1 Ava., 1898. ] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 169 
When dug, they should be left exposed to the atmosphere for a week or 
two previous to the filling in taking place, which consists in scraping into 
the hole from around it all the top soil to a depth of from 2 to 3 inches, care 
being taken that all stones, roots, or any injurious particles are removed. 
Press the lot firmly into the hole by standing on it, keeping it full to the brim 
and flush with the land. he holes are then fit for the reception of the young 
plants, though, should time allow, it is advisable to let the holes remain as they 
are for a week or ten days, until their contents have thoroughly settled down. 
Plants and Stumps.—The beginner, who at the same time as he is clearing 
his land, is laying down his first nursery, has no choice in his first year but to 
lant out his clearing with young plants. He will do a wise thing, however, 
whilst he is about it, to make his nursery of sufficient dimensions and carrying 
capacity not only to afford him all the young plants he requires for his first 
year’s planting, but also to have remaining in his nursery sufficient plants to 
grow up, and be cut down to stumps, with which either to plant up his second 
year’s clearing or to supply vacancies at times when it would not be practicable 
to put out young plants. To form stumps, it is only necessary to allow the 
young plants in the nursery to grow up at their own sweet will, until they are 
from sixteen to eighteen months old. ‘The top is then cut off at about 6 inches 
from the ground, the tap-root and laterals trimmed, when the stump is ready 
to be put out. In parts of Queensland where the planting season is somewhat 
uncertain, where a few wet days may be succeeded by days of bright sunshine 
and intense heat, the stump has an immense advantage over the young plant, 
inasmuch as the latter requires, more or less, a fortnight of a moist atmosphere 
before it can be said to have taken a firm hold of the ground, and to be capable 
of resisting the powerful influence of a tropical sun; and though the weather, 
to the planter’s mind, may appear all that could be desired for the purpose of 
planting out, the chances are, in these very erratic wet seasons of ours, that 
the weather may all of a sudden turn from one of rain to a cloudless sky, in 
which case the young plants will assuredly sicken and wither away, whereas 
stumps can be practically planted out at all times of the year, providing always 
it is not too wet, from one to two months previous to the wet season setting in 
being the most preferable time. They are slow in shooting out at first, but in 
nine cases out of ten will beat young plants in growth and vigour before either 
are twelve months old. 
Incredible though it may seem, there are to be seen, within a few miles of 
Mackay, some hundreds of young and handsome trees, which were put out as 
stumps in Deceinber, 1896, and now, therefore, one year and nine monthis old. 
These trees are now fully 4 feet high, in great heart, and bearing heavily. 
Young plants put in at the same time will not show spike (flower) for another 
three months to come, which speaks volumes in favour of stumps versus plants 
as far as Queensland is concerned; and so satisfied am I on this point that 
over 100,000 plants are being allowed to come on in this company’s nurseries, 
all of which are intended for stumps, and which will be ready for planting out 
by the end of the present year. 
Staking.—1t often happens that when the young coffee has attained the 
height of about 2 feet, and is at all exposed to high winds, that by swaying to 
and fro it will cause a round hole to be formed round the stem, which, as soon 
as the rains set in, will fill with water, and this getting to the roots will cause 
the latter to decompose, finally killing the tree altogether. It is therefore 
necessary in cases like the above to resort to staking, which can be carried out 
as follows :— 
Take any stick of about 3 feet in length, pointed at one end, and drive it 
firmly and slantwise into the ground, laying it across the tree and in the 
direction of the prevailing winds; tie loosely, with a piece of rag, the tree to 
the stake, and about half-way up the latter. 
