THE COFFEE TREE.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 1, 6 October 1877, Page 3

THE COFFEE TREE.

HOW IT HiS SL'CCf.KDKD IN Till: SANDWICH ISLANDS. Thomas E. Cook, a resident upon the Islands, writes : —Having resided some time in the coil'ee region in Kona, on the Island of Hawaii, and subsequently engaged in the culture myself, as part proprietor of .n coffee plantation, I can give you all information necessary to its cultivation. When parties here first engaged in the business, some thirty years ago, they cleared their land of all other trees. The coffee grew- and bore well for a year of two, and then the trees commenced to droop, the leaves turned yellow-, the berry grew- small, and of an inferior quality, and there was not enough of it to be worth picking. Ry chance, some seed got scattered in the woods, and among groves of other trees, when it was observed that growing under the shade of other ticcs it invariably grew rapidly and bore heavy crops, the berry being well developed and of a fine flavor. This discovery was only made some five or sis years since. Acting on this hint, the natives, when I was in Koma some four years ago, were again going extensively into coffee planting. Having occasion to make frequent journeys from Kealakekua to the volcano and Hilo, I had an excellent chance to observe the whole thing. On one hand were the failures of former years, and on the other was success with the coffee growing in the shade, thrifty and loaded with a heavy crop. They merely clear away the underbush, and in some cases where ohade overhead is verydense, cut away a few branches to let in an occasional gleam of sunlight. In short, plant, under the shade of other trees, so as to break the force of the direct rays of the sun. The plantation that I was interested in was a fair illustration. Ten thousand trees had been planted, and not over one thousand of them were of any use ; the rest were either dead or useless. If trees are wanted for ornament, let them grow — they form a very nice symmetrical top; but if for profit, cut. the top about si\ feet high, that is not generally practised here among the natives, but it will increase the yield and bring the crop within easy reach. In Australia lam quite confident that coffee will do well if my suggestions are followed, anywhere in the sh;uiy foothills and narrow ravines and gullies. It is a mistake to suppose that it requires a " hot" climate, it will thrive under the apple and orange trees, and all other trees. • You may make your land do double duty, and the. shade protects from both sun and frost. I have seen it growing thiift.ly, and bearing well on the high plateau of Waimea, on Hawaii, 27.50 feet above sea level, exposed to strong winds, from perpetual snow in plain sight, and where they frequently have frosts. Plant in the shaat, eight feet apart. I am confident it will do well in almost any part, of Australia, iiie tree b«>a;s m tfiree yisars. given a full crop in fiv- year*, and Lists thirty years. The foregoing notes of Mr. Cook arc well worth attention, aud it would I*, well to try the tree for the chances which there may be in it. There il certainly a good field for the production of codec if we can grow good flavoured borri«\i. Tho coffee crop ot the world in 1374 was MttnuMd at 5100.000.000 pounds.