Selection of Estate.—The points which determine the value of a plot for coffee culture are:— 1. Elevation ; 2. Aspect ; 3. Shelter from wind ; 4. Shelter from wash ; 5. Temperature ; 6. Rain fall ; 7. Proximity to a river ; 8. Charaeter and richness of soil. Most of these are necessarily subject to variation according to locality. Shelter from wind is perhaps of paramount importance, and should not be sacrificed for richer soil, as the latter cau be artificially obtained much quicker than the former. In wooded country, the estate may be laid out in blocks of 50 aeres, encircled by natui al belts of forest. Flat land must be avoided ; a wet soil is fatal to coffee, and flat lands would entail great expenditure for drainage. Steep slopes, on the other hand, are objectionable, on account of the wash occasioned by rains carrying away soil and manure, and exposing the roots of the shrubs. The surface soil must be fairly good ; the subsoil may be poor, but must never be stiff clay ; the shrub is essentially a lateral feeder. As a general rule, virgin forest laud has been found most suitable to break up for coffee estates; it has become naturally enriched by decayed vegetable matters, and the burning to which it is subjected frees it from insects and from weeds. Exceptional patches of land that has once been under cultivation aud then allowed to run wild have formed good properties ; but the soil is rarely rich, is generally exposed, and always entails great trouble and expense to keep down the weeds. A temperate climate within the tropics is to bo preferred 011 all scores ; a certain degree of warmth and humidity combined is essential. An atmosphere resembling that of an English hot-house produces the finest crops, perhaps ; but it is inimical to the planter, and favourable to weeds. The most suitable climate is precisely that which Europeans prefer. Frost, even though it be only at night, and for a short period, is fatal. The presence of water, preferably a perennial stream, is essential for watming the young plants, and for the " pulping " process.
Clearing and Burning.—When forest land is taken into cultivation, the first step is to effectually clear it of timber and underwood. The latter is first cut, by means of the " cattie," shown in Fig. 496; the large trees are then felled on the top, and their branches are lopped off, so as to compact the pile, otherwise the burn will be only partial. A fine day, after the night's dew has evaporated, is chosen for putting fire to the prostrate mass. The advantages of a thorough burn are, that sub sequent operations are greatly facilitated, and that weeds and insects are destroyed ; the disadvantage is that the upper soil is burnt, and rendered unfit for filling into the holes. This injury might to a great extent, be obviated by " lining" and " pitting " the land beforehand. By this means, the sur face soil would be mostly covered over with the earth taken out of the pits, and thus protected from the fire. On the other hand, of course, the lines could not be marked out with accuracy or regularity, and the estate would subsequently suffer to some extent in appearanee, though it is a question how far this drawback is worth considering, in comparison with the advan tage gained. When there is not sufficient timber to make a good burn, the bush is felled, and burnt in heaps, after which the ground is carefully gone over for the purpose of rooting up the tree-stumps which remain. These are sometimes so difficult to eradicate that they are left to decay,
eare being taken to knock off shoots as fast as they appear. It is, however, a bad plan, and one eeldom followed, as the rotting stumps harbour vermin of all kinds. After burning, the wood ashes should be ecattered evenly over tbe ground as a manure.
Lining.—Soon after the burn, the estate is " lined out" for the reception of the plants. The two following methods are in vogue :—(1) A base line is laid down, as nearly aa possible straight up and down the elope ; a cross line is set off exactly at right angles ; on this line, stakes are driven into the ground at the distances determined upon for the position of the plants; to each stake, a rope is fixed, and stretched parallel with the base line and as atraight as possible ; email etakes aro provided along theee linee ; a rope ia finally held across them at aucceeding etagee of equal width, ae guided by meaauring poles, and the small atakea are put in where the movable rope crosses the fixed ones, each stake indicating the site for a plant. (2) A rope is furnished with bits of scarlet rag at the dietancee fixed upon between the plants ; it is atretched across the plot, and etakee are ineerted at each rag ; the rope is then moved forward a atage at ts time, gauged by meaeuring rods. The first plan is the better, eepecially in broken ground, but ia more laborioua ; the second ie available on even grass land, but the stretch of the rope muat be estimated and allowed for. The gre,at object eought ia to have the lines perfectly regular ; and instead of making any deviation where stumpa or other obstaclea occur, the rope is laid over them, and the corresponding plant is omitted. Yet another method of holing is that known aa " quincunxing," e. placing the planta so that alternate lines are opposite ; it was recommended by Laborie, but is open t,o several objections, and is quite out of favour.
Distances of the Plants.—Seareely any two planters are agreed as to the beet distance to allow between the plants. The question is governed in some measure by the richness of the soil and by the climate. The object in view is that, with the greatest convenient number of trees in a given apace, none shall incommode ite 'neighbour. In cold or expoeed situationa, where the plants oannot attain any great size, close planting is necessary ; the reverse being the case where the climate is warm and humid aud tbe soil is productive, and consequently likely to produce large bushes. In the West Indies and Java, the apace is often 10 to 12 ft., but other crepe are there usually planted with the coffee. In Ceylon and Southern India, diatances vary from 4 ft. each way to 8 ft., the beet being, perhaps, 7 ft. between the rows and 6 ft. between the plants. The number of trees contained in an acre planted 6 ft. x 7 ft. will bo 1037 ; 6 x 6, 1210 ; 6 x 5, 1452 ; 5 x 5, 1742 ; 5 x 4, 2178 ; 4 x 4, 2722. Advantages in wide plant ing are that field labour is facilitated, and the ahruba grow larger ; a disadvantage is that more room is left for weeds.