COFFEE 



COFFEE 



241 



poorly, because of their porous nature and the steep 

 topography of most of the country which so quickly 

 and completely drains away the water. ■ The clay 

 soils are more retentive of moisture and retain 

 their fertility longer. 

 As a rule, the coffee lands are naturally well 



Fig. 345. 



Coffee, showing the way in which 



the berries are borne. 



drained, but occasional small and comparatively 

 level areas occur, which need artiiicial drainage. 

 In constructing drains, care should be exercised so 

 to place them as to cause the minimum amount of 

 erosion. 



Other things equal, virgin forest land will give 

 best results, because of its greater fertility. Its 

 fertility and freeness from noxious weeds, thus 

 reducing the subsequent cost of weeding the plan- 

 tation, will often more than counterbalance the 

 extra cost of clearing the land and the disadvan- 

 tages of poor location, with reference to transpor- 

 tation, frequently attendant on the taking up of 

 new land. 



Preparing the land. — If time permits, the land 

 should be cleared as thoroughly as possible, and 

 all the waste material burned. Some persons rec- 

 ommend not burning over the land, in order to 

 save ferns which are invariably found in forest 

 lands. It is presumed that the ferns keep the ground 

 moist, prevent weed." from growing, protect the 

 young coffee trees from insects and do not interfere 

 with the growth of the coffee. Frequently the trees 

 that are cut are allowed to rot on the land, the 

 branches being trimmed so as not to interfere with 

 the planting; or the underbrush may be cleared 

 away and the trees girdled. The latter practice, 

 however, is not to be commended, as it later is 

 dangerous to the workers and to the coffee trees. 

 Still another practice is to clear the underbrush 

 and allow the trees to stand, planting the coffee 

 dire(3tly under the forest trees, the trees being 

 removed only after the artificial shade has grown. 

 Trees should be left standing on ridges and on the 

 side from which the prevailing wind blows, to serve 

 as windbreaks. If the winds are strong, it may be 

 necessary to plant some quick-growing tree as a 

 windbreak where the forest trees will not serve. 



B16 



If roads and drainage-ditches are necessary, they 

 should be constructed as soon as the land is cleared. 

 Seedling plants. — Volunteer seedlings, which 

 occur in large numbers in all coffee groves, are 

 usually procured. They are generally drawn from 

 the ground by main force, though occasionally a 

 spade or other instrument is 

 employed. They vary from one 

 to three years old, according 

 1 the preference of the 

 planter. Frequently, however, 

 seedlings are raised in seed- 

 beds, which is the more ra- 

 tional practice, as the volun- 

 teer seedlings cannot be relied 

 on fully. For this, the best-de- 

 veloped berries should be chosen 

 and carefully pulped by hand. 

 The seed-beds are best located 

 near the permanent planting, 

 and should be of such a size as 

 to facilitate planting, weeding 

 and watering. Ordinarily it is safe to raise 25 per 

 cent more seedlings than will be needed for the 

 first planting. The seed-beds must be shaded and 

 carefully protected from heavy downpours of rain. 

 The hot sun should not strike the plants. (Fig. 348.) 

 The soil for the bed must be iined and leveled, 

 and free from extraneous matter. It should be 

 moistened thoroughly the evening previous to 

 planting the seeds. The seeds are pressed lightly 

 into the soil, about two inches apart each way. 

 The bed is covered with a layer of wood-ashes and 

 again moistened. As soon as the first round leaves 

 are formed the plants may be transplanted into 

 the nursery-beds. This will generally occur in 

 about ten or twelve weeks after the seeds have 

 been planted. 



The nursery-beds are similar to the seed-beds. 

 The young plants are set in rows about six inches 

 apart each way. Only those are reset that have 



Fig. 346. 



Coffee-tiee branches loaded with berries. 

 Guatemala coffee. 



straight, well-developed taproots. The taproots are 

 cut back to a length of about four inches. Much 

 care is required in the planting to see that the 

 plants are set straight, and that they are buried just 



