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others ; their vital energy is not so well maintained and they 

 are certainly the first to be attached by the insidious mil- 

 dew. The upper branches alone of trees are often attacked 

 while the lower ones are left untouched. Trees in well re- 

 gulated shade are often unaffected while those in more open 

 spots are completely denuded of their leaves. I think this 

 proves either that the constitution of a coffee tree in well 

 regulated shade, in a country subject to drought,is more vig- 

 orous and better able to battle against the foe or that the 

 fungus actually requires a certain amount of light, air and 

 water for its development. I am certain that when a tree 

 is either attacked with Leaf disease or Rot that it is conse- 

 quent on or contemporaneous with, a state of defective vi- 

 tal energy. Who can tell how many trees have had just a 

 touch of Borer ? How many are in poor, stony or clayey 

 soil and have suffered from drought ? Who can tell the im- 

 pediments to the ready fiow and equal distribution of sap 

 consequent on contraction of cellular tissue, and the effects 

 of years of bad and heavy pruning. If we tMnk for a mo- 

 ment we can easily imagine that a few sunny days after 

 planting may shrivel up some sap vessel or other part of the 

 plants interior structure which may never be serviceable 

 again. A cheek in fast may be sustained in many ways and 

 although in after years the tree may be healthy and vigorous 

 in other respects, it still may be more susceptible to dis- 

 eases which a p lant of a more robust constitution would be 

 able to ward off. 



Add to this, a want o a special element of plant food 

 and the fact that during heavy rain, and on a soil ia bad 

 mechanical condition, that all growth of weeds and trees 

 ceases when a complete state of saturation exists can we 

 wonder that parasites get the mastery over the tree. In 

 my opinion Dr. Bidieis quite right about the cause and as 

 I before mentioned, ke only took a cursory view of the 

 subject, I hope I may be permitted to show that drainage 



