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and generally much better, on its gradually increasing 

 length, and in vigorous coffee will frequently produce magni- 

 ficient clusters in places where crop was little expected. 

 For this reason if a man is not absolutely an experienced 

 pruner, and has not a really efficient gang of trained coolies 

 accustomed to the work, it is much better to depend and 

 .rely on handling, than to allow the knife to be ruthlessly 

 used. Nature generally asserts her rights, and if there is a 

 difficulty, it is much better to wait, and watch, and THEN 

 act in accordance with circumstances, than to attempt by the 

 adoption of any rigidly enforced system, to obtain absolute 

 uniformity in the thousands of individual plants which con- 

 stitute a field of coffee. Each individual plant has its 

 particular and peculiar requirements, and with uncertain 

 attendance of cooly labor, apathy, and general indolence, to 

 say nothing of inherent stupidity which are part and par- 

 cel of the nature of most of the lower and laboring, classes 

 to contend against, it is certainly a pity to venture on any 

 elaborate system before calculating as to the prospects of 

 being able to maintain it. Under such circumstances it is 

 certainly more desirable to restrict ones operations, which 

 must of necessity be on an extended scale to endeavour 

 simply to assist Nature, and not to adopt an intricate system, 

 which will absolutely throw the whole maintenance of future 

 success on the frail resources of man. An ordinary intelli- 

 gent primer will with the aid of hand and knife and atten- 

 tion to a few general rules soon learn to keep a tree in fair 

 condition, and one standing rule should be, to remember to 

 do all quietly, thoughtfully, and neatly, and disengage from 

 the mind the ruinous fallacy that heavy pruning or muti- 

 lation is either good for the tree or the Planter's purse. All 

 suckers and cross shoots all such as grow upwards, down- 

 wards, or inwards, regularly removed in the handling 

 all dry branches carefully broken back and pared with 

 the knife all moss and scales well rubbed off the stem and 

 larger branches, and a general arrangement of new shoots 

 to prevent absolute over crowding systematically attended 



