394 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Nov., 1897. 
Coffee-growing in the Mackay District. 
By D. BUCHANAN. 
Manager of the State Nursery, Mackay. 
In continuation of my last paper on the above subject, in which I pointed out 
the possibilities awaiting extensive coffee cultivation in this district, I shall 
give a few notes on the preparation of seed-beds, on sowing the seed, preparation 
of the land, planting out the bushes, and their after-treatment. 
Tt is now too late for seed-sowing this season, but the necessary knowledge 
for this important portion of a coffee-planter’s work should be first acquired, 
and then he will be duly prepared when the time for action arrives. ‘The seed- 
bed may be said to be the first part of the work required. Choose a place 
sheltered from the wind and partially shaded if possible; but if such a spot is 
not on the farm, then some temporary arrangement must be provided, such as 
a few stakes stuck along the side of the bed with a sapling run along the top 
on each side, and a few branches laid across. ‘This forms an excellent cover, 
and the branches can be removed when the plants are up. If it is made 4 
feet high, the morning and afternoon sun will get to the bed and warm the 
soil. Should the bed be of scrub soil, it will not require any addition of sand ; 
but if it be heavy, then sand, if it can be got, should be well mixed with 
the soil. This will be of great benefit. Some dried cowdung, broken up, 
added to the mixture will help the young plants to fibre, and will adhere to the 
roots when planting-out time comes. ‘The seed-bed should not be more than 4 
feet wide, a width which affords facilities for weeding from both sides ; but if 
the following directions can be carried out, very little weeding will be required: 
Make the rows across the bed—the distance between them is not of much 
importance; 6 or 8 inches will do, as a narrow hoe can easily get between either; 
but what is of the most importance is the depth at which to cover the seed— 
half or three-quarters of an inch is quite enough. The best way to make the 
drills is with a piece of board 4 feet long and half-an-inch wide. Press this 
into the soil to the required depth; a nice even row is thus produced, 
the bed having, of course, been made perfectly level from side to side. 
Fill in the row with a little light soil; and when all the bed is sown and 
watered, then put on 1 inch of chaff—cane tops and trash make the best, 
as there is no seed in them. I consider this the best plan to ensure a good 
crop of plants, besides saving a great deal of watering. So long as there is 
dampness in the soil under the chaff, never think of watering. The less 
watering the better, provided the soil is damp. If the bed can be covered by 
chaff, then no erection is required for shade purposes. After the plants have 
appeared through the chaif, if there is any sign of them ‘‘ damping off” 
(rotting)—a trouble which is caused by a fungus—dust the bed all over with 
sulphur, and water it in after it has had a day’s sunshine on it. If the 
“cherry” has got dry when received, making if difficult to rub the pulp off, 
put it into a box or tin mixed with damp earth, and leave the seed in it for 
eight or ten days, when the pulp will be found to be rotten and may easily be 
rubbed off. Then sift the soil out and sow the seed, not allowing it to get dry. 
The time required for the seed to germinate will depend upon the heat in the 
soil, and it is for this reason that I prefer a coat of chaff to any other plan of 
shading. The sun shines on the chaff and warms it, the heat reaching to the 
seed ; but where there are 3 or 4 feet of space between the shading material 
and the soil, it will remain cold and the seed will be much longer in coming up; 
