e advance rate and the sale price in
Manila was shared between the two, after the capitalist had deducted
the charges for transport, packing, commission in Manila, etc. All
the risk was, of course, on the part of the capitalist, for if the
crop failed the small planter had no means of refunding the advance.

On a carefully-managed plantation, a caban of land (8,000 square
Spanish yards) was calculated to yield 10.40 piculs (= 12 1/2
cwt.) of clean coffee, or, say, 9 cwt. per acre. The selling value
of a plantation, in full growth, was about P250 per caban, or, say,
P180 per acre. After 1896 this land value was merely nominal.

The trees begin to give marketable coffee in the fourth year of
growth, and flourish best in hilly districts and on highlands, where
the roots can be kept dry, and where the average temperature does
not exceed 70 deg. Fahr. _Caracolillo_ is found in greater quantities on
the highest declivities facing east, where the morning sun evaporates
the superfluous moisture of the previous night's dew.

In the Province of Cavite there appeared to be very little system in
the culture of the coffee-tree. Little care was taken in the selection
of shading-trees, and pruning was much neglected. Nevertheless,
very fine coffee was brought from the neighbourhood of Indan, Silan,
Alfonso, and Amadeo. The Batangas bean had the best reputation in
Manila; hence the Indan product was sometimes brought to that market
and sold as Batangas coffee.

In Batangas the coffee-plant is usually shaded by a tree called
_Madrecacao_ (_Gliricidia maculata_)--Tagalog, _Galedupa pungam_. On
starting a plantation this tree is placed in rows, each trunk occupying
one Spanish yard, and when it has attained two or three feet in height
the coffee-shoot is planted at each angle. Between the third and
eighth years of growth every alternate shading-tree and coffee-plant
is removed, as more space for development becomes necessary. The
coffee-plants are pruned from time to time, and on no account should
the branches be allowed to hang over and meet. Around the wealthy town
of Lipa some of the many coffee-estates were extremely well kept up,
with avenues crossing the plantations in different directions.

At the end of eight years, more or less, according to how the
quality of soil and the situation have influenced the development,
there would remain, say, about 2,400 plants in each caban of land,
or 1,728 plants per acre. Comparing this wit