long.
If allowed to grow longer, the knife must be used, or there is danger
of tearing out the eye or bud, which we depend upon for growing new
secondaries at the proper time. During the second year, the secondaries
will make their appearance only on the lower sets of primaries, the
upper sets as they grow being too young to grow secondaries. At the
beginning of the third year all the secondaries should be allowed to
grow till they attain a length of six inches; then the trees should be
carefully gone over and all but five of the secondaries on each primary
cut off with a sharp pruning knife. No pairs should be left, and only
the strongest and most vigorous should be retained. They should be
disposed on alternate sides of the primary and none left in a space of
six inches from the stem of the tree. The object of this is to allow the
light to penetrate to the center of the tree, for the coffee tree bears
fruit in greater profusion on branches that are exposed to the light
than on those that are shaded.

During this third year the tree will blossom and bear the first or
maiden crop. In some cases the tree will blossom in the second year, but
it is a wise plan to rub all the blossoms off, as it only weakens the
tree to bear a crop at such an early age. It is of the utmost importance
that in the first crop, as well as in all future crops, the tree should
not be overburdened with a superabundance of growing wood. If left to
itself, the lower primaries will grow a mass of secondaries, so much so
that no blossom will set on them, and the first crop will come only on
the upper primaries, and be only a third or fourth of the crop that
would be produced if the trees were properly handled. By handling, as
described above, the tree is relieved of all superfluous wood and only
such secondaries are left as are needed to bear the fourth year's crop,
and the maiden crop will grow on the primaries. It may be well to
mention here, that coffee only grows on wood of the second year's
growth, and does not grow on the same wood twice.

During the third year, the secondaries will come on the upper primaries.
When they are well set, they should be reduced in number and in no case
should more than five be left to grow. In some cases four or even three
will be sufficient. Whatever the number that may be left, it must be
understood that these are the branches that will bear the crop for the
fourth year. During the third year new secondaries wil