169 



one can deny ns when we say that the country is an agincnltural 

 country and what possibilities are contained therein we have yet to 

 discover. 



Statistics of prices of Liberian coffee paid per pikdl at Singapore 

 duringl912 to 1916: 



1912 January to June ... ... nil, 



„ July to December ... ... $36.50 



1913 January to June 39.00 to 42.00 



„ July to December ... ... 39.00 



1914 January to June 39.00 to 39.50 



„ July to December 24.00 to 39.50 



1915 January to June 28.00 to 40.00 



July to December 28.00 to 37.00 



1916 January to June 32.00 to 45,00 



July to December 40.00 to 45 00 



Discussion. 



Mr. P. B. EiOHABDS asked Mr, R, W, Munro whether he did 

 not think coffee robusta would do equally well as Liberian ? He 

 mentioned a plantation he had seen in South Perak where robusta 

 was planted between the rubber over about 250 acres when the place 

 was being opened. The manager was so satisfied with the result of 

 this catch-crop that when opening up 250 acres more he interplanted 

 this also with robusta. He knew that other small-ben-ied varieties 

 had been tried, but he was not able to say what success attended 

 these. He did know, however, that coffee robusta had given very 

 satisfactory results. Speaking of the diseases mentioned by Mr. 

 Munro in his paper, he was sure efficient spraying methods would 

 get them under. 



Mr. MuNEO, in reply to Mr. Richard's question, said he was not 

 prepared there to tell them much about coffee robusta, but he had 

 known cases where it had been a success. His remarks on soils 

 dealt with the question only from the point of the requirements of 

 Liberian coffee and he was not familiar with the other varieties 

 referred to. He had heard of a good variety which had been tried 

 with success in Java where robusta was also tried, but he believed 

 they were now giving preference to the Liberian variety there 

 because they believed it to give a sound and confirmed crop. As 

 regards the pest he had mentioned, he said it might shortly make 

 an appearance, and he suggested that remedial measures would be 

 adopted now, as the scientific methods now prevailing would make 

 it easy to deal with such pests, 



Mr. P. B. KicHAEDS remarked that another point was that 

 Mr. Munro mentioned Liberian coffee as thriving on rich alluvial 

 soils, whereas, the robusta crop mentioned was grown in the uplands, 

 on laterite soil, not especially abundant in humus. He wished to 

 emphasize that at least one grade of coffee would grow well on the 

 uplands. 



