169 
one can deny us when we say that the country is an agricultural 
country and what possibilities ai’e contained therein we have yet to 
discover. 
Statistics of prices of Liberian coffee paid per pikul at Singapore 
during 1912 to 1916: 
1912 
January to June 
... nil. 
») 
July to December 
... $36.50 
1913 
January to June ... 
... 39.00 to 42.00 
99 
July to December 
... 39.00 
1914 
January to June ... 
... 39.00 to 39.50 
79 
July to December 
... 24.00 to 39.50 
1915 
January to June ... 
... 28.00 to 40.00 
99 
July to December 
... 28.00 to 37.00 
1916 
January to June ... 
... 32.00 to 45.00 
77 
July to December 
Dismission. 
... 40.00 to 45.00 
Mr. P. B. Richards asked Mr. R. W. Munro whether he did 
not think coffee robusta would do equally well as Liberian ? He 
mentioned a plantation he had seen in South Perak where robusta 
was planted between the rubber over about 250 acres when the place 
was being opened. The manager was so satisfied with the result of 
this catch-crop that when opening up 250 acres more he interplanted 
this also with robusta. He knew that other small-berried varieties 
had been tried, but he was not able to say what success attended 
these. He did know, however, that coffee robusta had given very 
satisfactory results. Speaking of the diseases mentioned by Mr. 
Munro in his paper, he was sure efficient spraying methods would 
get them under. 
Mr. Munro, in reply to Mr. Richard’s question, said he was not 
prepared there to tell them much about coffe6 robusta, but he had 
known cases where it had been a success. His remarks on soils 
dealt with the question only from the point of the requirements of 
Liberian coffee and he was not familiar with the other varieties 
referred to. He had heard of a good variety which had been tried 
with success in Java where robusta was also tried, but he believed 
they were now giving preference to the Liberian variety there 
because they believed it to give a sound and confirmed crop. As 
regards the pest he had mentioned, he said it might shortly make 
an appearance, and he suggested that remedial measures would be 
adopted now, as the scientific methods now prevailing would make 
it easy to deal with such pests. 
Mr. P. B. Richards remarked that another point was that 
Mr. Munro mentioned Libei lan coffee as thriving on rich alluvial 
soils, whereas, the robusta crop mentioned was grown in the uplands, 
on laterite soil, not especially abundant in humus. He wished to 
emphasize that at least one grade of coffee would grow well on the 
uplands. 
