114 COFFEE. 



succumbed ; the others Buffered more or less, but ultimately re- 

 covered. ' Many of the latter, however, show that they were weak- 

 ened by the disease, for they are short of primaries and lose their 

 leaves more rapidly than the healthy ones. Mr. Ferdinandus, the 

 foreman of the Gardens, who has given considerable attention to 

 this coffee, is a strong advocate for partial shade for yoimg trees 

 at this elevation. He believes that in the low country near the 

 sea, the air, though warmer, is full of moisture, and the progress 

 made by the trees at Henaratgoda strengthens him in the opinion 

 that the Liberian coffee requires a warm, moist, and stimulating 

 climate. During the warm weather on the hills the air is evi- 

 dently too dry for young plants, unless they are partly shaded ; 

 mulching with dead leaves, jak shavings, or even sawdust, is 

 fotmd very beneficial in dry weather. If the plants have a deep, 

 rich soil and can send down their long tap-roots into it, they may 

 dispense with shade and be all the better for the larger supply 

 of light 'and air. The trees mentioned above came into blossom 

 when eighteen months old, but none of it set. In March, 1876, 

 another and a larger blossom was produced, which set abundantly. 

 The berries were ripe in the following December, and from the 

 seeds a large number of plants was raised. This was the only 

 blossom produced in 1876. In the following year (1877) they 

 blossomed early in March, and a good crop of fruit was produced 

 by the close of the year. At the end of April, in the same year, 

 and at intervals varying from two to three months, the trees were 

 in partial blossom, and they have ever since borne berries in dif- 

 ferent stages of growth. The principal flowering time, however, 

 is March, and the main crop of fruit is ripe by the middle or end 

 of December. 



" In 1875 a parcel of thirty seeds, packed in damp moss, was 

 received from Mr. Bull; these germinated and grew up into 

 healthy plants. The attacks of leaf disease were but slight, and 

 the plants, in partial shade, are now doing well and are nearly 

 five feet high. A leaf of one of these plants measures eighteen 

 inches in extreme length and eight inches at the widest part. In 

 outline it differs slightly from other specimens. Instead of having 

 the wedge-shaped base narrowing as it approaches the petiole 

 (stalk) of the leaf, the base is rounded and almost resembles the 



