SOIL AND CLIMATE. 



49 



making the soil productive or unproductive as the case 

 may be, while certain plants make certain calls upon one 

 or more of these substances, and, consequently, such 

 must be present and available in a soil that is to suit 

 them. A rich soil for Coffee generally contains about 

 five per cent., or one-twentieth of its weight, of organic 

 matter in combination with other fertilizing substances. 

 But as to the best soil for Coffee in particular the leading 

 authorities differ, so that as a broad principle it may 

 be laid down that the best soil is the richest, no matter 

 what its color, whether it be the valley silt of Arabia, 

 the volcanic mould of Java, the jungle soil of India 

 and Ceylon, or the rich red earth of Brazil. But the 

 deeper, freer and richer the soil, whatever it may be, the 

 better as long as it is specially tested for phosphoric acid 

 and potash^_ The latter is found in abundance wherever 

 a large forest has been felled, burned grass-land being 

 also considered good for this purpose, as it also contains 

 those very requisite properties of Coffee soil. 



If the soil be naturally light and poor and washed by 

 every shower, the more soluble portions, together with 

 the salts of the manure applied to the trees, is generally 

 robbed by the heavy rains. In such a case it is next to 

 impossible to keep a plantation in a high state of culti- 

 vation without an enormous expense in the constant 

 application of manure. Many plantations are again 

 subject to landslips, which are likewise produced by the 

 violence of the rains ; in such cases the destruction is most 

 disastrous, and whenever landslips are frequent they 

 may be taken as an evidence of a poor clay subsoil. 

 The rain soaks through the surface, and not being able 

 to percolate through the clay with sufficient rapidity, it 

 lodges between the two strata, loosening the upper sur- 

 face, which slides from the greasy clay, launched, as it 



