straight lines, which give an ornamental appearance, and afterwards
renders the view over the whole plantation easy. At every place where
a string has been tied, a picket is stuck in the ground; then the cane
is removed to another place, and so on till all the estate is marked
out by pickets. After the picketing, a hole is made with the spade at
every mark; it should be a good foot broad and deep, and the earth
inside should be made very fine and clear. The earth is now ready to
receive the coffee plant, and the time has only to be waited for when
the first rains fully begin.

_Nurseries_.--In the month of October, or earlier, if coffee trees are
near at hand, nurseries must be prepared in the neighbourhood of the
land about to be planted. This can be done in the ravines, or, if they
are too far from the spot where the plants are wanted, pieces of
ground most convenient can be selected. If the ravines are preferred,
places must be chosen which are shaded by trees not prejudicial to the
coffee plants. On ground where there is no trees, the nurseries may be
covered, at the height of four feet, with leaves of jack (_Artocarpus
integrifolia_), areca, or other palm trees, in a manner to admit the
air.

The ground made loose and fine, coffee plants newly opening, or seeds
only, are planted or sown at a distance of four inches square; 500
square roods will in this way furnish 648,000 plants, which are
sufficient for an estate of 300,000 trees. Transplanting from
nurseries is absolutely necessary in coffee cultivation, and the
trouble it costs is always doubly repaid. Having a choice of plants, a
person can be convinced he has taken none but healthy trees, and he
proceeds therefore with a confidence of success. After the first year,
all failures having been nearly replaced, the estate is fully planted,
the trees are of regular growth, and no useless clearing is
required--a thing which is always necessary in irregular plantations.
It is easy also to pick the berries from the trees which are planted
with regularity; the work goes on smoothly; and, when the estate has
lived its time, it may be abandoned altogether, without leaving
patches of living trees here and there, which renders superintendence
so very difficult.

There should always be a plentiful supply of plants, to give an ample
choice and to make up for failures. When plants are placed in the
nurseries, they should not have more than two offshoots, or leaves,
above