292 TlMEHRI. 
a pursuit requiring constant vigilance and instant atten- 
tion, a want of hands at a critical time causes such loss 
that planters fear to undertake the risk."* Another 
advantage possessed by the Liberian coffee is that it 
thrives on the low lands of the tropics ; indeed, it may be 
cultivated with success within a short distance of the sea 
shore. Arabian coffee grows best at from 1000 to 4000 
or even 5000 feet above the sea. I cannot say, from 
my own experience, what is the elevation at which 
Liberian coffee ceases to be productive. It thrives well 
in Dominica at 1500 feet, and I believe in Ceylon it is 
grown at double that height, but it appears to do best 
in the West Indies under 1000 feet. 
A light loamy well-drained soil is most suited to the 
growth of the coffee ; but it is a very hardy plant, and 
it will live in almost any soil except stiff clay and sand. 
It is said that the coffee soil of Liberia is alluvial on the 
coast and gravelly in the interior. I imagine, how- 
ever, that the abundant rainfall, and the consequent 
humid atmosphere, in which the coffee tree delights, has 
much to do with the adaptability of the gravels for the 
growth of the plants. 
In those parts of the West Indies where hurricanes 
occur, shelter belts of trees are a necessity ; but they 
are required for shelter alone, and not for shade. It has 
been the custom in this part of the world to plant coffee 
in small squares formed by the intersecting tree belts. 
This system was begun only after the first coffee estates 
were devastated by hurricanes. The original motive, 
however, has been lost sight of, and the shade given by 
the tree belts is now considered to be the one thing most 
* Coffee in Natal ; its Culture and Preparation- London, 1874. 
