pe jessamine) and the coffee (Jasminum Arabicum) are
more especially subject to its ravages.

The dwelling of this insect is frequently confounded with the living
creature itself. This dwelling is in shape and appearance like the
back shell of a tortoise, or, still more, like a "limpet," being
attached to the stem of the tree in the same manner that the latter
adheres to a rock. This is the nest or house, which, although no
larger than a split hempseed contains some hundreds of the "bug." As
some thousands of these scaly nests exist upon one tree, myriads of
insects must be feeding upon its juices.

The effect produced upon the tree is a blackened and sooty appearance,
like a London shrub; the branches look withered, and the berries do not
plump out to their full size, but, for the most part, fall unripened
from the tree. This attack is usually of about two years' duration;
after which time the tree loses its blackened appearance, which peels
off the surface of the leaves like gold-beaters' skin,--and they appear
in their natural color. Coffee plants of young growth are liable to
complete destruction if severely attacked by "bug."

Rats are also very destructive to an estate; they are great adepts at
pruning, and completely strip the trees of their young shoots, thus
utterly destroying a crop. These vermin are more easily guarded
against than the insect tribe, and should be destroyed by poison. Hog's
lard, ground cocoa-nut and phosphorus form the most certain bait and
poison combined.

These are some of the drawbacks to coffee-planting, to say nothing of
bad seasons and fluctuating prices, which, if properly calculated,
considerably lessen the average profits of an estate, as it must be
remembered that while a crop is reduced in quantity, the expenses
continue at the usual rate, and are severely felt when consecutive
years bring no produce to meet them.

Were it not for the poverty of the soil, the stock of cattle required
on a coffee estate for the purpose of manure might be made extremely
profitable, and the gain upon fatted stock would pay for the expense of
manuring the estate. This would be the first and most reasonable idea
to occur to an agriculturist--"buy poor cattle at a low price, fatten
them for the butcher, and they give both profit and manure."

Unfortunately, the natural pasturage is not sufficiently good to fatten
beasts indiscriminately. There are some few out of a herd of a hundred
who will