1 May, 1902.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL, 373: 
One experiment Mr. Leeming has carried out here has solved what has 
been a vexed question to many planters, viz. :—Whether or not it is necessary 
to pick absolutely ripe cherry. He finds that the bean is fully developed when 
the cherry turns colour, and should be picked as soon as it can be pulped, as- 
the “foxiness,” so often complained of, is frequently the colour of the cherry 
going through the parchment skin. 
The other advantages of being able to pick three-parts ripe cherry are 
obvious to all planters. He also advises us not to pick any ripe fruit “ billi 
hunnoo ”’ as it is from this that so many “ pales” come, and what so destroys. 
the value in the dealer’s eyes of otherwise good parchment coffee. Another: 
piece of information he gave me, and which he illustrated from samples, was, 
that garbling ought to be more carefully done now than ever before, and that 
all beans, however slightly discoloured or irregular in shape, ought to be put 
into triage. He learned this from the dealers when going round the London 
market with them. This past season he got his curers to treat his Scotforth 
coffee in this way, and although it suffered equally with other Shevaroy estates 
from drought, the fact remains that it topped the prices by several shillings per 
cent. He says that it is possible his system way have had not a little to do 
with this improvement, the trees being stronger and better able to resist leaf 
disease, but the more careful curing no doubt assisted. 
Another writer on the same subject says: I visited Scotforth, Shevaroy 
Hills, on the 12th June, 1901, and was conducted by Mr. Leeming over the 
whole estate. I am favourably impressed with the system in force there, of 
cutting out coffee trees by alternate lines wholesale, or alternate trees in one 
line diagonally, preferably the latter in the earlier stages, the trees thus left 
in freedom unhandled and unpruned showing up to immense advantage by 
their unchecked height and vigorous lateral growth. They are left entirely to 
themselves to carry all the wood they can make, and are never touched with a. 
knife, the old wood after crop dying and breaking back to new wood, of which 
there is an unfailing active supply. Anyone verging on this system by allow- 
ing trees their heads, by allowing suckers and yet wanting in courage to “ cut 
out” is only courting disappointment or disaster. Without freedom the trees. 
running up in close order will only cause the lower frame of the tree to perish. 
It is beginning at the wrong end altogether; and no measure of success can 
ossibly be attained unless one is prepared to face cutting out, and make room 
or lateral growth of the tree, which will quickly spread and shoot upwards at 
the same time. In Scotforth one stands in avenues of magnificent trees, with: 
any amount of room to walk about in comfortably, no rats being needed, no- 
difference being made as regards shade, beyond keeping it clear of the coffee. 
Cultivation consists of merely the application of artificials in large shallow pits,. 
deep trenching and growing of leguminous plants and beans to the prospective: 
expulsion of weeds, and digging in with quintaines. Although my visit is ill- 
timed as regards best appearance, subsequent to heavy cropping and dry: 
weather and prior to Sppucee of manures, the trees are particularly healthy,, 
of good colour, and evidencing truly striking vigour as compared with the old 
established dwarf cultivation. As regards crop, results are highly satisfactory. 
A field condemned by a V. A. and recommended to be abandoned is now in 
great heart, cropping freely. Another of 27,000 trees, disappointing in 1898, 
eut down to 13,500, gave 1,500 bushels cherry in 1899-00 = about 11 ewt. per 
1,000 trees ; cut down to 18,500, gave 1,700 bushels cherry in 1900-01 = about 
124 cwt. per 1,000 trees; cut down to 10,000, promises well again this year.. 
Another field of 6,500 cut down to 3,800 in 1899, gave 750 bushels of cherry 
last crop. I saw lines of twenty-four trees only in this field that it took three: 
days for a coolie to get over. Mr. Leeming estimated that the field held 1,000 
bushels cherry, but picking only ‘ripe,’ some cherry dried up and was lost by 
the time the pickers could come round; quality is in no wise affected, parch- 
Fd Norr.—We should like to know how the coffee is picked from trees 10 to 12 feet in height.-— 
OAT. 
