34 COFFHE PLANTERS’ MANDAL, | 
have been cut back to parrot sticks, or broken, or 
deformed, I would cut back to the first eye that is 
sound and healthy, at the point where a secondary 
has shot out. By making a slanting cut on the lower 
side of the primary, but without touching the second- 
ary, the latter will soon accommodate itself to the posi- 
tion and take the place of the destroyed primary, or. 
if a secondary has sprung from the side of the primary 
at right angles, and if a strong tertiary has sprung 
out from it, I would cut the secondary at the point 
of junction with the tertiary, leaving this latter to 
take the place of the primary. This, however, I 
would only do if the secondary has so grown, that it 
cannot be trained to follow the lead of the primary. 
I would then apply myself to secondaries and tertiaries, 
taking off such as could best be spared and training 
those left as far as practicable into their original shape : 
for it is by a careful selection now of the old wood 
you have, that the future tree is formed. Thus I 
would go on systematically reforming the tree: but 
instead of doing it at once, I would do it gradually 
over two or three years: even at the risk of offending 
the good taste of some sprightly young friend, who is 
an admirer of symmetry. By these means I would 
retain for the time a good deal of wood of irregular 
growth, which many planters would be disposed to 
eall horrid pruning: but the wood so left would re- 
pay me for pocketing my pride, and preserving my 
sticks: while 1 would repeat to my fastidious friends 
that it is my practice to prefer crop to symmetry. 'The 
tree would thus be trained into shape in course of 
time without involving too great an immediate 
sacrifice. 
HANDLING aftcr PRUNING is equally important with 
pruning itself, and cannot be dispensed with. The 
process is already described, but the time of perform- 
ing this operation demands a passing notice. Within 
from one to two months after you have pruned, will 
spring out a rush of young wood especially from the 
eyes nearest to the parts to which the knive has 
been applied. These you must take off, going regularly 
round the tree, like a cooper round his cask, lifting 
every branch and divesting it of whatever is superfluous. 
This is your first handling. But you will require 
another before crop, say about May or June, and 
this time you ought to be doubly careful, for it is 
now that you select your wood for next crop. Re- 
member it is not the present crop alone that you 
have to consider. It has now set and you see it. 
But most of the branches now bearing it will have 
to come off next year. ‘Then where will you be for 
its crop, if you do not leave the wood now? Be care- 
