^ 



\ 



t 



^fe much larger than thofe which ate imported from | 



Arabia, and confcquently have not fo much fpirit or 

 flavour. This may be owing to feveral caufes, the 

 firft is that of its growing in a foil too mpift ^ which 

 b always known to increafe the fize of fruit and ve- 



. -getables, but their quality is greatly diminiftied 

 thereby. The fecOnd is from the gathering of the 

 berries too foon ■, for I have been credibly informed, 



- that it is the conftant pradtice of the planters, to 

 gather the fruit when it is red: at which time the 

 berries are much larger, and of greater weight, than | 

 hofe which are permitted to ripen perfeftly on the 

 trees, which is not till they are turned black, and 

 their outer pulp becomes dry, and the (kins ihrink : 

 then the berries are much fmaller than before, and 



. the outer cover will eafily feparate from the berry ; 



. which I have always been informed, has been the 

 complaint of the planters, tliat this was with great 

 difficulty and trouble effefted. A third caufe I im- 



■ gine may be in the drying of the berries when 

 gathered ; which muft be conftantly attended to, for 

 they cannot be too much expofed to thp fun and air 

 in the. day time, but they muft be every evening re- 

 moved under cover, and carefully fcreened from 



. dews and rain -, nor flaould they be placed near any 



. fort of liquid or moifture, for thefe berries are very 



acquire the 



\ 



t 



fubject to imbibe moifture, and t 

 flavour of the liquid ; or if it be pure water, the 

 berries will be enlarged, and the flavour dimmilhed 

 by it, as from many experiments I can affirm : for a 

 bottle of rum being placed in a clofet, in which a 

 canifterof Cofiee berries clofely flopped, was ftanding 

 on a ftielf , at, a confiderablc diftance, in a few days 

 had fo impregnated the berries, as to render them 

 very difagreeable ; the fame alfo has happened by a 

 [ bottle of fpirits of wine ftandine in the fame clofet 

 with Coffee and Tea, both wjiich were in a few days 

 fcoiled by it. Therefore from many experiments of 

 this nature, which I have mad^ with Coflfee, it ap- 

 , pears to me that it fhould never te brought over m 

 . ftiips freighted with rum, noi" fhould the berries be 

 -^ laid to dry in the Koufes where the fugars are boiled, 

 * or the rum diftilled. I have alfo been informed by 

 a gentleman who has a very good eftate in Jamaica, 

 ; and who has lived many years in that ifland, that the 

 planters frequently boil the Coffee berries before they 

 are dried. As this information cpmes from a gen- 

 tleman of great flcill and veracity, fo I cannot doubt 

 . of tlie fa6t ; and if {Oy this alone is fufficlent to Tpoil 

 the bcft Coffee in the world ; fo that I am at a lofs to 

 . o-ueli the reafon for this practice, which>\i?i? it ap- 

 pears to me, can only be mtended to increale the 

 . weight, therefore muft be imputed to avarice, the 

 bane of every public good. ... • ' : ; 



There was fome tirne paft ^an imperfe6t account 

 printed in the papers, of the caufe why the American 

 . Coffee was hot fo good as that which comes from 

 ^Arabia; ;n which it is fuppofed, that the goodnefsof 

 ^Jthe lattpr proceeded from the length of time whigh 

 _ tlie berries had been kept : therefore the author pro- 

 . pbfes that the American Coffee Berries fliould be 

 . vfizny years kept, which Ije fays will renjjer ^ them 

 ] equally good. This is contrary to all the experience 

 ' I have had, or caii learn, from thofe who have feen 

 ."the whole progrefs.,,9f Coffee in Arabia, with their 

 % manner of drying and packing it to fend abrpadj^for 

 ^"Iwo. gentlemen who had lived there fome jjear^^^af- 

 .'fured me, that the berries, wKeh firft gathered^ were 

 1 much better than thofe which are kept any time, 

 r And a curious gentleman who refided in Barb'adop 

 "^ two years, alfo told me, that he never drank better 

 ^ Coffee in hay part of the world, than what he'macle 

 [ frpm the frefli berries which he gathered himfelf, 

 and roaiied as he had occafion for them; which is 

 ' alfo confirmed by the trials which have been made 

 ■wich,,t;he berries which grow in the ftoves in England, 

 which m:ike a better flavoured liquor, than the beft 

 Arabian Coffee berries which can be procured in 

 -. England-, therefore Twifla thofe who are inclinable 

 to cultivate thefc trees in America, would make 



choice of a foil rather dry than moift, in which the 

 trees will not make fo great progrefs as thofe which 

 grow in a wet foil, Jior will the produce be fo great • 

 but as the quality of the produce will be fo much 

 improved, it will certainly be of greater advantage 

 to them. , 



The next thing is,^ to permit the berries to remain 

 fo long upon the trees, till their flcins are fhrivelled 

 and turned very black { which it is true will greatly 

 diminifti their weight, but then the commodity will 

 be more than double the value of that which is 

 gathered fooner. , 



When the berries are fully ripe, they fliould be ga- 

 thered, or rather fhaken from the trees, when they are 

 perfectly dry, and fpread abroad upon cloths in the 

 fun to dry, carrying them every evening under co- 

 ver, to prevent the dews from falling on them, or 

 the rain if any Ihouid happen: and when they are 

 perfeflly dry, they fhould be carefully packed up in 

 . cloths or bags, three or four times double, and confc- 

 quently kept in a dry fituation : and when they are 

 Ihipped for England, it ftiould.be on board thofe vef- 

 fels which have no rum, left the Co^ee ftiould imbibe 

 the flavour, which cannot be prevented when ftowed 

 in the fame place. For fome years paft, a Coffee 

 Ihip from India had a few bags of pepper put on 

 ' board, the flavour of which was imbibed by the Cof- 

 fee, and the whole cargo fpoiled thereby, ' 

 As the quantity of Coffee now confumed in Britain 

 is very much increafed of late years, fo it will cer- 

 tainly be worthy of public confideration, how far it 

 may be ^ neceffary to encourage the growth of it in 

 the Britifh colonies : and certainly it deferves the at- 

 tention of the inhabitants of thofe colonies, to im- 

 prove this commodity to the utmoft of their power; 

 and not to have fp much r'^gard to the quantity, as 

 ' to the quality,, of it", for although the former may 

 appear to have the advantage of the latter in point of 

 ; ;pi:ofit, yet the goodnefs of every commodity muft 

 ; I always claim ^ the preference, and thereby will be 

 ' • found of more lafting advantage to the cultivator. 

 COIX. Lin. Gen, Plant. 927.Lachryma Jobi^JTourn; 

 Inft. R,.H, 53i^.iab: 306. Job's Tears..; ; : 



The Characters are. 



-r t- ' 



■i ■ fr 



-■ -i 



■' i 



■ // hath male and female flowers on the fame plant ; the 

 . male flowers are difpofed in a loofi fpike y the chaff ^ 

 : thefe have two valveSy imlofing two flowers^ the valves 

 \ ^ are oblong and bearded 1, the petal has two oval valves^ 



i the length of the chaffs with mrrew beards : thefe have 

 \ JAchjhree hairy ^amna^' terminated hy oblong four-cor- 

 . .n^redfumitsi^'-fhere are a few female flowers fttuated 

 i ; ^^ th P^fi of i^e mak fpike in the fame plants thefe hav& 

 ,^_,bivalvular chaff \ the valves arc roundifh^ thick, and 

 ', fmooth ; the petal hath two oval valves^ the outer being 



^ larger and bearded at both ends. They have afmall oval 



\: ^germen^ fupporting a fbort ftyle divided into two parts, 



crowned by two horned ftigmas which are longer than the 



Jlower^ and covered with fine hairs 'y thegermen afterward 

 '"' becomes a hardy roundifh^ fmooth feed. 

 ■■ T^'i^s^enus of plants is ranged in the third feftion 

 ; ,of Linn^us's twenty-firft clafs, intitled Monoecia 

 ! Triandria. The plants of this clafs have male and 



■ female flowers on the fame plant, and the flowers of 

 ' ^ this feftion have three ftamina. ^ ' . 



; The Species are, : ■ r -: 



J f Coxx {Lachryma y obi) feminibus ovatis. Hort. Cliff. 



■ : 434/ Cojx with oval feeds. Lachrymajobi. Cluf. tjift. 



p. 2. Job's Tears,, ^ t: 



2. Coix {Angulatis) feminibus angulatis, Hort. Chff. 

 438, Coix with angular feeds. Lachrymg Jobi A^eri- 



. cana altifllma, Arundinis folio & facie. Plum. Cat. 

 The firft fort grows naturally in the iflands of the 

 Archipelago, and is frequendy cultivated in &pai 

 and Portugal, where the poor inhabitants grincj the 

 . grain to flour in a fcarcity of corn, and make a c^arfe 

 fort of bread of it. • : ■ • 



ain 



'. ■ 



This is an annual plant, which feldom ripen its feeds 

 in England, unlefs the feafon proves very warm; 

 from a thick fibrous root is knt out two or three 

 jointed ftalks, which. rife near three feet high, gar*^ 



X " nilliv4 



