, IReplanttna an& pruning. 325 



cultivated, etc., and in each case will be determined according to the 

 particular circumstances of the place. Generally, four weedings a year 

 are made, although in some localities six, and even more, are given. 

 It will be seen at once that this is the most costly operation on the 

 plantation. 



d. Weeding in Ceylon. In Ceylon, as in Soconusco, weeding the 

 ground constitutes the principal expense of coffee cultivation. Mr. Sab- 

 onadiere advises weeding the plantations once a month, and this 

 advice seems to me very judicious, as in this way the weeds are not 

 given time to grow or produce seed. The cost of twelve weedings a 

 year would thus be about the same as that of six, because, in the 

 former case there being fewer weeds and the work of uprooting them 

 being less, two cords might be given to each laborer as a task, while 

 in the latter case only one cord could be given him. 



There is the objection, however, that frequent weeding stirs up the 

 soil and exposes it to being washed away by the rains. This difficulty 

 might to a certain extent be obviated if, in new plantations, where there 

 are as yet few weeds, the weeds were uprooted with a sharp stick and 

 thrown into a bag which the laborer carried with him, gathered in a 

 heap, and burned when dry. But in old plantations this system can- 

 not be followed ; the hoe is there used, and the earth is of necessity 

 turned up. 



Sometimes the weeding is done from the trunk of the tree out, and 

 a sort of bank or ridge is thus formed between the furrows, causing the 

 rain-water to run near the trunks of the trees and carry away the earth 

 from their roots. To avoid this inconvenience, the weeding ought to 

 be done from the middle of the furrows towards the trees, care being 

 taken that their roots remain well covered with earth. 



Weeding is generally done in Ceylon by contract, the weeding of 

 each acre of ground, or a little more than nine cords, costing on an 

 average thirty-six shillings, or nine dollars, or about a dollar per cord 

 yearly. Women and children perform the weeding. 



B. Replanting. It frequently happens that some of the trees, from 

 having been badly transplanted, or for some other reason, either die or 

 become sickly. If many plants should suffer in this way, the cause 

 should be ascertained in order to remedy it. The best means of doing 

 this is to dig around the root of a tree to see if the tap root has become 

 bent, if it has come in contact with a stone, or if some insect be not 

 injuring it. 



The necessity of constantly replacing the trees which die, or decline, 

 makes it indispensable to have always on the estate nurseries from 

 whence plants may be taken to replace those that have died or de- 

 teriorated. 



C. Pruning. Pruning having an important bearing on the success 



