748 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[May ], \m. 
torn which products there is an unceasing demand 
or moisture. But with the removal of this natural 
drainage ^absorption by growth) the soil bacomes wet, 
cold, and unfertile: while the influence of intense 
light induces denitrification and hence a state of at 
least partial sterility- It will thus he seen that 
shaderi and exposed lands are differently constituted 
and that the one cannot be merged into the other 
without causing intermediate disadvantages to the 
cultivator. The planner now realises that entire 
felling is the biggest mistake he has made; but 
he attributes the cause and, perhaps rightly, more 
to the absence of shade than to a depreciation of 
the soil. In planting up abandoned coffee-land the 
growth is often slow and unsatisfactory, even when 
supported by liberal tillage and manuring: also in 
putting in " supplies" the reaction caused by undue 
exposure is sometimes felt. These difficulties I mostly 
attribute to a want of tone in the soil, caused by the 
absence of sufficient shade. Secondary plantings of 
coffee seldom do much until the shade is well np, 
when, it will be observed the natural coalition of the 
soil becomes re-established. . 
When an estate is planted, and during the first few 
years of its existenf^e, the tillage of the whole land 
should be deep and thorough. The more the land ia 
opened and aerated at this period the better, as at a 
later stage of growth when the bushes nearly meet 
there is both less opportunity and less necessity for 
deep tillage, should the land be well drained. To 
recommend draining the side of a steep hill may sound 
paradoxical, but during my travels I observed such 
land evidently in need of drainace. Then, where it 
is not very steep, especially in low-lying ground, a 
proper system of drainage is a most important factor 
in the sweetening of the soil. 
Humus is not only very absorbent of water, but it 
also retains it like a sponge. 
Wherever there is sufficient foothold for soil of this 
description, plants will obtain moisture and grow 
readily, a fact which is strikingly exemplified by the 
steep cultivation at "Abiall" and other estates in 
North Coorg. But while the drainage system is 
intended to remove surplus moisture, cr^re must be 
taken not to increase " wash" on the upper slopes. 
On a few estates I observed tha,t open drains, a foot 
or more in depth and only a few feet apart (sufficient to 
accommodate one row of coffee bushes), were 
perpendicularly aligned from top to bottom of the 
slope. Unless the land is very heavy— a stiff clay— I 
should consider this practice open to question. Drains 
eighteen inches deep, following a gently sloping 
cont' ur across the face of the slope, would be better 
and would to a great extent intercept wash. The 
proper distance apart would wholly depend on the 
nature of the so 1. 
But as far as can be judged, twelve and eighteen 
feet are reasonable distances for heavy and inter- 
mediate soils. Stagnant water in the soil is a most 
hurtful thing, and should be removed at any cost. 
" Renovation pits," or holes made at intervals far 
the deposit of weeds, are supposed by some to 
facilitate drainage. But this is a doubtful function, 
as the pits have no collateral outlet and soon become 
clogged with weeds and forest refuse. I should be 
inclined to call them brood-heds for the propagation 
of fungoid diseases. At any-rate they should not be 
allowed to supersede a proper drainage system when 
it is required. Many fig trees possess the advantage 
of being openers of the soil, a fact which would 
easily account for the luxuriant growth of coffee 
under them. The woody lateral roots of these trees 
form vactiities and tunnels which readily admit liberal 
cuirents of oxygen for many yards around each 
trunk, Tbia now brings me to the all-important 
question of digging in a plantation. Thorough tillage 
up to a given limit has already been advocated, and 
It is also admitted unconditionally that a moderately 
open tilth is beneficial at all times. But there ai'e 
other conditions to be taken into account, and I hope 
to show presently that in iha matter of digging, the 
planter has to decide between two evils. These are 
(1) the destruction of coffee roots and (2) the closing 
up of the soil to some extent. The coffee bash is 
naturally a surface feeder, a position of root-growlh 
which 18 further 8tren{.t tinned by subdued light and 
the prevailing practice of manuring on the surface, 
or very near to it. On productive estate I observed 
that fane meshes of young roots pervaded the upper 
6o:l everywhere, and I contend that the periodical 
removal of these feeders bv iiijudioious «,«»«a*i-. 
digging would do the estate an incalculable amount 
of harm. Certainly much more than would be done 
by leaving the land undisturbed for a season. For 
routine tillage on an established tote, the .nomati 
should be entirely diec»rded in favour of the fork : 
which opens the soil ligiitly without cutting manv 
surface roots. A good argument advanced in support 
of »n«man-digging is its efficiency in removing the 
encroaching roots of tree-, whiih would otherwise 
take possession of the land. In reply to this I must 
refer the reader to what has been written about 
deep-rooting trees being pr.-ferred to nil others where 
coffee IS largely grown. When sui face-rooting trees 
arc retained for shade (unless thev possess special 
merits, as it has been shewn may b^ the case) the 
evil cannot be remedied by surface digging without 
injuring the coffee, as it is unlikely that in using a 
mamali the ordinary cooly would take the trouble, 
even if he possessed the skill, to discriminate between 
the young roots of trees and the roots of coffee. It is 
rather by the thoroughnesi of preliminary operations, 
eHectnal drainage, and occasional surface forking that 
the planter can hope to oxygenize his land and 
thereby maintain its fertility and sweetness. But I 
can fully sympathise with those who are pestered 
by the surface roots of voracious trees, and if some 
implement could be invented to draw these out without 
doing much damage to the coffee roots, it would be a 
good thing. Lopping off the principal toot-limbs and 
eaving them with their ramifications to rot in the 
land IS not a bad practice. Care must be taken, 
however, not to ki 1 the tree or needful shade would 
be lost. 
It may here be asked why so much importance is 
attached to coffee roots being near the surface. 
The a.iswer is, that all fruit-bearing plants should 
have their roots well under the influence of light 
and heat to insure the best results in the production 
of fruit. This 1.S all the more necessary in the case 
of coffee where the soil is thickly covered bv a 
mantle of vegetation. The food stuffs required for 
the formation of fruit are not usu il'y procurable in 
the subsoil, hence the advantage of shallow cultiva- 
tion Surface rooting is therefore desirable, although, 
to support vegetativegiowth during periods of drought^ 
It is necessary to encourage fairly deep-rooting 
development also. But in this connection thi 
admission of light, and regulation of growth, is 
controlled to some extent by careful pruning. I say 
careful" advisedly, as the system of pruning which 
i have seen on some estates (not on the occasion of 
this tour) leaves much to be desired. It is a truism 
tnat bad pruning is worse than none, while hacki. g 
and reckless mutilation is of: en followed by tronble- 
some diseases, such as rotting and canker. The 
object in priming coffee is to equalisa and encourage 
the growth of healthy bearing-wood. Anything not 
capable of giving crop, unless indirectly leading to 
the formation of crop-bearing shoots, should be 
removed by clean cutting. If this is done with care, 
shortly after picking, the soil, bush, and planter will 
each benefit by the operation. The organic and 
inorganic subsiances which combine to form plant 
food are well known to the intelligent cultivator. 
What he is more concerned about is whether these 
substances are present in propo- tionate quantity and 
soluble form, as if they are not, the soil will be 
u.iproduotive. The mere fact that certain consti- 
tuents ave found in a soil is no criterion of its 
fertility. And when it is remembered that mechani- 
cally, chemically, and biol ^g'cally, soils are subject 
to ever varying condition?, this is 'not to be wondered 
at. Uncertainty as t > the natural c pab.lities of the 
soil has led to much investigation, and the truths 
