Ceylan

rif. 26010 — 1964 to 1972. Cymru Plantation Dimbula Ceylon Sri Lanka. The Cymru Estate in Dimbula was established in 1870. The invaluable ‘History of Ceylon Tea’ website only has data regarding the estate up to the year 1929. The present item provides a mass of statistical information for the years 1964 to 1972. It is entirely in manuscript in several hands and comprises 73pp 16mo written with portrait orientation in a 12.5 x 8 cm ruled notebook with 69pp in blue and red ink at the front and the other four pages in pencil at the back. In rough black cloth with brown patterned endpapers and cloth pencil-holder. Internally in good condition lightly aged in heavily-worn covers. The plantation was clearly a substantial concern: at 1 May 1964 the number of ‘Workers on Cymru’ is given as 737 with breakdown for ‘U. D.’ meaning unclear and ‘LD’ i.e. ‘Labour Day - Fridays’ and with a similar breakdown for ‘Non-Workers’ total 527 and details of ‘Labour per acre’ and ‘Workers live room’. A further breakdown of men and women workers UD and LD is given on 29 February 1968 with a total of 352 men and 322 women. The final page gives a useful list under the heading ‘OUTPUT’ ‘Optimum Crop 12000 lbs.’ of the aspects involved in the running of such a concern. These include spreading tatting rolling roll breaking fermenting sifting packing stencilling also ‘On overtime’. The notebook is entirely statistical in nature apart from a four-page list of instructions for the cultivation of ‘Coffee Arabica’ a page of ‘Bees Instructions’ and a page headed ‘Formula for pre-mix for light traffic’ as well as lists of native names of native ‘Field Staff’ both on ‘Labour. Day.’ and ‘U. D.’ Also several lists of names of employees with job descriptions planting mistblowing compost pruning storekeeper field officer ‘Creeper’ ‘Sen. Asst Clk - Rice store’ ‘Driver Cymru’ ‘boys weeding’ with some marked as ‘Ret’ retired or ‘Dis.’ dismissed. Although the information relates to the Cymru Estate mention is made of Kangales and Tangakelle. Details are given of employment wages ‘Bonuses - Excess Rates’ manuring including breakdowns for various ‘Manure Mixtures’ pruning weeding plucking nursery planting sifting estimates. Numerous tables including two full double-page ones: ‘Cymru - Manuring / Pruning Programme 64 1964’ and ‘Manuring & Pruning Programme 1965’. Also a two-page table of ‘Clonal Clearings’; four pages of statistics on ‘Sifting Gookookoya’; and full-page tables for ‘Rolling Programme’ and on adjoining pages ‘Lower Division’ and ‘Upper Division’ with nine columns headed: Fld Acs Weed Contr Jat. date of Prune Total Nitro AM Due in pencil: ‘Urea / April’ Last Yield Weed. Another table of ‘Plucking Cost Per M. T. / Yield Ra.’ Loosely inserted are two leaves one on a page torn from a calendar dated 31 March 1973. 1964 to 1972. Cymru Plantation, Dimbula, Ceylon [Sri Lanka]. hardcover