Planting 55 



throw out suckers from under the sides of the 

 top branches. These should be plucked off by 

 hand, for if a knife were used the number of 

 suckers would increase. 



In Central America coffee begins to yield in 

 the third year (referring to Arabian coffee), 

 giving a minimum crop of three-quarters of a 

 pound per plant. At the end of the fourth year 

 the yield gives an average of one pound per 

 plant. In the fifth year the trees in full 

 bearing sometimes yield two to four pounds, as 

 the case may be. One or two pounds from each 

 plant is a very safe yield to calculate upon. 

 Plants have been known to yield as much as 

 six pounds each, but this is very exceptional. 

 The duration of a coffee plantation varies from 

 fifteen to twenty years. It will grow to a 

 height of fifteen to twenty feet if allowed, but 

 it is easily kept down by pruning to five or 

 six feet. This increases the production and 

 convenience of gathering the berries. 



As mentioned in the preceding pages, 

 coffee planting may be considered as one of the 

 best paying investments for Europeans in 

 tropical countries, more especially if the 

 management of the coffee estates is under the 

 personal supervision of the owners. The 

 supervision, however, must not end with the 

 planting. A planter, or " hacendado," as he 



