750 
THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[May 1, 1899. 
requires them, Ot thin class, nitrate of soda ia the 
most volatile. But bones, guanos of sorts, and oilc»ke 
ace of Blow action, and should be applied some montlis 
before they are actually required as food to the plant. 
Powerful fertilisers, «s nitrate of soda and sulphate of 
ammonia, should ithvaya be applied in limited quantity, 
and, if posnible, on two oocanions duiing the growing 
Beaeou. Nitrate of soda is of most value in a compara- 
tively dry season, heavy rain having tho tendency to 
wash it down into the sub-soil. 
Sandy soils are usually improved by the applica- 
tion of potash. Damp heavy soils, as also such as 
are rich in organic matter (humus), should have phos- 
phatic mimnrea in preference to all others. 
Manures of a quickly soluble nature are best suited to 
a dry climate, wFii'e those of slow decomposition are just 
the reverse. Mineral phosphates and basic nl.ig 
rt quire time to ferment in the soil, and should, there- 
f jre, be applied several mauths before they reqi.ire 
to be in action. 
Superphosphate on the other hand acts speedily, and 
should be applied as a light top-dressing at t\T0 or three 
intervals dui ing the period of active growth. It will 
thus be seen tnat special fertilisers can only benefit 
crops while active growth is progressing, and when ihe 
soil is sufficiently moist to induce chemical nction. In 
the case of nitrate manures the same couditio"s are 
neces ary to enable the micro-oigauisms in the noil 
and roots to woik satisfactorily in the production of 
nitric acid, throi gh the wonderful process called 
nitrification. Ic is now known that a fertile soil teem? 
with bacteria, as also the roots of many trees, shrubs, 
and herbs of the natural order Leguminosw . 
Iiidiijenoii.s Manures. 
It WIS pleasing to hear that a few minurial pro- 
ducts of the country are growing in favour. These 
are, in addition to oil-cako, which is universally and 
deservedly popular, lime, fish, yunuo, from the Malabar 
coast, and a substance which I Hhall call tlesh guano, 
prepared by Mr. Petrie Hay at the Himsur works. It 
consists of the dried fleshy material which i-; separated 
from greenish bones in going through the mill, and as 
now prepared by Mr. Hay forms a rich compost. If 
this manure could be prepareil on a large scde, and 
in a somewhat different manner, it would be in great 
demand as an organic fertiliser. In this connection it 
may be asked if the millions of carcases {cattle and 
horses, etc.), annually put away in obs ure places 
could not be applied to a more useful purpose? Be- 
ing rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, the flsh guano 
of the western coast should be liberally used on estates. 
The lime procurable about Hunsur, and in some pans 
of Coorg itself, is supposed to be of questionable 
quality for manurial purposes. But this is a matter 
which chemical analysis would easily decide. In all 
probability it is better in some quarries than in otberj. 
There are two classes of land in Coorg which could be 
vastly improved by a liberal use of lime. These are 
the inert forest tracts and clay deposits. The me- 
chanical and chemical action of lime on these rich soils 
would, in my opinion, be of the greatest value to the 
planter. Of course, phosphates in the shape of bone- 
meal or otherwise, would, to some extent, have the 
same effect, but they are more expensive and have 
practically no mechanical action on the soil. Although 
not a direct food giver, it must be remembered that 
good lime is a great manufacturer of plant food. 
The free admixture of decaying rocky material, con- 
taining felsp irs, etc., is another means of improving the 
mechanical condition of heavy soiiS. Indian cattle 
manure is much poorer io quality than the farmyard 
dung of western countries, where much pains are 
taken to make and preserve the latter. But where 
cattle are folded and littered on the estate, the manure 
is of better quality. The bracken fern, Ptc.ris ciquiliiia, 
which contains a good perceutiige of alkiluie ni itter 
in its constitution, is an excellent materi il for litter- 
ing cattle. The location of this herb is said to indi- 
cate the presence of a calc ireous soil. It is strxnga 
that soils of this class are often improved by a li,s;ht 
topdressing of chalk and gypsum. In dealing with soils 
ot different sorts, it is necessary to apply such ma- 
nures as are best adapted to each condition, and th« 
quantity to be applied has to be regulated on the lame 
principle. 
Practical experience is much the safest guide, and 
it iH not difficult to conduct such experiments on a 
small scale in different classes of land. 
NUOSEBIES AND HEED SELECTION. 
Preliminary operations ou the estate require much 
care, forethought, and energy ; none more so than the 
selection of sites and formation of nurseries where 
tfie young c ffee is to be successfully reared. It goes 
without saying that nursery land should be of the best 
quality, while specially prepared composts are necess- 
ary to provide soluble food for the little seedlings. 
But this in Itself can only maintain and nourish young 
life. Mere culturable operations cannot prevent or 
remedy constitutional defects arising from external 
causes. Thus, although the situation, aspect, and soil 
of a nursery maybe everything that can be desired, 
It does not follow that the seedlings raised in it are 
always tho best of their kind. For constitutional vigour 
wo have to study race, pedigree, and the quality of in- 
dividual seeds. This co' stitutes what is called " selec- 
ti <n '■ of the latter, and when carefully practised is 
usually tho means of improving races or strains of 
cultivated plants. It ia true, purity of strain is sns- 
taineu by isolation so long as a plant retains its pris 
tine vigour, but it has been objerved in the case of 
m.uiy industrial plants that isolation accompanied by 
much seed bearing has gradually led to degeneracy 
and loss of constitutional vigour. To prevent this 
the seod-bearar should not be allowed to produce 
more than a limited number of seeds, while the 
nourishment given should be in proportion to the 
important work such a plant haa to perform. In 
cofif.-e, seed-bearing can easily be regulated by re- 
moving 50 to 80 per cent, of the flower buds, leaving 
such as are favourably situated on the lower half of 
the primary. 
But without taking special measures, a first picking 
of the finest beans from all over the estate will also 
be found useful for the propagation of nursery stock. 
And if such pickings are exchanged with planters 
bUiiated in d.fferent localities, the results are likely to 
be bjtter still. In nurseries aud seed-farms iu Europe, 
thtt raising and selection of seed form a special de- 
partment of work to which the greatest attention is 
paid. Small seeds are carefully examined under the 
microscope, so that only the very bast may be chosen for 
sowing. Thus by eliminating the iufdrior and encour- 
aging the cultivation of the best at one's disposal, an 
improved strain of plants will be gradually formed. 
VARIETIES OF COFFEE SEEN IN COOItO. 
The species observed were only three in number, e.g 
1. Cqfea Wightiana, W. & A., Indigenous. 
2. „ Liherica, Hiern., West Africa. 
3. ,, Arahica, Linn Abyssinia. 
No. 1 is somewhat sparsely found in North Coorg, 
and is never admitted" into cultivation, I believe. It 
is whippy-looking shrub 3—5 feet, leaves thinner, 
smaller, and mn-e pointed than in C . arahica. The 
reddish-purple berry is also small, but contains two 
miniature beans of perfect form. There were veiy 
few berries on the specimens kindly gathered for me by 
Mr. Wood. The flower was not seen, but I am told 
it is much smaller thxn the flowar of C. arabica. Of 
No. 2 Mr. Parsons possesses two, if not three, varieties 
a.t Beechlands, the most important being the one 
known as " Johore-Liberian." On this estate the 
cultivation of Liberians has been pursued for many 
years, and I had the pleasure of seeing a large number 
of flue specimens both in flower and fruit. There 
are also some seedlings in the nurseries with a dis- 
tiiictly hybrid look about them. Indeed it will be 
a wonder it natural hybrids are not freely produced on 
this estate before long. Mr. Parsons alst) deserves 
CLu lit for the experiments he has made with grafted 
coffje. Although results in the latt3r are not great 
the persistence in experiments shows the proper spirit 
of enterprise. 
No. 3 affords the staple coffee of the province, as 
it does of South ludia geaerally. There are several 
