CHAPTER XII. 



DISEASES, ETC. 



ALTHOUGH the ripe coffee fruit is eagerly devoured by 

 birds, monkeys, jackals, squirrels, and numerous other 

 vermin, the tree itself has few enemies, and is subject 

 to fewer diseases than most plants which are like it, 

 of exotic growth, and cultivated largely by mankind 

 for the sake of their produce. 



The disease known as rot has been already referred 

 to, and is simply the result of excessive moisture and 

 imperfect ventilation, and deficient evaporation. The 

 obvious remedy will be to assist the drainage of the 

 soil and to keep the trees so thin by pruning that the 

 air can freely circulate, and every glimpse of sunshine 

 penetrate through the trees. In newly planted land, 

 trees will frequently be noticed which, after a fort- 

 night's dry weather succeeding the rainy season, begin 

 to droop and turn yellow, and finally die off, apparently 

 without any cause ; but if these plants are carefully 

 examined, they will be found to have lost all their bark 

 at the level of the ground, and to be completely ringed. 

 This is neither more nor less than the result of being 

 planted too deep the bark has rotted and been rubbed 

 off by the chafing of the tree ; occasionally, also, trees 

 will be found which have worn a hole round their 

 stems with continual agitation in the wind and rain, 



