lo4 



TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



CHAP. 



of the holes. 



Farm-yard planter, or indeed any other planter, to keep animals in 



manure the ^ , ' , , ^ \ ^ f^ ' r ^^ 



best. order to be able to obtain valuable manure for his trees. At 



first the manure may be simply laid round the roots of the 

 trees, and then covered over with surface earth, or it may 

 be carefully forked into the soil around the roots ; but, later 

 on, it will be necessary to bury the manure in holes near the 



The holes for trees. The holes should be about two feet long, a foot 



manure. , i ^ • i i t r ^ ^ 



deep, and a foot wide, and at a distance of not less than two 



feet from the stem. In digging, all the large roots of the 



coffee trees that are unearthed should be left, but the smaller 



ones may be cut with advantage. The manure should then 



be spread at the bottom of the hole and covered with weeds 



and surface earth, which ought to be well rammed down so 



The position as to prevent washing during heavy rains. If the coffee be 



planted on hill sides, the holes ought to be dug above the 



trees, so that the soluble portions of the manure may be 



washed down to the roots ; but, on level land, the position of 



the holes is of no importance, only they must not be dug in 



the same spot at each manuring. 



Catch Crop. — Whilst the young coffee trees are growing, 

 the vacant ground may be planted in maize, plantains, 

 tanias, sweet potatoes and other such food products, accord- 

 ing to the desire of the planter or the requirements of the 

 local markets. This system, which is called catch cropping, 

 is really a very good one, although some planters disapprove 

 of it. The unoccupied part of the land will be giving some 

 return, and the tillage of the soil necessitated by the cultiva- 

 tion will do good to the young coffee plants. Besides, the 

 shade produced by the plants grown for the catch crops will 

 prove beneficial to the coffee, and the weary waiting for 

 returns from the cultivation will be broken by the sale of the 

 produce. Of course, care must be taken not to allow the 

 " catch crops " to encroach too much on the coffee, and after 

 the second year they should be discontinued. 



Enemies to the Coffee Trees. — There is, perhaps, no 



Catch crops 

 recom- 

 mended. 



Catch crops 

 to cease at 

 the second 

 year. 



