Jan. I, 1898.J ~ 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
483 
GOOD ADVICE. 
Somebody gives the following good antithetical 
advice : — “ Drink less, breathe tm re ; eat less, 
chew more ; ride less, waUc mere ; clothe less, 
bathe more ; worry less, work mere ; waste less, 
give more ; write less, read more ; pi each less, 
practise more.’’— TJ fness. 
COFFEE PLANTING IN P.LITISII 
CENTRAL AFRICA. 
The following are Messrs. Buchsnan Eiotliers’ es- 
tates in the Zemba District : — 
MIuDgusi Ests.te, about 70 acies, is^ the oldest 
plantatiorr in the country, some of the coffee berng 12 
years old, and still hearing well. 
Chirunga Estate, 120 acres, was opened in 1891 with 
10 acres, additions being made every year. This year 
dOaoreshave been added. 
Namiwawa Estate, 100 acres, was begun in 1893 by 
planting about 20 acres, additions being made every year. 
Likangala Estate, 60 acres, was opened in 1890. 
No additions have been made since 1892 to this estate. 
Should the expectations of the Manager be realipd, 
the crop for next year from the Zomba Plantations 
will be at least 40 tons of coffee. • i ■ 
Messrs. Sharrer have three r f utations in this 
district, viz., at Zomba, Namiteiubo, and Likangala. 
MI.ANJE District. — The Nyasaland Coffee Co. have 
opened up 630 acres this year, all of which they 
hope to plant during the coming season. Carl IViese 
opened up 100 acres last year, about 50 of v. hicli 
are planted. Further extensions are to be made 
during the coming year on this estate. 
Mr. Richie of the Likulesi Estate informs us,— \ve 
have now got about 220 acres under coffee, 60 of 
which has been planted out this year, and the seed- 
lings look fairly well considering the k ng spell of 
dry weather they have had to fight against. bVe 
have now 160 acres four years old. ‘When two years 
old it gave us 2501b. ; last year 9 tons 16 cwts, ; and 
this year we expect to get 16 tons, picked off littse more 
than 50 acres. These trees of course are still young, 
and taking everything into consideratiou I do not think 
v/e can grumble. The rainfall has been very insuffi- 
cient iiTdeed, there having been only a fe ‘ showers 
after the end of .Tanuary. We generally get a few 
days rain about the end of September and the 
beginning of October; this brings out the blossom 
right enough ; then w'e get six or eight weeks of 
scorching sun ai.’d by the time the rains are on us 
in December, the primaries are likely to be burned 
bjack. This has occurred here for two year.s in suc- 
cession on coffee that has never given a crop. 
Irrigation has been tried, hut was not a i r e- 
cess owing probably to insufficient supply ci water-. 
Of insects, the White (or vtcaly) Bv(j is th.e greatest 
enemy we have in the plantation here : rt is most 
disastrous to the plants on which it mt;y settle. AecZ 
Spider is vissible during the dry season, hut is always 
exterminated by the rains. e have a c]uantity of 
horer amongst the oldest plains, but nothing to any 
extent. With reference to shrde it is now well under- 
stood amongst planters that we must 1 a e s lade for 
coffee, and I think that most cf the ] lanters onMlanje 
are going in fer shade. On oue block ot 0 acres w-e 
areplanliug fig cuttings and they are brealdug well. 
They are planted 25 feet apart, wiih the view of 
course of thinning out if necessary. Vie are also rais- 
ing a nursery of GreoiUea Hobusta which -we inteud 
planting out as a shade tree.” 
The Mount Zion Estate of ilr. Bia-.lshaw is com- 
prised of, — 
50 acres . . . . 7 
50 acres 
100 acres 
50 acres 
50 acres 
H total of SCO acres, uivier shade 
zia mostly. The cefiee returus from 
been so far vei-y satisfactory. 
yeers chi, 
D years o’d, 
4 )c:..3 0lu, 
3 ye: rs old, 
1 jear old, 
!ue yt-.'u' old, JII j'z- 
the above has 
The Bloomfield Estate owned by the same gentle- 
man consists of 250 acres under cultivation and 
another 50 being opened. This estate is also under 
Alhizzia, planted 24 feet apart. 
Mr. A. C. Simpson, of the Ntundulima Estate, one 
of the oldest planters of Mlanje, does rot think the 
coffee prospects of B.C. A. are of the brighest. He has 
tried cattle manuring and green maniuicg with no 
appreciable result. I'he fault is not to be found in 
the soil, as be says it has been proved to be suitable 
by analysis. Shade has not helped Mr. Simpson, as 
creps taken frem coffee i i her bananas and other 
shade has not increased, but in fact, lias decreased, as 
thengh the coffee trees look much better under shade, 
they do not bear such large crops. 
The rainfall, he states, is the secret of non-success 
as the rain comes at the wrong lime, heavier showers 
being required in September, October, and November. 
Mr. Simpson slates it is his opinion that for this 
reason coffee will never pay in B.C. A. 
Mr. H. Cox of Ntundulima Estate intends put- 
ting the whole of his plantation under shade, 
using by preference native species of the fig 
(native names “ Turidu” and ” Katchesi") and the 
“ Kunda” tree. He is ot opinion that the crop of 
1896 would have been much larger than it was had 
more of the estates in B.C. A. been under shade. 
The promise of the blossom was very good indeed, 
but the crop did not come up to expectations owing 
to the coffee trees being parched by the dry weather, 
being in many estates quite unprotected. 
The use of shade will also enable the planter to 
fight more successfully against the ravages of the 
borer. Borer has not been so bad this year on 
Ntundulima owing to the fact that many infested 
trees were cut down last year. 
Mr. Eric Austen of the Stewart Estate only com- 
menced operations in March, 1896. 
Mr. H. Brown’s DuNirAVEN Esta'ie has some 170 
acres under cultivation, and this year he has opened 
something like 150 more. Mr. Brown believes in 
shade. His house has been roofed with shingles, 
the first to be used in this country, made from native 
woods. 
Borer is fairly active, and entails a good deal of 
labour in cleansing the trees. The estate also 
suffered last year from the prolonged drought. 
Mr. John Moir op Lauderdale has also had a smaller 
crop than was promised by the blossomiug, owing to 
drought. Borer is seen in parts of the pl.rutation. On 
some of the new coffee plants there is white marking 
on the leaves. The larvae of a brown weevil was also 
foul. 1 this year in some bprries. Blade bug was easily 
disposed of by washing with soapy water. 
Alhiz^'ia 'nmluccana seedlings planted for shade in 
Fehtu.'rry last year are over 4 feet high with a good 
spread.^ This appears to be a suitable tree for shade. 
Qrevillea robust a &x\d. native fig cuttings are about the 
snme height, but they do not appear to give such a good 
shade. Some coffee under bananas is doing very well 
hut then coffee under shade, although the trees may 
be in splendid condition, is said not bear a large 
crop. 
Mr. Moir has this year cut semicircular trenches a 
short distance from the coffee tree.s and filled them 
with manures. This has been done on the side looking 
north and next year a similar semicicie will be made 
and filled with manure on the south side, thu.s com- 
pleting the circle round each coffee tree. Trees 
treated in this manner are said to develop very strong 
wood. 
Ill b-itwei n the coffee grass has been strewn on about 
12 acres and left. This has beeir done with the idea of 
keeping the ground cool and moist. It is open to the 
objection that an accidental fir e might destroy the 
coffee trees. 
The hole cn the Zomba plateau has recently been 
explored by Captain .1 rake and Mr. Gough of the 
B. C. A. Rille.s. Having take si up with them a coil 
of stout rope Captain Brake vv.s.s th.e first to des- 
cend, being lowered with a light to the bottom, 
Mr. Gough following alterwaids. Au immense pile 
of human skulls and bones was found at the 
