The Cultivation of Liberian Coffee. 301 
for the coffee plantation, no manure will be necessary 
for several years ; but the case is different if the land has 
already been cultivated. Then manure is indispensable, 
and, as far as I know, cattle dung gives the best results. 
It will be well, therefore, for the coffee planter to keep 
horses, cows, &c, and a compost heap can be made by 
mixing the cattle dung and stable litter with all kinds of 
refuse, such as coffee pulp and parchment, weeds, road 
sweepings, and such like. The holes for the reception 
of the manure had better be dug two feet long, one foot 
deep, about a foot wide, and at the distance of two feet 
from the stem of the plant. In digging the holes all 
large roots should be left, but the smaller fibrous ones 
can be cut with advantage. The manure should be spread 
at the bottom of the holes, and covered over with weeds 
and surface earth, which must be well rammed to prevent 
washing during heavy rains. If the coffee be planted on 
hill sides, the holes ought to be dug above the trees, so 
that the soluble portions of the manure may be washed 
down to the roots ; but, on level land, the position of 
the holes is of no importance. 
The question of artificial manures is a difficult one to 
treat of, indeed each planter should decide the matter 
for himself, as it depends on conditions that may be 
different for each estate. No greater mistake can be 
made than to imagine that artificial manure which works 
wonders on one plantation should be equally serviceable 
on another. The soil ought first to be analysed, and then 
the planter will know what substances are required to 
render the tree fruitful ; it mav be, too, that all the 
necessary constituents exist in the soil in a crude form, but 
that they may require some manipulation to render them 
PP 2 
