October i, 18S3.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



253 



try and suit yotir lining to your coffee linedj presumably 

 6 feet « G feet. 



Holing. — If for plants at 6 months or 1 year from seed 

 in coffee or in new land 9 in. y. 9 in. will do well. If for 

 stumps in coffee or new land 18 iu. x 18 in. If seed or ger- 

 minatetl aeed is to be sown at stake, in coffee, loosen the 

 soil with the ordinary fork ; this is better than holing ; as 

 we are all aware, the coffee roots soon find tin ir way into 

 and fill a hole in which the good surface soil has been 

 scraped, to in this case Mie detriment of the seed : the 

 same holds good with regard to manuring a young seed- 

 ling which I have heard advocated in coffee. 



Plants and Planting. — The best plants are those at 6 

 months from seed, as they do not suffer the same check 

 that a 1-year old plant does, and equal it iu growth at 12 

 months from planting out; have not such unmanage- 

 able tap roots, and stand sun better. Will do with shallower 

 holes, cost less to plant, and have a better luid of the 

 ground at 12 months. The best of all 2 to 4 years old 

 stump-roots of which at this age are woody, will stand being 

 broken, in fact cannot be raised from the nursory (which 

 should be in poor soil) without breaking them. They should 

 be stumped as with coft'ee at 6 inches, and have roots 

 that will comfortably fit into an 18 inch hole, which they 

 require. In fair soil a stump can be topped at 3 feet 

 in a year, and regularly plucked at IS months onwards, 

 giving a fine spreading bush. 



Sked in Situ has its advocates. Its advantages are cheap- 

 ness iu sowing out, and the good hold it gets of the ground, 

 an advantage in windy sites. Its disadvantages are, on any 

 larye scale, greater first-outlay in seed, as from two to three 

 seeds are required at each stake, the liability of its being smo- 

 thered (as a seed) by wash. Insect enemies, weeders (more 

 especially among coffee) scraping off, unawares, the young 

 shoot as it comes above ground, being trodden on by worker 

 among coffee ; many failures, therefore an extra cost iu sup- 

 plying, showing an uneven fieldjor again three seeds aU coming 

 up at one stake and the cost of removing two, but which of 

 coiurse come in useful for supplies. Also a great loss of 

 gro\v1:h for the first year in coffee by being shaded by it. 

 If you have no insect enemies, notably the black grub, 

 which nips off the young shoot just above the ground, and 

 it is desired to sow in situ, germinate the seed first and 

 then one seed will sutfice at each stake, and, although great 

 care must be taken in sowing, I have found that even if the 

 root germ is broken or wounded it throws out a bunch 

 of rootlets and no harm happens. 



Staking. — This is not generally thought necessary. How- 

 ever, I consider it most important ; and wherever we have 

 enough wind to have made it necessary to stake our coffee, 

 it is there necessary to stake our tea, up to 2 years old cer- 

 tainly,and sometimes even up to 3 years of age — a stake driven 

 straight through the middle of the bush without tying will do 

 at 2 to 3 years ; at 1 or H years, it must be tied. Aloe tape is 

 best for this. 



Topping.— First topping should be done at from 15 months 

 on as;:ects affected by the S. "\A'. winds to 18 months — 3 feet 

 is the best height, or at lower elevations or on exposed 

 ridges 2 ft. 6 in, to even 2 ft. In topping the coolie has a 

 stick of the desired height which he should place in the 

 middle of the bush; the only care necfSsaryis, to see he 

 does not gather up a bunch of branches in his hand, to cut 

 at one operation, but cuts each singly as it grows; the re- 

 sult will bo a perfectly flat surface across the centre of the 

 bush, with many young laterals round the bu>h untouched, 

 which will soon reach the level to which we have topped ; 

 when they and the topped part, begin to run up, all should 

 be nipped back to the second leaf below the bud to keep 

 as flat a surface as possible giving, say at 6 months later 

 or at 2 years of age, a bush with a fairly flat surface which 

 will have r cached 3 feet 6 in. to 4 feet in height. This very 

 slight plucking after topping must be carefully done, only 

 plucking those shoots that show an iiiclinution to climb, so 

 to speak ; the plucking, with the topping, is necessary to force 

 the lower laterals up, and keep your bush down and so form 

 eurfaccy otherwise, the bush will grow up somewhat in the 

 shape of a poplar, and surface be lost for years. This 

 plucking comes in useful iu teaching your labour plucking 

 and manufacture, and will eventually pay its cost in in- 

 creased diameter of bush, and, therefore, increased yield. 



Pruning. — This is a most important work, and in Ceylon 

 mast not be too severe, yearly; more especially, if your 

 ?3 



bushes are topped early. It should take place from June 

 to August, in any part of Ceylon, perhaps July is the 

 best month. There are 3 ways of pruning : — 1st, with a flat 

 surface ; 2ud saucer shape, i. e, hollowing out the centre; and 

 3rd, hacking down the bush. This last is mur lyr, so I will 

 pass it by without further remark. Saucer shape pruning 

 does well for a time, but inclines to too matted a growth 

 in tlie centre of the bush, which leads to too heavy a 

 pruning yearly, more costly, and bad eventually for the 

 bush. I have no doubt myself that pruning with a flat 

 surface is best, so I will only treat of this mode. 



When our branches a/fe)- topping have reached up to say 

 3ft Gin to 4ft, having been kept do\vn to this by plucking at 

 2 to 2^ years of age according to whether the planting was 

 done in the N. E. or S. AV.. (I am referring to tea at 

 from 3,000ft elevation upwards), they should be again cut 

 to a level surface at 3ft Sin, or if topped lower, as explained 

 above. Sin above the topping. Any thin whii>py branches 

 trailing on the ground should be cut off close to the stems 

 with a clean cut ; and this is all for this year. Next 

 pruning season, when our bushes will be 3 to 3i years old, 

 they should be first topped to 3ft or 2ft Gin according to 

 elevation of garden, with a flat surface, all cross wood {ie. 

 branches growing throni/k the bush) and all white barked 

 whippj' branches, wherever growing, should then be cut, 

 off with a clean cut close to the main stem or branch, 

 and all growth encouraged outwards and upwards. Nj 

 laterals should be cut back, except those growing into 

 the bush which, as I have said, are to be entirely re- 

 moved, but every branch should be topped or nipj:e[l 

 back whether it has reached up to the limit of growth 

 allowed, viz., 3ft or 2ft Gin, or not, thus we have given 

 our bushes their first real pruning, and have got them 

 into shape, which, with very little pruning they will keep for 

 4 years. Our procedure yearly for 4 years is then as follows 

 always keeping a flat surface : — lat year, our bush being 

 4 to 4^ years old, t»p at 3ft Sin; 2nd J'ear, at 3ft Gin; 3rd 

 year, at 3ft 9in ; 4th year to between 3ft Gin and 3ft 9in; 

 or if topped at 2ft Gin, rising Sin yearly, kevping as much 

 red wood as we can and removing each year thin white 

 barked whippy branches, and cutting out all crow's feet 

 from the surface, caiised by plucking, leaving not more 

 than a single fork on each branch at the surface; 5th year, 

 cut down to 3ft or 2ft Gin at lower elevations or just 

 below the original cut, and proceed as before. Thus low 

 topping and heavy pruning is best done evtry 5th year. 

 At our higher elevations, say from 3,50<Jft upwards, we 

 can top our bushes far higher than at the lower eleva- 

 tions, and so get increased surface; the flush does not run 

 up from the bush in the same manner it does lower down 

 our limit here, however, should be at the outside 3ft Din. 



Exceptions. — Some bushes sulk, either from overplucking 

 or from bad wood, or fi'om some other cause. These should 

 have the knife applied freely either by being cut down to 

 ISin or by removing, with the aid of the same, one or two of 

 the main stems in the centre, cutting down the outer 

 growth as well, to 2ft or 18 inches, the centre thus opened 

 out will send up a new growth. These bushes should not 

 be plucked till they are well up, say to 4ft, when they 

 can be plucked and then topped with the kuife to 3ft. 



Ph'cl-inrf. — This again is a most imiDortaut work and 

 requires close supervision. As a rule, plucking can be 

 begun at 30 to 40 days after Hght pruning, I am speak- 

 ing of coffee zone teas, be it remembered, and should 

 not be begun till the bud with opened leaf attached, and 

 half the next leaf, can be plu.^ked at one operation 

 leaving on one or sometimes two fully formed leavea 

 to carry on the young shoot. The shoulder of the half 

 leaf plucked remains on, and protects the eyo at its base 

 which i.'i its turn throws out a shoot. Shoots, according 

 to elevation, will measure Gin to 9in long htfore the fii'st 

 plucking, after pruning, takes place. In aftiT plucking, 

 a good deal depends on the number of leaves on the 

 shoot. If, with the bud audits partially op. lu-d leaf, we 

 have four full leaves, thmi I should pluck at the second leaf 

 down, (leaving on|the shoulder of this leaf, wliich protects 

 its bud, and will probably give red leaf if removed,) atone 

 operation, and again half the 3rd leaf at aii'ther oper- 

 ation, lea\'ing one fully formed young leaf on the shoot. 

 Towards the end of the season, when Ihe bushes 

 are well up, I would act as above, only plucking at the 

 3rd leaf, lea\'ing ite shoulder on the stem, and thue 



