«THE COFFEE PLANTER OF CEYLON.” 61 
by the digging up of the soil, previous to the appli- 
cation of the mana grass.” 
Mr. Sabonadiere, writing more than thirteen years 
after the above was published, shews how, when buried 
in trenches, mana grass is beneficial to any soil; the 
trench system, we may remark, obviating the one 
great danger of fire which attaches to the over-ground 
application. Besides incidental notices, Mr. Sabona- 
diére writes in the chapter devoted to manuring :— 
“Mana GRASS must be buried in trenches cut 
longitudinally across the face of the hill; the trees not 
only benefit from the decaying grass, but from the 
loosening of the soil. The benefit is most marked ; 
and all patena lands planted with coffee should he 
treated in this manner. Mana grass has also a won- 
derful effect in improving poor coffee, when applied 
as 2a thick thatch to the soil six to nime inches deep. 
It thus not only prevents the growth of weeds and 
stops wash, but the decaying grass seems to give 
freshness to the soil; the trees make wood fast and 
bear heavily. Thatching the ground as above is a 
successful cure for the bluck bug; this £ can vouch 
for from personal experience; the cost is considerable, 
but the results quite justify the outlay.” 
This instance will shew what scope the planting 
enterprise presents for the intelligent and discriminat- 
ing application of the laws of agricultural chemistry 
to substances within more or less easy reach of the 
planter as well as to imported fertilizere. But Mr. 
Sabonadiére’s book shews us also how important it 
is that a planter should be botanist and horticulturist 
enough to have a fair acquaintance with the laws of 
vegetable life, so as usefully to guide the operations 
of topping, pruning, handling, and even manuring. 
Entomology, too, must be studied, so as to enable 
the planter to have an intelligent knowledge of the 
history and habits of such ‘‘enemies of the coffee ”’ 
as grub and bug. Then the planter must be a bit 
of an architect, so as to judge of the fitness for his 
purposes of the excellent plan and elevations for bun- 
galows, stores, and pulping-houses, which Mr. Sabona- 
diere’s book supplies; and he must be a very gvod 
bit indeed of a mechanical engineer to do justice to 
water-power (perhaps steam) machinery in the shape 
of wheels, pulpers, &c. Hydraulic science will claim 
much attention and pneumatics some, for, whether a 
“‘Clerihew” is set up or not, there must be floors 
of coir, or wire netting, through which the pulped and 
washed coffee can get fresh air to carry off damp 
and prevent fermentation. A knowledge of common 
mortar and of cements and asphaltes, and of the best 
mode of applying them, is useful. But it is difficult 
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