The advantage of providing coffee with shade trees, at any elevation less than 2000 ft., is gradually being appreciated, and, in 1877, it was estimated that about 3000 acres of plantation coffee were growing under shade. It is evident, however, from experience gained at Hantane, Nilambie and 1VIatale, that success depends much upon the kind of tree, and that the nEttural forest will seldom do, the coffee not prospering, and the falling trees doing much damage in some cases.' In Dumhara, cocoa has been planted among the coffee, profiting by the shade of the latter for some years, and then expanding sufficiently to return the favour. It is said that under this shade some of the worst weeds do not flourish ; but, remembering how very necessary is shade to cocoa itself at all stages of its growth, it is difficult to see what ultimate good can arise. Cocoa and coffee do not prosper on the same ground elsewhere, e.g. Central America, West Indies, Natal. In Lower Matale, coffee growing under coco-uut palms is doing well up to the age of six yeara, and the coco nuts are flounshing. More worthy of enoouragement is the growth of shade-giving timber trees, especially subsoil feeders. Perhapa the best adapted for this purpose in Ceylon is the native jack (Artocarpus integrifolia), which attains a large size, and resembles, and belongs to the same family as, the bread-fruit tree. Ita presence seem to be actually beneficial to the coffee-plant, it is a aub soil feeder, it producea a fruit much valued aa food by the nativea, its timber is valuable for cabinet making and building purposes, and it flourishes best precisely in those aituations where its salads is most required. At] it will not bear tranaplanting, a few seeda must be placed, a couple of inchca below the surface, in each spot where a tree ia required to grow, the strongeat sapling being retained. The Loquat tree is planted along the roadsides on many estates, and coffee appears to thrive well under it; it yields a useful fruit, but its timber is not apparently of much value. The caator-oil plant, which growa 6-10 ft. high in a year, bearing a crop in the first year, might perhaps be found uaeful in some cases, as it requires little care in cultivation ; but it cannot be atrongly recommended for growth with coffee, being apparently a surface-feeder. Plantains or bananas, as planted for ahade in St. Domingo, will not injure the coffee ; perhaps, for the first few years, till the jacks have had time to grow, they might be useful. Trees for ahade should not be ao near each other as to prevent a free circulation of air, nor entirely to exclude the sun'a raya. They may, hOwever, in hot situations, be grown tolerably close at first, it being easy to thin them out afterWards. In order to make the treea throw out wide leafy heada, they ahould be trained to aingle stems till 10-12 ft. high, all lateral branches being kept off. This will also tend to produce large straight timber.
Estimates.-In the following estimates for the purchase of 300 A. forest land, and 200 A. grass land, bringing 200 of the former into cultivation and full bearing, the price of the former is calculated at 10/. an acre, the latter at 4/., and labour at 9d. a day, ineluding Kanganies' wages : First year : 1st October to 30th September following :-Land, 3800/. ; felling, burning, and clearing 50 A. at 455., 112/. 10s. ; toola, 35/. ; coolie linea, 80/. ; conductor's house, &e., 50/. ; tem porary bungalow, 50/. ; nursery for second year's extension (100,000 plants), 37/. 108. ; roach], 34/. 10s. ; lining out 50 A. at 5s., 12/. 10s. ; holing 50 A. at 5 ft. x 6 ft. = 1452 holes per A. at 25 for 9d., 108/. 15s.; filling in, at 120 holea for 9d., 22/. 13s. 9d. ; 75,000 plants at 10s. per 1000, 37/. 10s. ; planting 72,600, at 200 for 9d., 13/. 12s. 3d. ; cleaning up and weeding 50 A. at IOs , 25/. ; auper intendent, 120/. ; allowancea, 12/. ; conductor, 45/. 12s. ; contingencies, 50/. ; = total, 4647/. 3s.
Second year (cultivation, 50 A., and extension, 50 A.):-weeding, 50/. ; supplying vacancies 10/. 8s. 6d. ; repairing building], 20/. ; roads and trenching, 15/. ; replanting nuraery, 20/. ; additional lines, 50/. ; tools, 25/. ; felling, clearing, lining, holing, filling in, and planting, as before, 270/. ls. ; roads, 1 mile, 12/. ; cleaning and weeding, aa before, 25/. ; superintendent, 182/. ; horse, 40/. ; con ductor, 51/. 12s. ; contingencies, 50/. ; = total, 821/. Is. 6d.
Third year (cultivation, 100 A., and extension, 50 A.) :-weeding, 100/. ; supplying vacancies, 15/. I3s. ; repairing buildings, 30/. ; roads and trenching, 22/. 10s. ; replanting and manuring nurseries, 25/ ; topping and handling 50 A., at 7s. 6d., 18/. 15s.; additional lines, 50/. ; tools, 25/. ; felling, &c., 50 A., as before, 270/. Is. ; roads, 1 mile, 12/. ; cleaning and weeding, 25/. ; pulping house, machinery, and store, 400/. ; picking 850 boxes (125 cwt.) cherry, at 7d. a box, 24/. 15s. ; curing, at ls. a cwt., 6/. 5s. ; carriage, at ls. a bush. parchment, 31/. 5s. ; auperintendent, 262/. ; conduotor, 57/. 12s ; contingencies, 50/. ; = total, 1425/. I6s.
Fourth year (cultivation, 150 A., and extension, 50 A.) :-weeding, 150/. ; filling up vacancies, 19/. 10s. 3d. ; repairing buildings, 40/. ; roads and trenching, 33/. 15s. ; partially replanting nursery, 12/. 10s. ; topping and handling 50 A., 18/. 15s. ; pruning 50 A., at 158., 37/. 10s. ; com pleting store, &c., 400/.; pieking 2850 boxea (425 cwt.) cherry, 83/. 2s. 6d. ; curing, 21/. 5s. ; carriage, 106/. 5s.; additional coolie lines, 50/. ; toola, 25/. ; felling, &c., as before, 270/. ls.; roada, 12/. : cleaning and weeding, 25/. ; permanent cattle aheds, 100/. ; cattle, 75 head, at 3/., 225L ; keepera, &e. (6 men), 53/. 12s.; superintendent, 312/. ; conductor, 63/. 12s. ; contingencies, 50L ; = total, 2108/. 17s. 9d.
Fifth year (cultivation, 200 A.) :-weeding, 200/. ; filling up vacanciea, 23/. 9s. 6d.; repairing buildinga, 50/. ; trenching and roada, 42L 10s.; nurseriea, 12/. 10s. ; topping and handling 50 A., 18/. 15s.; pruning and handling 100 A., 75/. ; manuring 40 A., at 5/., 200/. ; picking 4850 boxea (725 cwt.) cherry, 141/. 9s. ; curing, 36/. 5s.; caniage, 181/. 5s. ; permanent bungalow, 500/4 stock (25 head), 75/. ; keep of ditto, 53/. 12s. ; superintendent, 362/. ; conductor, 69/. 12s. ; con tingencies, 50/. ; = total, 2091/. 7s. 6d.
Sixth year :-weeding, 250/. ; filling up vacancies, 25/. ; keeping up buildings, 501. ; trenching and roads,. 40/. ; nurseriea, 12/. 10s. ; pruning and handling 150 A. at 1/., 150/. ; ditto, 50 at 15s., 37/. 103.; manuring 40 A., at 6/., 240/. ; picking 6850 boxes (1025 cwt.) cherry, 199/. 6s. 6d. ; curing, 51/. 5s. ; carriage, 257/. 10s. ; stock, 150/. ; management, 431/. I2s.; contingencies, 50/. ; = total, 1944/. 13s. 6d.
Seventh year :-weeding, supplying vacancies, maintenance of buildings and roads, trenching, nurseries, and manure, as before, 617/. 10s. ; pruning, at 1/. an A., 200/. ; picking, cluing, and The yield of the crop is based on a first harvest of 2i cwt. an acre, followed annually afterwards by one of 6 cwt. an acre ; these figures are now manifestly too high. As to the longevity of coffee estates, there appears to be no necessary limit to the life of the plant in its natural state, and, under suitable conditions of climate, soil, and culture, it may live indefinitely. In native gardens in Ceylon, there are many trees far above half a century old, and several of the earliest European plantations still thrive and yield at upwards of forty years of age. The price of land has risen considerably since the introduction of Liberian coffee ; low-lying plota that ten years since were not worth 4 R. an acre, now sell at 20/. No export duty is levied in Ceylon. The exports were, in 1874, plantation, 635,938 cwt., native, 97,020 ; 1875, 813,401 and 115,205 ; 1876, 586,580 and 80,585 ; 1877, 896,534 and 82,281.