132 COFFEE CULTIVATION AND MANURING, 
of us I fancy know how soon a thorough pulverizing 
of the soil is followed by a perfect net-work of roots 
spreading out just below the surface, and such roots 
if any, then ought, if theory be correct, to suffer 
most from drought. I have had no experience myself 
of low-country coffee, but a trusty friend supplies me 
with the following :—One season, when on a low-coun- 
try estate, just before the hot dry weather set in, 
my friend took and thoroughly dug up a field. His_ 
neighbours, of course, seeing something new, thought 
him mad, predicting how the soil woula be dried, 
and the trees burnt up. But the sun came and the 
rains ceased, and the plainly perceptible result ways, 
that all through the searching drought the dug coffee 
looked far better than the undug, and the prophets 
were nowhere. The explanation of this perhaps is not 
far to seek. The occasional dews from heaven, the 
very moisture in the air, were readily absorbed by 
the friable earth, and the net-work of roots just 
below, eagerly drank up the precious moisture long 
ere the first gleam of sunshine could dissipate it. 
Irrespective however of explanation, we have here a 
fact, namely, that surface-growing root trees, under 
certain cultivation, did suffer less from drought than 
those whose roots grew considerably lower down.” 
Another planter tersely gave his opinion :— 
“* Manuring.—I don’t believe in surface manuring 
as a rule (except the roots of the trees appear above 
the ground from wash, &c.), nor in cutting deep 
holes. In flat land scrape off the soil off the roots 
all round the tree which is quite enough, the more 
roots uncovered the better, if there be manure to 
spread over them. In steep land a certain size of a 
hole is necessary, but by no means cut the roots, 
Artificial manure, if possible, ought to be applied on, 
steep land, and in this case cut a long hole (but does 
it deserve the name of hole) half round the tree 
from 4 to 6 inches deep down to the roots, not a 
small scratch, but let the manure be spread over as 
many roots as possible. In steep land bulky manure 
won't wash away if well drained, which it ought to 
be: make the hole long, round the tree from 2 to3 
feet and from 6 to 8 inches deep, and cover up the 
manure from the atmosphere which is of great import- 
ance. All manures should be covered up, as there is 
a deal ot waste otherwise.” 
While the ‘‘Shuck Coffee Tree” declared that 
‘‘Surface Manuring”’ was indispensable on high, what- 
ever it might be on low estates, the gentleman ex- 
perienced in home cultivation returned to the charge 
im favour of surface manuring for coffee as for fruit 
trees at home :— 
