COFFEE PLANTING, as a branch of agricul tural industry, although only introduced into India in comparatively recent times, has attracted many persons. The outlay. has been great, but both in Ceylon and Southern India the losses have been considerable, often ruinous. In Nether lands India, coffee planting has been a Govern ment monopoly, and there has been a large exportation of coffee from Java ; but the most recent information is to the effect that the mono poly is not, or was but little, remunerative. In British India coffee is grown along the summits and slopes of the Western Ghats, from the northern limits of Mysore south to Cape Comorin ; in Coorg, Travancore, in the Wynad, on the slopes of the Neilgherry Hills, and also on the Shevaroy Hills and Pulney Hills. Major Bevan introduced coffee into the Wynad about the year 1822, as a curiosity. Mr. Cannon, somewhat later, formed a plantation in Mysore ; Mr. Glasson, in 1840, formed a plantation at Manautoddy ; and in 1842 i.t was growing well at Belgaum. The exten sion has since been great ; and in 1880, in the Cochin, Travancore, Mysore, and Madras districts, and at Lohardug,ga in Bengal, 412,947 acres had been taken up for coffee, of which 162,847 acres had mature plants. The yield per acre on excep tional estates in exceptional seasons, is said to be areater. The cultivation in British India has increased in extent year by year, and the exports, chiefly to Europe, have been as under : Years. Cwt. Value. Years. Cwt. Value.
1850-51, 64,797 2100,509 1865-66, 309,823 2785,103 1851-52, 77,772 84,306 1866-67, ... . .
1852-53, 70,227 97,490 1867-68, 296,332 . 761,342 1853-54, ... 109,761 1868-69, 433,288 1,121,032 1854-55, 66,072 82,794 1869-70, 325,831 870,189 1855-56, 82,197 120,201 1870-71, 301,935 809,701 1856-57, ... 132,819 1871-72, 507,296 1,380,410 1857-58, 54,677 99,727 1872-73, 375,887 1,146,219 1858-50, 104,421 135,036 1873-74, 367,132 1,499,496 1859-60, 128,088 188,532 1874-75, 312,874 1,307,918 1860-61, 170,706 337,433 1875-76, 373,499 1,633,395 1861-62, 192,015 467,991 1876-77, 304,158 1,353,588 1862-63, 187,903 513,257 1877-78, 298,587 1,344,638 1863-64, 238,866 657,672 1878-79, 342,268 1,548,481 1864-65, 289,178 801,908 1879-80, 361,037 1,633,032 Ceylon.-The coffee tree was introduced into Ceylon by the Arabs before the arrival of the Portuguese, but the Singhalese only employed its tender leaves for their curries, and its delicate jasmine-like flowers for ornamenting their temples and shrines. The Dutch carried the coffee tree to
Batavia in 1690, and about the same time they began its cultivation in Ceylon, but again ceased in 1739. Its culture, however, continued to be prosecuted by the people ; and, after the British occupation, the Mahomedans collected it in the villages, and brought it to Galle and Colombo, to be bartered for cutlery, cotton, and trinkets. It was extensively diffused over the country by the agency of birds and jackals. From 1821 the quantity of coffee shipped to Britain yearly inereased,-native grown, badly prepared berry, and ranking below almost every other kind of coffee. In 1830. the first attempt at careful coffee cultivation and curing was made on a considerable scale by the crovernor of the island, Sir Edward Barnes, and's the success induced others to apply for waste forest land. During 1836 and 1837 upwards of 7000 acres of Crown lands were purchased, and partly cleared and plant,ed ; and in 1836 the crop was 60,330 cwt. It had become widely extended through the Kandyan provinces. On the Himasgaria moun tains, in 1840, a small plantation was formed. In 1846_ there were fifty estates there, averaging each 200 acres of planted land, and yielding an average crop of- 80,000 cwt. of coffee. On the 31st December 1847, there were 50,0701 acres cultivated. The gross outlay of this is said to have amounted to £5,000,000 sterling. In the seventeen years 1855. t,o 1872, the extent of coffee land cultivated in Ceylon increased 175 per cent., the number of plantations rising from 404 to 1087, the crop from 374,000 to 760,000 cwts. The out-turn of produce increased 100 per cent., but the average yield per acre decreased from 5.5 cwt. to 4.88 cwt (Standard, Nov. 17, 1873). In 1875 coffee was under cultivation in 37 districts of Ceylon, containing in all 1351 pro perties, of a total 481,539 acres, of which 249,604 acres were cultivated. From 1850 to 1875 the crops per acre have ranged from 2-75 cwt. in 1874, to 5-07 cwt. in 1868, the general averag,e being rather under 4.25 per acre.