is nothing of this sort near me 
except locally-made wooden pulpers. 
Now with reference to other parts of the island 
I am only able to tell you there are districts which 
have large estates and some fine coffee, but tliey 
