1 Dec., 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULZURAL JOURNAL. 585. 
to grow wild. Choose, therefore, a pruned tree if possible, and, unless you 
know that the person you are purchasing seed from appreciates the importance 
of selection, endeavour to get him to allow you to pick for yourself. He will 
probably be only too pleased to be saved the picking, and the time you will 
spend in doing so will be amply repaid by better results. 
Seed from young trees three or four years old looks large and fine, but is 
not as good as that from more mature trees. Observe the state of the tree. 
Is it healthy and free from fungoid growths on stem, branches, and leaves? Is 
it green and strong, and bearing its crop well? Avoid the tree’ that is turning 
yellow, and has crinkled leaves and looks sickly. Note the shape of the tree— 
the hanging branches that bend downwards before turning up again at the tip, 
and whose tips are about on a level with the juncture of the primary and stem. 
Avoid the tree that sends its. branches skyward so that the tip of the primary 
that is on a level with your breast has its juncture with the stem at a level with 
your feet. When you have learnt to distinguish between a healthy tree of a 
good class, and one that merely looks green or bears heavily (conditions 
frequently brought about by an unhealthy state of the tree), take large berries 
and those that are of a fairly uniform red colour from the lower and more 
mature primaries. ’ 
Having now picked your seed coffee from xelected trees only, remove the 
fruit or “‘pulp” by hand or by treading, and put the seed into a bucket of 
water. Frequently on large estates, seed coffee is put through the pulper, but 
there is a fear and nearly always some percentage of loss by “bitten” or 
crushed beans, and, moreover, the small quantity of seed needed for a 10 or 20 
acre clearing is easily dealt with by hand, and is all the better for not having 
been touched by machinery. Seed coffee should not be fermented ; therefore 
the washing is only necessary for the floating off of light beans or “floaters,” 
and to separate any pulp that may be left with the seed. The saccharine matter 
will be found still adhering to the parchment or outer skin (putamen) of the 
seed. ‘lo absorb this and prevent mouldiness or fermentation, some wood ashes 
may be put in with them, after the water has been drained off, and shaken up. 
After this, a little drying will be of advantage, but dry by spreading out on a 
dry tray, paper, or cloth indoors or in the shade. Seed prepared thus will retain 
its vitality for some time, but it is better to sow in the germinating beds as 
fresh as possible. 
The Time of Year to Sow.—Vhis will vary in different parts, and depends 
upon the climate and rainfall. It will vary in Northern and Southern districts, 
and even in our district, according to elevation. The plants should be six to 
seven months old, and at most eight months, when planted in the field—that is 
to say, plants, to obtain the best results, should be as large as possible without 
yet having made primary branches when planted out, and this will be found to 
be at a height of about 9 or 10 inches. ‘he planting season is the commence- 
ment of the rainy season. Rains set in in many places in the coffee area at 
about the beginning of February, and, therefore, sowing and germinating should 
take place about July. Where rains set in at different times, and this will vary 
considerably, growers will be able to calculate for themselves the time to 
sow. Plants germinated in August or September may still make good plants 
by February, and small plants are safer and better to plant out than over- 
erown ones. 
Quantity of Plants per lb. of Seed.—A bushel of seed prepared as above 
is usually roughly calculated to give between 70,000 and 75,000 plants; but, as 
seed coffee, parchment, dry and even fresh cherry coffee is here calculated by 
weight, I give figures in pounds. Dry cherry Coffea Arabica will give roughly and 
wlowing for peaberry, &c., from 1,400 to 1,500 plants per 1b.; pulped and 
prepared C. Arabica, 1,700 to 1,800; C. Liberica, dry cherry, 500 to 600; and 
of the varieties O. Arabica, var. Mocha, 2,000 to 2,500; and C. Arabica, var. 
Maragogipe, 950 to 1,000 per lb. From this it will be easy to calculate the 
amount required for a given area. For instance, 6 feet by 6 feet gives 1,210 
trees per acre; therefore, to allow for failures, accident, &c. (always have more 
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