SHADE-TREES 



Shade- trees. When Arabian coffee is grown upon lands of low 

 altitude, shade becomes imperatively necessary, but in these positions 

 Liherian inav lie successfully grown without any shade. As tin- upper 

 limits of Arabian coffee cultivation are reached, shade may be largely 

 dispensed with. Much difference of opinion prevails as to tin- extent, 

 and nature of the shade beat suited to each region. Cameron (/''/'/. 

 v in Coorg, 1898) vnv properly urges that a mixture of different, 

 shade lives is preferable to one particular tree all over an estate. The 

 lialauee of soil is thereby secured and a better shade attained. In Mv 

 ill original trees are generally preferred to the leafy bushes specially 

 rted to iii other localities such as the Shevaroys. If protection from 

 id lie the object aimed at, shelter belts of strong densely branched trees 

 indicated, but if shade from the sun be the object, much will depend 

 the severity of the sun and the liability to borer. It is the accepted 

 lief that shade gives a certain protection from that pest, and this cir- 

 stance, more than protection from the sun, often determines the nature 

 id extent of the shade-trees desirable. As little shade as possible is 

 during the rainy months, and the maximum shade during the 

 atter months. The study of the season of new leaf in shade-trees is, 

 icrefore, all-important. 



Dal (i'lijnniiH imam*) would make an excellent shade-bush for young coffee, 

 l>y its root tubercles and copious supply of leaves it would enrich the soil at 

 same time, but its liability to fungal disease (see p. 198) might be viewed as 

 iering it undesirable. Another Leguminous plant has been much appreciated 

 coffee planters viz. one or other of the species of Krytiu-itut such as 

 urn. mix >-.!> i , a and mtberami. Mr. B. Nelson (Planting Opinion, 1896 

 wrote a series of articles and showed that the use of K. tlthoHttmna as 

 shade-tree gave a material increase to the yield of coffee. The Silver Oak 

 ii n-n) is much commended by many planters, but while useful for shade 

 can have no manurial value. The other trees, fairly extensively employed, 

 ay be here mentioned in alphabetical sequence, viz. : A.frnrni-imn frmcini- 

 liti* . ; 1 1 hi -.-.in Ijfbbeti, iiiolnrrn mi . procet-u and Mtljmlata ; A.i'toearinin 

 i lilu -.Ixi . integrifoHa and l.tt t;i>f IKI : tHttcltofla Javanica ; C'exlrela Twtnnt : 

 in latil'tilia : H'iriiH <c.i>i i 1-1 in <i . glotuf.rittu , lii*i>itlti. infectai-lit, and 

 ( -i s ; i-fi't-illcit t-abiiHtn ; Pitliffitlabiniit S<t nut n ; I'trracHrimn .Wr- 



; and Trenm <>ri<-nt,i n*. Many other trees might also be mentioned, 

 uh as one or two exotic plants, for example India-rubber (Muntttat Jin*iorii) 

 itiyiitn*. As catch crops Indian corn has also been tried, and with fair 

 ccess ; and in Coorg, pepper and cardamoms are much resorted to, especially by 

 itive cultivators. [Cf. Kew Bull., 1895, 306 ; Graham Anderson, For. Trees 

 Coffee Lands Mysore, 1888 ; Rept. Agri. Ghem. Mysore, 1901-2, 29-35 ; Journ. 

 Igri. Trap., 1902, ii. 124-5 ; Trop. Agrist. ; Planter ; Madras Mail, etc.] 



ENEMIES-PESTS AND BLIGHTS. To give even the most general 

 itline of this subject would occupy many pages. Having studied with 

 :>me care the enemies of the tea plant, the first impression left on mv 

 lind, on visiting the coffee plantations, was the comparative absence of 

 sts. An ordinary tea garden when compared with a coffee plantation 

 )uld afford the entomologist ten to every one for his special study. Even 

 ic blights or fungal diseases are far less numerous, though one is very 

 ich more prevalent and widespread than any of the blights of tea. At 

 lowest possible estimate there are 200 insect pests on the Indian 

 plant, and perhaps not twenty all told on the coffee. But the few that 

 are present are often disastrous to the industry, and thus make up for their 

 speeific paucity by their individual voracity. In fact it may be said that 

 ir three insect pests and one or two fungal blights have practically 

 ball led both planter and scientist and have proved so disastrous as to have 



383 



COPFEA 



ARABICA 



Cu tivation 



Shade- 



truuH. 



Dal. 



Erythrina. 

 Silver Oak. 



India-rubber. 



Pests and 

 Blights. 



