THE LARGEST COFFEE TREES. Jl 



the general reduction to one-third of a normal crop is caused by over- 

 crowding, overshading, and the neglect of all cultural requirements. 

 If is also true that large crops are produced in Central and South 

 America under open shade culture with leguminous trees; (he present 

 point is that no reasons or facts have been advanced which indicate 

 that under conditions favorable for coffee culture the direct effect of 

 shade is other than detrimental to the yield. 



In deciding upon the relative desirability of different conditions and 

 methods of culture, it may be found necessary to distinguish carefully 

 between the yield b} r areas and the yield by individual trees. Thus in 

 some localities thick planting and small returns per tree may bring 

 earlier and larger profits than could be secured by wide planting with 

 the necessary postponement of the maximum yield. If the matter 

 were to be decided entirely on the basis of the yield of individual trees 

 testimony is well agreed that the most favorable conditions exist at 

 elevations where a mild and equable climate renders shade entirely 

 unnecessary, and a fertile soil sets no limits to growth. Thus in Java 

 the largest trees are described as growing on terraced, carefully culti- 

 vated mountain sides with the slopes grassed over to prevent washing. 

 The coffee is here planted 25 feet apart and permitted to grow to its 

 full height, sometimes reaching 30 or 40 feet. These giant trees bore 

 a crop which yielded 6 or 7 pounds of prepared coffee at a time when 

 the general average for the Government plantations of Java was only 

 half a pound per tree. On the rich volcanic soils of Central America 

 similarly favorable conditions permit unusual size and yield to be 

 attained without shade. Averages of 3 pounds per tree and upwards 

 have been recorded for unshaded plantations, while individual trees 

 have been reported as yielding 12, 20, and even 40 * pounds of coffee. 

 One writer who gave special attention to such exceptional cases in 

 Mexico reports as follows: 



Coffee trees will grow and produce more or less fruit in almost any soil where the 

 temperature is not too low, but in order to obtain the best results it is necessary to 

 select a rich, light, and deep soil in a locality where it rains at brief intervals during 

 the entire year; and yet too much moisture is not good for coffee. Much, has been 

 said and written about the altitude above the sea level. My own observation has 

 convinced me that the importance of this point has been greatly overestimated, 

 because I have seen abundant crops of excellent quality produced at a very insignifi- 

 cant elevation, and I have seen the same results obtained at a very considerable 

 elevation above sea level. * * * It is a fact worthy of note that all the coffee 

 trees which I have known to produce very large crops have been permitted to grow 

 freely without pruning the roots or the tree beyond taking off the suckers or sprouts, 

 and they have been so far from any other trees that their branches did not come in 

 contact with them. Some of these very productive trees have received no attention 

 whatever except the gathering of the fruit, but as far as I am able to observe they 

 have been entirely free from contact with other trees. Some of them have grown 

 always in the shade of other trees, others without any shade whatever from other 



1 Modern Mexico, March, 1899. 



