3 o6 Coffee Culture on tbe Soutbern Coast of Cbfapas. 



Now, then, as the chief expense of a plantation is in keeping it 

 clean of weeds, and as this is done by task work, the weeding of a cuerda 

 being a day's task for a man, and costing on an average two reals, it 

 is evident that the cost of keeping a cuerda free from weeds is the same 

 whether it contains thirty-nine trees or one hundred and four trees, 

 and whether each cuerda yields seventy-eight pounds or two hundred 

 and eight pounds of coffee. Each weeding, for instance, of a plantation 

 of 10,000 trees, covering an area of two hundred and fifty-six cuerdas, 

 will cost $64, if the trees are four yards apart on each side ; while, if 

 they are two yards on one side and three on the other, the same number 

 of trees would occupy an area of ninety-six cuerdas, and cost $24. 



Besides which, where there is a scarcity of hands, it would be easy 

 to keep a plantation of some extent free from weeds if there were one 

 hundred and four trees in every cuerda; but, to keep the same number 

 of trees free from weeds, if there were thirty-nine in each cuerda, almost 

 three times the number of hands would be required. 



The system of pruning which has been tried with so much success 

 in various plantations of Guatemala, and which, it may be said, has 

 been carried to perfection in Ceylon, has the advantage of diminishing 

 the foliage and increasing the fruit, and of preventing the branches of 

 the coffee-trees from interlacing. This system consequently allows of 

 closer planting, without the objections above indicated. 



Taking all these considerations into account, I am of opinion that, 

 other circumstances permitting, the best system is to plant the trees at 

 a distance apart not exceeding three yards between the furrows and 

 two between the trees. An area of six yards square ought to be 

 sufficient for each plant. 



Planting an additional tree in the centre of every four trees, form- 

 ing a quincunx, has the objection that the advantage of the straight 

 furrows is thereby lost, and that the intermediate trees present an ob- 

 stacle to the free circulation of the air. I think that this system should 

 only be adopted in the case when, a plantation being already laid out 

 at long distances, it is desired to shorten these. 



The distance apart at which trees are usually planted in Ceylon is 

 six English feet, or a little more than two yards on each side. Con- 

 sidering the size to which trees are allowed to grow there which will 

 be indicated when speaking of pruning this distance does not seem 

 unduly short. Mr. Sabonadiere is of opinion, however, that it would 

 be better to plant them at a distance of seven feet from furrow to fur- 

 row and six from tree to tree. 



3. NURSERY. 



The nursery is the bed where, for greater convenience in attending 

 to them, owing to the limited space which they occupy, the young 



