The Cultivation of Liberian Coffee. 299 
was done. In a short time a wonderful change was 
manifest, the yellow leaves fell, and were succeeded by 
vigorous and healthy foliage, the plants grew quickly, 
and now they are loaded with berries. 
Liberian coffee cultivation being altogether new, the 
treatment of the trees has been hitherto a matter of 
experiment, for the planter has had but little recorded 
experience to guide him in his undertaking. The ques- 
tions of 'topping' and pruning are not yet definitely 
settled, but numerous experiments, and a careful con- 
sideration of the results obtained, lead me to advise the 
adoption of the following system. For convenience of 
description I will surmise that a Liberian coffee tree 
over six feet high has been allowed to grow unrestrained, 
and that my readers are about to watch the operation of 
pruning it. First, the tree is to be ' topped' at five feet and 
a half feet, that is to say all the portion of the stem above 
the height of 5! feet is to be cut away. A rod the exact 
length may be used for measurement. Several secondary 
stems, some in the nature of suckers will likely be found 
given off at or near to the ground, these must be re- 
moved at once, as must also any suckers found higher up. 
Next, each lateral or ' primary' branch should be taken in 
hand, and all its lateral or ' secondary' branches which 
are given off within a span's distance from the main 
stem are to be cut away, the object being to allow an 
open space all round the stem in order that light and air 
may be easily admitted. Should it be found that more 
than one secondary branch is given off from each side 
of the node or knot of the primary branch, the strongest 
and best formed is to be selected, and all the rest are to 
be removed. The tree may now be left for about a 
PP 
