252 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [October i, 1885. 



Od my travels through the Parahyba Valley, how- 

 ever, as I steamed past the almost, endless succession of 

 coffee- clad morros, I was struck by a fact I had noticed 

 but little on the spot itself. It was just the greater 

 distance that enabled me to perceive what had escaped 

 me wheu tjuite near. I saw distinctly that the 

 shadows of the rows of coffee-trees projected into 

 each other; that, so to say, the one row shaded the 

 foot of the other, and sheltered it from the heat of 

 the sun. AYould it be too rash to draw the conclusion 

 tliat the lower part of the already half-exhausted 

 shrub, beiug thus protected from the greatest heat 

 of the day, obtains up to that height a new life, 

 but at the e.Kpense of the upper part? 



The peruudos are mostly found on the oldest plant- 

 ations, and consist for the most part of old saias 

 stripped of their petticoat. At the age of 25 or 30 

 years they are generally exhausted, and, after being 

 pollarded, may perhaps yield a few average crops at 

 intervals of 2 or 3 years. 



This cutting, or rather sawing, the plant down to 

 a stump, is done as a general rule when it is from 

 20 to 22 years old. It is seldom that the whole 

 shrub is cut down to a height from 2 to 4 palmos 

 above the ground. For the most part the oldest and 

 largest lateral branches are first removed, thus reduc- 

 ing the size of the shrub by a half. This must be 

 done as soon as practicable, after the fruit is gathered, 

 if possible iu the beginning of September and October. 



On the authority of information and data which I 

 received and examined on the spot, I am able to 

 state that the coffee-tree in the Rio zone — for instance 

 in the Serra Acima — att.uns on an average I he age 

 of from 25 to 30 years, in the Serra Abaixo and 

 Espirito Santo it leaves scarcely 18 or 20 years. 



I think it not quite superfluous to note in passing 

 that, by age, I mean the period during which the 

 paying fazendeiro thinks it to his advantage to maintiin 

 the plantation, consequently the period o' production. 



I have visited old cafesaes where very vigorous and 

 healtby-lookiug 'xees were pointed out to me (for 

 instance on the fazenda Foitaleza de Sant Anna, 

 belonging to Senator Diogo Velho), which could boast 

 of having attained the venerable age of 40, 50 and 

 even 60 years. But these were regarded as a curiosity. 



It is very well known that trees upwards of 30 or 

 35 years of age are, as a rule, of very little further 

 value to the Grande laroiira; conseque"ntly the fazen- 

 deiros do not take them into account wheu valuing 

 their plantations, though they will be the first to 

 affirm that the Brazilian coffee-tree may bear fruit 

 for 50 years and upwards. 



So those old trees are never met with in extensive 

 plantations; but here and there, by fives and sixes 

 in old plantations which, so to say, have gradually 

 been planted afresh. 



As regards the height of the shrub, though it is 

 difficult to state an exact average, seeing that the 

 breadth and growth of the plant frequently depends 

 on the altitude of the plantation, yet we may safely 

 assume that in the Rio zone the full-grown coffee- 

 tree is from 8 to 12 palmos high, while in the Santos 

 zone the standard varies from 10 to 16 iialmos. 



The value of the plantations may be gathered from 

 the subjoined :^ 



According to Senhor Luiz van Erven, who has been 

 for more than 10 years superintendent of all the 

 fazendas belonging to the Viscondes de S. Clement 

 and Nova Friburgo, and is frequently called on as an 

 expert to value plantations, the trees could be valued 

 six or seven years ago after the following standard :— 

 Trees of 1 year old = 60 reis = IJ d 

 >. „ 2 „ 3 = 100 „ = 2| „ 

 „ „ 3 „ 5 = 160 „ = 3* „ 

 ., ,, 5 >, 8 = 200 „ = -It ,, 

 „ „ 8 „ 16 = 280 „ = 6i „ 

 >. ,, 16 „ 20 = 180 „ = 4J ,, 

 „ „ 20 „ 25 = 120 „ = 3 „ 

 Upwards of 25 =60 „ = IS ,, 



To what extent these prices are to be obtained at 

 present, will appear below. 



As a general rule plantations from 12 to 15 years 

 old are manured. But artificial manure is never used, 

 and stable manure very seldom. All that is employed 

 is the offal of the coffee, that is to say, the red and 

 the horny husk, which in point of fact, is gathered 

 very carefully. A few fazendeiros have indeed tried 

 experiments by manuring their cafesaes with guauo, 

 stable-manure, lime, calcined bones, &c., but the 

 results were so unsatisfactory that the experiments 

 were finally abandoned. 



He then proceeds to enumerate the different diseases 

 and enemies of the coffee-plaut, the harvesting and 

 picking of the crop, and further operations for pre- 

 paring it for the market. The different kinds of 

 coffee then come in for discussion ; but it would 

 carry us too far to mention all the heads deserving 

 of attention. "We will therefore conclude, merely 

 recommending those who wish to know more about 

 the matter to the book itself, which is published. 

 London, W. H. Allen & Oo., 13, Waterloo Place, 

 The Hague, Martinus Nijhoff. — Indian Mercury. 



CINCHONA-BARK STRIPPING. 

 At present one of the great industries in India 

 is the production of cinchona bark, and a very lively 

 interest appears to be taken iu this branch of com- 

 merce, if we may judge from the prominent place 

 which it occupies in periodicals that reach us from 

 that part of the world. Several of these have called 

 attention to the careless manner in which trees are 

 felled and bark stripped from them. Experience has, 

 however, now come in time to allow a remedy to be 

 applied, and in numerous plantations the chincona 

 trees are dealt with very differently. Various plans 

 are in use. One, which is very common, consists in 

 stripping off the bark in longitudinal strips, taking, 

 say, four strips from each tree, and then immediately 

 ! bandaging the stripped parts with damp moss. 

 This process is found to protect the cambium between 

 the bark and the wood, and to prevent the wood 

 dying while the bark on eithtr side of the wound 

 is extending itself to cover the part. Another process, 

 called the " Karslake method," consists in making 

 two longitudinal cuts iu the bark at such distances 

 apart as it is intended to strip, then passing some 

 sharp instrument through from side to side, moving 

 it up and down, and so separating the bark neatly 

 from the wood, leaving it uncut at the top and bot- 

 tom of the strip ; but as soon as the separation is 

 effected, the bark is allowed to return as neatly as 

 possible as it was before. This bark is intended to be 

 cut, top and bottom, when the process of healing 

 has fairy set in and the new bark has begun to 

 form underneath the servered portion. This method 

 is said to be really economical and ready way of 

 securing the crop. AA'e may also add that the Calisaija 

 Ledgenaiia and some other varieties are now largely 

 grown bv planters iu Jamaica, as well as in the East 

 Indies. It is asserted that any elevation of 5,000 feet 

 above the sea in Ceylon and about 6,000 feet in 

 Jamaica are the most favourable altitudes, above 

 which cultivation of the cinchona is more or less 

 profitless. [So writes the Client i.it and Drntj^i^t, but 

 we believe ilaclvor's stripping process has been largely 

 superseded by shaving, while we are not aware that 

 the Karslake process has been in practice and largely 

 a success!' — Ed.] 



A WoKt) TO THE Wise. — It is a great mis take to 

 stop advertizing when trade is dull. In ''dull" times 

 people have more time to con the advertisements ; iu 

 " dull" times business changes are made, and plans mat- 

 ured for the coming season; in "dull" times men are 

 more easily impressed with the advantages of new 

 things which seem to promise a change from the ex- 

 isting dullness. Advertizing is planting, and the harvest 

 follows in duo season. The truly wise plan is to ad- 

 vertize at/ the time — but, whatever you do. don't drop 

 off in the dull season — people will think you are dead, 

 and customers usually prefer live firms to deal 

 with. — Indiarubber and Guttapercha Journal. 



