50 The Cultivation and Preparation of Coffee 



Selecting 

 the ground 

 for planting. 



Favourable 

 altitude. 



year and would continue to give this yield up 

 to the twenty-fifth year. From this up to the 

 thirtieth year the crop will diminish to nil. 



Nothing is more discouraging to a planter 

 than the effect of a high north wind blowing 

 when a plantation is in full blossom. I have 

 seen a crop practically ruined in a night by 

 high north winds depriving the trees of their 

 blossom, so in order to avoid this calamity the 

 planter should select a ground where there is 

 no prevalence of winds. He will be able to 

 determine this by noticing the direction in 

 which forest trees bend. The ground should 

 be a virgin forest soil of dark nature, and on a 

 mountain slope. 



The most selected altitude for planting 

 coffee is 2,000 to 3,000 feet above sea level. 

 Coffee can be effectually planted at a higher 

 altitude, say 5,000 feet, but great care must 

 then be taken not to select a zone where frosts 

 are experienced. 



In preparing the ground for the seed beds, 

 all the stumps, weeds, etc., should be removed, 

 not burned. The beds should be laid out two 

 feet apart, each being four feet wide. The top 

 soil should be thrown from the four-foot bed 

 on to the two-foot walk, and the bed should 



