Oct. I, 1897.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
253 
in these parts. Occasionally, of course, we are a little 
rusted, but speaking generally we have a sufficient 
labour force and advances are small on the estates. 
I manage about E2 per head. 
If it is asked how it is this state of Arcadian sim- 
plicity exist I would say it is due to several causes. 
For one thing most of the Managers have been 
on their estates for a long period, from 5 to 15 years, 
and are well-known to the coolies. For another, (but 
let no whisper of this be heard beyond the editorial 
sanctum,) there is still coffee on our estates and Eama- 
samy dearly loves a fragrant cup in the morning and 
I fancy generally gets it ! 
Then most of our places being still in the transi- 
tion state from coffee to tea, it is not yet altogether 
a matter of producing so many pounds of tea at so 
much a pound ; we have our coffee to prune, our 
cinchona to cut out and our clearings to open and 
the cooly has more variety in Lis work. 
Having said this I will only reply to a few of 
your questions : — 
(1.) Have no experience. As regards their damag- 
ing leaf I fancy they do, but the test is what prices 
do those obtain who use them ? 
(4.) In theory, Yes. In practice, No. 
(5.) I have known less frequent weeding tried on 
several estates and it has always ended in the place 
having to be cleared up with mamotics to the per- 
manent damage of the property. 
Leaving mosses and ferns was tried on a well- 
known estate in Dimbula and the coffee went back 
rapidly much more so than on the clean weeded portions 
of the estate. I have not seen it tried with tea. 
(7.) Not at all satisfactory. The planting of cuscus 
grass sounds worth trying. 
(9.) Certainlj] all coolies should have gardens if 
they want them. 
(10.) At first sight this would seem a move in the 
right direction, but care would have to be taken as 
to who held the strings in the estate boutique, or 
the last state might be worse than the first. 
(11.) Liquor and liquorshops are an unmitigated 
curse to our labour force; but under the present system 
all that can be done is to try and get a shop closed 
here and there. A benevolent Government having 
carefully fostered a taste for liquor for generations 
now says to us : — “ There is no use in curtailing faci- 
lities for obtaining drink, for if we close our licensed 
shops there will be illicit sale.” And so it is, but 
whose fault is it ? 
No. NIL— Medium District. 
(1) . I have seen wire shoots used with great 
saving of labour on large stf.ep estates : in one case a 
transport of 5 miles is saved by means of 3 shoots 
which take the leaf to the store in twenty minutes. 
Leaf is not damaged provided it does not arrive at 
the bottom of the shoot with too great a speed, 
which can be checked in the case of steep shoots 
by means of a siding or “ shunt’ ’ when the leaf is 
caught. 
(2) . Hill tramways where spare power is available 
are useful for transport of chests, etc., from factory to 
road, if the former is not on cart road, and is yet 
within a reasonable distance of it. 
(3) . I do not think small tramways would pay on 
average estates. 
(4) . I do not think weeding is overdone on 
properly drained estates. 
(5) . I certainly would not advise less frequent 
weeding or “ selected ” weeding ; the latter would 
be much more expensive and require very 
careful supervision to see that only the proper 
weeds were left : less frequent weeding would mean 
less profit to the contractors, and kanganies will 
not stay on an estate where they make no profit on 
contracts. 
(6) . I have not tried the experiment. 
(7) . The present system of close and rather (/ojf?* 
gradient drains is a great improvement on thie old 
system of steep and rather far apart drains. I find 
(trains with a gradient of 1 in 34 or even 1 in 30 
about 26 to 30 feet apart on steep land save the 
surface soil excellently. I have not tried cuscus grass 
in the way suggested. 
(9). I strongly recommend a small portion of 
ground for gardens being given to coolies round 
every set of lines, I find it makes them much more 
contented. 
(11), The number of liquor shops in this neigh- 
bourhood is far too great ; undoutedly labour would 
be saved if they were abolished or even reduced in 
number. Drinking is increasing very much among the 
coolies ; after every pay day fully twenty-five per 
cent of the men don’t come out to work until they 
have drunk all their pay. A. 
No. XIII.— Matale North. 
(1) I should say VVire Shoots would not be suit- 
able for conveyance of produce. 
(2) A hill tramway mig’nt save time and labour 
on a large estate, and be economical when there was 
good water power. 
(3) I think ordinary tramways too expensive for 
Estale use. 
(4) I think the present system of clean weeding 
is the best and most economical. 
(5) The more general growing of shade would cer- 
tainly render the working of an estate much cheaper, 
and therefore reduce the necessity for labour con- 
siderably. Weeding can be thus reduced by 30 per 
cent ; when trees are selected from which there is 
a heavy fall of leaf, wash is almost done away with, 
and drains require little attention. The constant fall of 
leaf also is undoubtedly good for the soil and in time 
renders old worn-out soils fertile. 
(6) I think good comfortable lines and plenty 
of them have a good deal to do with making an 
estate popular and certainly improve the general 
health of an estate. An estate caddy is an advan- 
tage ; but the keeper of it must be closely watched 
and there is a good deal of trouble attendant on one. 
A liquor shop is probably an evil that must be 
tolerated, but if the duty was raised on arrack very 
considerably it would check drunkenness to a great 
extent. My opinion however is that no great change 
for the better will take place in the labour supply 
until the pay of the cooh/, not the Kangani, is raised 
all round. VVe have now heavy competitors for labour 
which we had not before, and yet we are actually 
paying the individual cooly less than we did 20 years 
ago. The pa.y of a good cooly in the coffee days was 
generally 374 cents; of a good woman 27 to 29 — 
against 33 and 25 at present ; the coolies then, in 
crop time earned large amounts for extra and cash 
pickings, at least as large as are earned for extra 
plucking now—and living was cheaper. 
(7) The present rate of pay is adhered to, because 
tea has to be put into the market at so many cents 
per lb. 
(8) The Superintendent therefore has to make it 
up in advances which become so large that they in 
many instances can never be recovered, and the cooly 
gets to think far more of his advances than his wages, 
Such a system is rotten and cannot last. M. 
No. XIV. -UVA. 
(1) Wherever the gradient would allow wire-shoots 
are most valuable money savers; don’t damage tea if 
sent in coir bags and packed loose. 
(2) — (Nothing ; on other appliances.) 
3 If cost is not too heavy. In Ceylon we must 
have practically no weeds or quantities, but tea is 
partially a weed killer ; care should be taken to 
prevent surface being scraped. 
(4) Yes : (weeding overdone). 
(5) Our present system is good enough if scraping 
is fought against. 
(6) No (Experiment tried to cultivate lupines, etc. 
so as to dig in.) 
(7) Can’t say. (Drainage). 
(9) Coolies now go to the highest bidder at the com- 
mand of the Chetty. He was a free agent ; but is now 
a slave to the Chetty and however much he loves his 
