DISTANCES OF PLANTS, 67 



One prime object must always be borne in mind, i. e., to 

 cover the soil, in order the better to shade it, to keep down 

 weeds, and at the same time leave sufficient room between 

 the rows to allow of passing up and down the lines with 

 ease, and for the pickers to get about without forcing 

 their way and breaking the branches. Bearing these 

 objects in mind, a planter should regulate his distances 

 carefully in accordance with his soil, situation and cli- 

 mate. But on these points a planter must, in a great 

 m^easure, rely upon his own judgment, and these sugges- 

 tions are mainly intended to caution the planter against 

 fixing on any arbitrary distance as being the best. 



Scarcely any two planters are agreed as to the best 

 distances to allow between the plants, the question being 

 governed to a great extent by the richness of the soil, as 

 well as by climate and situation, the object in view must 

 be that with the greatest convenient number of trees in a 

 given space none shall interfere with or incommode its 

 neighbor. In cold or exposed situations where the plants 

 cannot obtain any great size, close planting is necessary, 

 the reverse being the case where the climate is warm and 

 humid and the soil is productive, and consequently likely 

 to produce large bushes. In Java and the West Indies 

 the space is often lo x 12 feet, but other crops are there 

 usually planted between the Coffee rows, while in India 

 and Ceylon distances vary from four feet each way to 

 eight feet, the best being perhaps seven feet between the 

 rows and six feet between the plants. The number of 

 trees contained in an acre planted 6^ '/ feet will be about 

 1,000; 6-^6, 1,200; 6x5, 1,450; 5x5, 1,750; 5x4, 

 2,150; and 4x5, 2,700. The advantages to be gained in 



