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CHAPTER XI. 



PRUNING. 



THIS operation, entirely an artificial one, has for its 

 purpose, firstly, the keeping of Coffee trees at such a 

 height that the crop may be readily gathered ; 

 secondly, cutting them down for protection against 

 wind on exposed slopes ; thirdly, to let light and air 

 into the bushes ; and, fourthly, to select such wood 

 as is best fitted to produce crop, and for the dis- 

 carding of most of that which would run to leaf only, 

 or is past bearing. 



" Handling" is an intermediary form of pruning 

 pruning, in fact (for the most part), without a 

 knife when fingers and nails are used for the 

 selection of young buds likely to make well-placed 

 and fruitful stems and the removal of surplus 

 shoots. 



There are none of those essential works that have 

 not given rise to contentions amongst planters, with 

 whom all sorts of theories are rife upon the subject. 

 Under the first section comes the question of what 

 height we are to allow bushes to grow, in order that 

 they may cover our ground nicely with spreading 

 branches, and we yet be able to gather their ripe 

 crop cheaply and expeditiously. The largest-bearing 



