490 MANUAL OF THE NILAGIRI DISTRICT. 



CH. XXVIII. general decay and death of the coffee plant. In some parts of] 

 Coffee Mysore the coffee is regularly planted under the shade of the 



Cultivation, jungle, which is merely thinned out; and this plan saves, I have 

 no doubt, a great deal of expense in weeding, &c.; but then the] 

 yield is very small indeed, not more, as a rule, than 2 cwts.j 

 per acre, as I am informed. 



Whilst shade may be absolutely necessary in some exception- 

 ally dry climates, I consider that it still remains to be seen if it 

 will answer generally and prove the panacea that many predict ; 

 still, in the face of the continued serious attacks of leaf-disease, 

 it is perhaps wise to try every prescription in the hope of 

 ultimately overcoming this terrible plague. If the planter 

 wishes to try the eff'ect of shade, it would be well to leave trees 

 standing at sufficient distances apart to allow of a moderate 

 amount of light and sunshine reaching the coffee. The planting 

 of the various kinds of wild fig, dwarf plantain and other trees 

 for the purposes of shade, which is now largely done on many old 

 plantations, is a tedious and costly operation, which the planter 

 who has made up his mind on the question of shade and who is 

 just starting, would do well to avoid by the simple expedient 

 suggested above of leaving certain trees standing while felling 

 the rest of the jungle or forest. Many however contend, and 

 with some show of justice, that if shade trees — as jack and the 

 various kinds of wild fig — are planted at the same time with the 

 coffee, they will have grown sufficiently for purposes of shade by 

 the time that shade is really required. 



—felling. The best and simplest plan, if it can be managed, is to have the 



felling done by contract as is now generally done in Waindd, 

 but, as far as I can learn, the old terms of felling at the rate of 

 10 rupees per acre with Klirumbas or Punniahs are now 

 past, and it will cost fully 15 rupees if not more. If the work is 

 not done by contract and paid for after a rough and approximate 

 survey is made, the planter should keep a close and constant 

 watch over the coolies engaged, as felling is very hard and 

 tiring work, and a cooly has not the very remotest idea of a really 

 honest day's work unless well looked after and not allowed to 

 shirk. 



—burning. The forest having been felled, the usual plan is to allow the 



whole to stand for six or eight weeks until the branches and 

 smaller saplings are dry and then to set fire, when a grand 

 conflagration usually follows. The burn, as it is called, whilst 

 clearing the way for the pitters and producing, as is natural, 

 a quantity of ash, destroys the fine mould and soil which has 

 been accumulating for years, and which is so very valuable for 

 coilee. 



