

LI B H A K i 



UN J V KKS IT Y OF 



CALIFORNIA. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Young plants Stumping The nursery Seeds Seed-beds 

 Germination Manure for seed-beds Watering 

 Distance apart Size of beds The paddy-field bed 

 Irrigation Old plants Shade Soil. 



IN Ceylon, abundant supplies of coffee plants of 

 all sizes are generally to be found growing wild in 

 the forest, in the vicinity of old estates the product 

 of seed pillaged and subsequently sown by tribes 

 of monkeys, wild cats, squirrels, &c. These plants 

 having grown up in the shade, are generally lanky 

 and straggling, and consequently require, before 

 being planted out on the estate, to be " stumped," 

 i. e. cut down to within some six inches above the 

 roots. These stumps are then very independent, 

 and usually come on well, throwing out shoots 

 within three or four weeks from the time they are 

 put into the ground. The best size of stump is the 

 thickness of a common pencil ; these throw out 

 shoots and take root more quickly than larger 

 plants, while those that are younger and thinner 

 are more liable to be burnt up by the sun, should 

 the season be more than usually dry. 



