ACROSS UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA 
all directions is necessary. The most suitable month for 
planting coffee in Brazil, according to the authority of 
Dr. Dafert, is the month of July. 
Great care must be taken of the trees themselves and 
of the soil around the trees, which must be kept clean and 
absolutely free from grass. The capillary roots of the 
trees extending horizontally near the surface of the soil 
are much affected by the presence of any other vegetation, 
and by the collection of insects which this produces and 
harbours. Frost, rain, and the heat of the sun naturally 
affect the trees more when the soil is dirty than when kept 
clean. Many of the coffee estates suffer considerably 
from insufficient labour. The effects of this are quickly 
visible on the trees. Artificial fertilization is useful, even 
necessary, after a number of years, and so is careful 
pruning, in order to keep the trees healthy, strong, and 
clean. 
Coffee trees have many natural enemies, chiefly 
vegetable and animal parasites, which mostly attack the 
leaves. The Eamularia Goeldiana, a parasite not unlike 
the Cercospora Coffeicola, is one of the worst, and un¬ 
doubtedly the chief offender in Brazil, although great is 
the number of insects prejudicial to the trees. The most 
terrible of all, perhaps, are the ants and termites, such as 
the Termes opacus, which attack and destroy the roots of 
young trees. The cupim (Termes album) or white ant, 
and the carregador or sauba, a giant ant with which we 
shall get fully acquainted later on our journey, are im¬ 
placable enemies of all plants. Also the quen-quen, 
another kind of ant. These ants are so numerous that it 
is almost an impossibility to extirpate them. Various 
ways are suggested for their destruction, but none are 
really effective. Certain larvae, flies, and cochinilla, owing 
to their sucking habits, deposit on the leaves and branches 
a viscous sugary substance, which, on account of the heat, 
causes fermentation known locally as fumagina . This 
28 
