Year: 1861

branches, and in cut the trunks across
so that the mass cut down may lay compactly and
dry, rs upon this depends much of the success of
the burning, and therefore the economy of the op-
Grafton. Small or light forest is often the most
expensive to lop from the feless fall of the trees
and the comparatively greater quantity of head and
branch whereas tall and heavy forest trees iy, as
1t were, under the axe, from the stump, and In
falling, break themselves and all beneath them In
this manner some heavy forests cost less to clear
| than lighter growth. The clearing having been
| left from six weeks to about two months, accord


ing to the weather, is fired which is done general


y by setting fire to it, chiefly at the olCer end in
several places by this means the fire is soon con-
nected, and burning in the dryest first cut down
portions, unltes IN a sweeping flame, rushes up the
| hill and destroys all before it. Such is the power
OF the flame from below, that when the burning is
successful, the part last cut, probably many acres
and yet lying green upon the ground, is consumed
with the rest After the flame has passed away,
nothing should be seen but the smoking black logs
of the large trees, which, wherever they cross each
other and do not lay upon the ground, require to
| be cut across and brought down. If the operation
have attempted to describe has been successful
ly managed, the land is now in readiness for the
next operation, Lining for the Holes. Unhappily,
bad burning is not an extraordinary occurrence
this may be sometimes owing to an i'll chosen sea-
son and the fall of rain the feled timber or bad
management In looping or freing. The fire hav-
ing only partially done its work, and large guam
| tity of the brush remaining unconsumed, the ex-
penslye operation of PILING and BURNING has to be
undertaken. This operation is collecting in care
fully laid heaps piles the unburned brush, and
reducing 1t to ashes. This may frequently cost
more per acre than the Telling, Looping and Burn
ing, which has gone before, especially as it often
delays the work into the wet season, and may thus
be productive of incalcuable loss by throwing out
of the proper season all the subsequent operations


LINING, or stalking out the positions of the in
tended plants is the next operation. This is per-
formed IN many ways, but it is essential to have it
done well, that the plants should make perfect
lines across the ground to be planted in order to
maintain regularity in the plantation work and
give the best possible appearance to the field there


fore no expense necessary to its correct and
workmanllke performance should be grudged. The
simplest method is by means of a line, with marks
placed at equal distances, for the spaces between
the plants up the hill This carried by men at
each end, who respectively measure distance with
a rod for that purpose, from the last peg, and hold


ing the line taut from end to end-bOys following
with pegs ready cut, put them in at the marks on
the line. This method is likely to lead to inaccu-
racy on large feature, in consequence Of the ir-
regularity of the ground, and from the small inac-
curacles accumulating in the measurement between
| each laying down of the line. A better way is to
lay out feature in squares of the line, and these
into parallels the feature and then drop the
line between each peg the parallels, putting in
the remaining pegs by the marks on the line. Some
planters have an excellent plan of laying down a
number Of lines up and down the hill at measured
distances, and then two men with shorter line
measure distances upwards on the two outside
lines, and Pegmen put in their sticks at the points
where the lines cross each other. We have seen
some plantations laid out by the use of the Theo-
dOlite, but this is an instrument to be found
many estates. The object to be gained in lining is
to carry the plants in straight lines parallel to
each other at the same bearing over the whole es-
tate, and to make them cross each other at right
angles; by this means lines will be formed four
| ways, at the two right angles and at the two d.
agOnals. When this has been successfully achiev-
ed, there is, under any circumstances, a workman
like character about the plantation, vacancies in
the planting are more easily detected-the arrange
ments for wedding, picking, pruning, and manur-
ing are made without confusion. We have had it
pointed out to us that diagonal lines across the
features of land are BEST nasmuch as the stems of
the trees by this arrangement, offer somewhat more
resistance to the washing down of soil by the
rains.


Much argument has been held as to the proper
distances at which coffee trees should be planted
and in visiting the various districts it will be seen
that all distances and all forms have been resorted
Gao. The result of this extended experiment has
DrOduced a very general opinion in favor OF close
| planting, that is. 6 feet by 6 feet or feet by
feet, or feet inches by feet. The reasons in
| favor of close planting these: that the extra
number of plants to the acre, is followed in the


first two crops at least, by prOportionate increase
of crop. By close planting weeds are hindered
from growing, and what is of more consequence
still, the ground is sooner covered by the growing
| plants and therefore protected from the sun-ex.
posure to which is found to mpoverish, more than,
anything else, the surface soil from which the
! plant chiefly seeks its nourishment With an av-
| 81 oil anla bap IL.


and manuring it is found that closely planted cof
fee may be made tocontinue to bear highIy-that
is in proportion TO the extra number of plants TO
the acre. Close planting is serviceable in enabling
the plants to outve the effects of exposure to high
winds, which in some places are most destructive
| The next proceeding is HoLING (which, as it's
name implies, is TO make holes in preparation for
planting the coffee at the distances staked out bv
the lining) As coffee is planted in yiroin soil
which cannot be cleared of roots rocks and Ioos for
the operation of the plow, and were il cleared of
these, the disturbance of the soil wouId nrobabIv
cause it to be carried away by the heavy rains.
holes have to be made, and the larger these are
the the approach is to that movement of the
SOIL which in general sets at liberty its fertilizino
| qualities Holes made from Is inches To 3


feet every way, into which before planting the sur
face soil is scraped with hoe 1t is CUSTOMARY 10
contract for this work, which we believe ia oener
ally performed now with sort of crowbar. having
| a spud blade at one end with these the roots Of
trees are cut through and rocks and stones taken
out. the loosened soil being removed with the hand
! or with cocoanut shell. This tool is furnished
to the Singalese because they prefer to sit down
and work lesurely, but the writer is confident that
where men can be employed at day wages. and pro-
yided with mattocks to break the soil, and cut out
| the roots and stones. and hoes to clear out the
| loosened earth, the work may be far more
economically performed, inasmuch as the laborers
being on their feet. give not only their arms but
their whole body to the exertiOn, and have not to
raise themselves to sitting position between each
hole they have to make.


We have seen practice in Ceylon of preparing
the ground to receive the plants instead of holing