Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (16) James arrived in Colombo and was immediately whisked off to meet Mr. George Stuart who was one of the owners of Loolecondere Estate as well as Narangghena and other estates. Mr. Stuart turned out to be a very friendly person but somewhat given to issues of moral upliftment and religious sentiment.               “ I’m sorry you had to come early Mr. Taylor. But there are matters of importance that affect the health of the nation. We British need to show the world that our empire is built upon principles of moral upliftment and progress towards a better world.” he said.               James was somewhat puzzled by the idea that tea and coffee could have something to do with moral upliftment but continued the conversation. Perhaps Mr. Stuart might be talking about the poor conditions faced by the estate workers, which would be ...

Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (15)   James boarded a ship bound for Calcutta. The steamship was comfortable and journey pleasant. There were many people working in plantations who were returning to India.               His first port of call was Madras. He found the climate was very similar to Colombo, hot and moist. He was used to the cooler climate of the hill country. He was also surprised that almost all the eating places were vegetarian.                He took a trip along the road to Pondicherry where the French had established a trading post and a French territory. He was surprised to see that the roads were called “rue” as in France.            There were offers to take him to the Nilgiri Hills where tea was growing. He turned the offers down as he was not sure the transport would be reliable and fast enough to return to the ship ...

Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (14)   The company contracted to make the water mill came to Loolecondere with several workers. The installation was done in two days. A gate was built to divert the water temporarily to allow installation of the water mill . The gate became a permanent feature, allowing James to use the water mill as when required. The work began on the installation of the tea rolling machine. The building housing the tea rolling machine was extended to allow for fermentation of the rolled leaves, as recommended by Jenkins. Jenkins came to Loolecondere and was happy with all the trays and equipment to dry the fermented leaves. Jenkins enjoyed meeting Sinniah and making friends with Thangam and Samuel. Samuel became a great favourite with Jenkins. The tea rolling machine was a success. The two leaves and a bud formula was also working ...

Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (13)   The news that Jenkins had arrived came to James through Sinniah.  “ Thanks for letting me know Sinniah. I have to meet him.” said James. “ He is in Kondagala Estate.” said Sinniah. “ You must be knowing that Jenkins is a very experienced tea maker from Assam.” said  James. “ Yes Mr. Taylor. I heard that he has been working in Assam making tea for thirty five years.” said Sinniah. “ I’ll   be going to Kondagala Estate. I’ve got to meet him. Mr. Harrison mentioned this to me. Mr. Pride also mentioned this to me.” said James. “ The road to Kondagala Estate is a bit difficult at Ramboda Pass but the estate can be reached easily.” said Sinniah. “ Thanks. I will go to Kandy and make arrangements.” said James. “ Plenty of coaches going to ...

Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (12) The next day, James gave orders to pull out all the tea plants that were planted.  He was very disappointed with the taste of the tea. It was not like tea at all. Not good quality tea anyway. Robert had confirmed that they were a variety that did not suit the climate and soil conditions. They might have been better suited to low country areas. There was no doubt that the crop had failed. The new variety brought in by Harrison was much better.               All the tea plants were dug out and left to dry in heaps. They could be used as twigs to start the fire, before fire wood is added. James could see the roots of the plants, still fresh with soil sticking to them. He had worked very hard to have them planted. Now he had to ...