60 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTI'RIST. 
[.TrLY 1, im 
COFFEE-GUOWING IN QUEENSLAND. 
1 am aometimrs asked, " Will Coffee pay iu Queens- 
land ? " By thi-', of coursp, is meant not whether 
coffee ia profitablii as an article of trade, but \\hether 
it, as a field-crop, will pay the cultivator we would 
advise all those who are iu doubt about the matter 
to visit the iState Nursery, and see for themtelves the 
crops on the trees here. 
Mr. Dansy, Manager of the Maokay Coffee Co. '8 
Estate, says be has not seen a better crop in Ceylon. 
Most people say coffee must be grown ia a scientific 
manner, and for some this word science seems to 
have a fearful significance, but at the nursery they 
may see a crop grown on non-scientific principles [!J. 
at the outset I planted on scientific lines. Starting 
At the surface of the ground, it was considered neces- 
sary to maintain a clear height of stem of 0 or 8 
inches without any branche?. The single stem wae 
to be continued, and no suckers were to be allowed 
to grow. 
"Under this system I soon found that all the plants 
would require staking. This was all very well for a 
few raoiiths, but when the branches began to grow, I 
saw that the stakes were not strong enough, and they 
had therefore to be replaced ; then, when the usual 
wet teason, with its gules of wind swept over the 
place, neither stiikes nor stems could reeist their 
violence, and the greater part of the plants were laid 
flat. I vei-y soon came lo the conclusion that the 
local conditions rendered this method useless. No 
more pruning, and no more destiuctiou of suckers 
took place, the single stom soou thickened, the 
branches began to rest on the ground and formed the 
necessary support for the trees. Some books recom- 
mend manuring; and the scientific method recom- 
mended consists of digging a hole or two round the 
roots, in which the manure is placed. Now the con- 
sequence of this is that the roots cut off in digging 
receive no benefit, and those at a distance from the 
holes would have to travel if they wanted to share in 
the good things eupplied in the shape of manure. 
My method was to spread the manure over the 
surface of the ground within a radius of some three feet 
from the stem, and then lightly prick it in with a 
digging- fork. The result of this was, that as soon 
as the rain fell, the plants showed dark green foliage 
in abundance. 
It is just possible that when the coffee-expert visits 
this nursery he may order all these bushes to be dug up, 
and I would therefore advise anyone who has been 
lamenting his ignorance of ccffee-growing, to come 
here, and after what he has seen, he will, perhaps, 
have an easier mind. 
The other day I had a visit from an intending coffee- 
grower, who, no doubt, was impressed with fears for 
his success, after reading a mass of bcoks on the 
subject. 'When he had seen several of the bashes, 
he expressed the opinion that growing coffee by book 
was not the way to succeed. There is, however a 
danger, of going to extremes on the other side; but 
it is plain that hard-and-fast rules must give way to 
circumstances. 
Science has done much in the past, and will do much 
in the future, for agriculture. All I want to impress 
upon would-be coflee-grovrers is, not to let, science 
be the bugbear to frighten you out of the field. If 
yon want to grow coffee, and you possess average 
common sense, put that common sense to work. If 
you have not got a farm, theu look out for one — a piece 
of good land, well sheltered from the wind if possi- 
ble. Having selected your farm, ''look over the hedge" 
and watch the man who is succeeding in the industry. 
Take his advice, and follow it, as far as your own 
particular envii'onments will allow. You are then not 
likely to fail. If a crop of coffee-berries can be grown 
such as may be seen here, where the soil is by no 
means specially congenial to the growth of the plant, 
and where the land is exposed to tho f;iry of the 
gales that sweep o\er the place, it shows there is not 
80 much mystery about the matter as is supposed. For 
land such as that at this nursery 1 believe manuring to 
be an absolute necessity. 
I notice that eome trees bear batter than othm. 
home trees are absolutely barren, although I believe 
1 have none here. In Ceylon thei.e trees are called 
males Unt such nomenclature does i.ot speak w«ll 
for the botanical knowledge of those who so de«i|p»te 
them Thecotfee-tree i^ not dioecious, it a bemt 
phrodite. Perhajjs the eipressiou merely meuis a 
barren tiee ; but whatever they may be ii woold be 
better to d.g them out tnd pl^t olh«^ in their 
p aces. To avoid th^ rifk of raising non-beariuB 
Plants, as far as possible seeds would be seleeU-d. when 
It can be done, from the bushes bearing the we»t«st 
crop of berries. ^ 
The trees htre h!4\-iug giro- g stems ; ' well- 
rooted, the branches, as noon as ihe i jd is 
gathered, will be ihiuned, out. thus l ■ , • with 
the conimoii senfee and scientific iuslructions " m to 
letting in light and air. 
There are muny people who. even if thev have the 
necessary capital and knowledge, are phv.-icslly unfit 
„?^' iS I ^o^k of cane-growiiig. but they 
would be perfceHy capable of growing coffee. Wfcile 
the price rem-uns at its present figure, c(.ff-.e-growin« 
WUJ pay better than cace growing at the present Bnce 
of sugar ; and wher« there is a family of chil**n. 
the pickers are ready at hand, j feel sure that a 
good future is in store for the coffee-growing iudortry, 
and It 18 just those farmers who have ao O or UK) 
acres of cane who can go in for coflee-giowi'ug sue- 
cesslully, as they have money coming in to tide 
them over the three years during whioh ihey bavu to 
wait for a crop. D. BicuMU>. 
Ganlttiem' Chronide, May 28. 
SNIPE SHOOTINC; IX CEVl ON. 
At tlie twin ot the year the llioi«(rhu ot bhooten 
athoiiie are greatly occupied by snipe, and it b the 
same in Ceylon. It is fr„m Decern bertl.at snipe- 
shooting bejjins to be at its best, it improves upVo 
the end ot January, remains stationary thiou.')M)at 
I'ebniaiy and March, and is out altogether bv the 
end of April. ■' " 
It has often been said that .snipe, like oysters 
are in season in all months which have an 1{ iu 
theiii ; and this is true in Ceylon, althongh very 
little IS done with them in September and Hctoler 
and It IS seldom before the middle of November that 
they show really good sport. 
What e.vciteiiient there is aiiion? all Eurorteans 
Unougliout the c -lony as soon as it is knowA tliat 
the lons-bills ' are in I The junior subalttrn 
and civi serv.-int, and the Colombo merchant wlio 
has lor the past si.x mouths ..tuck hard at his ofHce 
rupee-collecting, are all alike bitten .viih mania to 
take their guns out to the paddy field.*. Different 
indeed, are the conditions under wiiicli suiite are 
sliot in the tropics from what thev are in Great 
Britain. No cusp rushy marshes, 'sparklin- with 
frost in the keen mornin;,'air, nor snow bounrtnioor- 
lands, where occasional soft bog^y .spots aflord an 
almost certain "find" for the bird.s, but usu 
ally Ions ranges of green paddy fidds, or 
perhaps the borders of some reniote-lvine 
tank, ^yhel•e you flounder through the black 
mud under a burning sun, until the perspiratior 
pours from you. Nevertheless, very pleasant are the 
memories of bygone days in pursuit of the snort 
and such days can be reckoned hy nie in nianJ 
hundreds. There was the getting^up'L 4 a.m.^ 
if the ground to be shot over was several miles 
away and the early meal (by coconut oil lam,.') 
c "hoopers'; (nw cakes), egL's, and cofiee. 
Then the native " tat ' was broughc round, si- 
dled, the horsekeeper, with gun and cartri.isre« 
having been sent on in advance an hour earlier' 
and after the .^puis had been buckled on thp 
shooting boots-for a native pony often needs 
