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5. The maintenance of a Peruvian bark-plantation 

 is very similar to that of a coffee-plantation. As the plants 

 grow closer together, the weeds do not grow so abun- 

 dantly, giving rise to less labour. As seen above, when 

 dealing with the coffee-culture, there are people who make 

 holes in the ground to put the plants in, and others trench 

 the soil. 



6. The Peruvian bark is subject to different kinds 

 of disease: 



1 . The disease of the roots, which rots them for the 

 greater part. The only method to expel the fungi which 

 attack the roots, is to pull out the infected plants and 

 disinfect the soil. The uprooted plants must be burnt on 

 the spot. 



2. The rust, a mildew which attacks the branches 

 and kills them. The diseased branches are cut off, the 

 bark is collected and the affected parts are burnt. 



3. The ^Helopeltis" is the worse disease of the Peru- 

 vian barks. It is caused by insects, called Helopeltis Brodii. 

 They prick their way across the surface of the leaves of 

 the young branches and suck out the sup. The pricked 

 spot blackens, the other part of the leaf and the young 

 branches curl up. As yet there is no any other remedy known 

 against the disease but to lop off the attacked parts and 

 burn them, while the insects are caught and destroyed. 



7. When 6 to 8 years old, the Peruvian barks 

 are fit to be gathered. At first this is only a thinning 



