IO6 COFFEE : ITS CULTIVATION AND PROFIT. 



sion of the ground and practically they will make 

 it all their own. 



At such times hand-weeding is generally suffi- 

 cient ; and if the head man or maistry can be relied 

 upon, women and boys will do the work very well, 

 while more cheaply than men, whom they excel also 

 in the necessary art of pulling up the weeds root 

 and branch, so that there shall be nothing left to 

 germinate. If, however, labour has been scarce, as 

 it will be at times, and the surface of the 'estate 

 begins to show visibly green with uninvited vegeta- 

 tion, then resource must be had to " mamoties," 

 implements something between a Dutch hoe and a 

 light spade, with the blade set at right angles to the 

 short and straight handle. Men are required to 

 wield these, of course, and the day chosen should 

 be one of sunshine, so all weeds may wither directly 

 they are hoed up. Not more soil than necessary 

 should be drawn away from the stems of the bushes, 

 nor indeed should the land be deeply disturbed at 

 any time under this system of " no weeds," for rains 

 then carry away the fine fertile tilth much more 

 readily. Fear of loosening and so losing the mould 

 should always make us weed by hand when it can 

 possibly be managed. 



Whatever our mode of weeding is, the workers 

 keep between their own rows of Coffee, and thus 

 maistries, who walk to and fro upon the land passed 

 over, can see how work has been done, and promptly 

 discover and send back any delinquent found guilty 



