202 THE CHIEF SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL CROPS 



Coffee is usually planted on forest lands. In some 

 cases the underbrush is simply cut away and the 

 trees are thinned, leaving only enough of the origi- 

 nal growth standing to afford the partial shade that 

 is necessary for the plants. At other times the land 

 is entirely cleared and special kinds of shade trees 

 are planted with the coffee. Different trees are pre- 

 ferred in different regions. Leguminous trees are the 

 ones usually selected, since these are always provided 

 with root tubercles and serve to enrich the soil by 

 collecting atmospheric nitrogen in the same way as the 

 soil-improving herbaceous legumes. At the higher 

 altitudes shade is unnecessary and is seldom used. 



Young coffee plants are often pulled up for trans- 

 planting where seeds have germinated under the trees 

 in an old plantation, but it is better to prepare 

 special seed beds, in order that the seedlings can re- 

 ceive some attention. The seed beds must be shaded; 

 palm thatch usually serves for this purpose. The 

 young trees are planted when about two feet high at 

 distances varying from six to ten feet apart. The 

 mistake is often made of planting too closely. This 

 gives weak, spindling trees which are more subject to 

 various diseases. Horse cultivation is seldom at- 

 tempted, but the ground between the trees is kept 

 clean with hoe or machete. When the forest is en- 

 tirely cleared, bananas are often planted in order to 

 make a quick, temporary shade while the permanent 

 shade trees are growing. When this is done, con- 

 stant care is required to keep them sufficiently thinned 

 out to prevent the crowding and overshading of the 

 coffee, and they should be entirely dug out as soon as 



