Memoir upon Coffee. 333 



lively the process employed in the preparation of this root 

 in one of the above manufactories, I shall here describe it. 



The succorv is gathered in the beginning of spring; the 

 roots are then very thick, well grown, and tender : when 

 carried to the workshop they are stripped of their leaves and 

 washed, in order to take oif the earth v.'hich adheres to 

 them ; they are then cut into four or six parallel slips *. 

 Being thus prepared, they are cut into very minute portions 

 by means of a very ingenious machine, which cons'sfs of a 

 wooden trough, resj^rcsenting; ai' oblong square, which is 

 filled with roots, and to this trough is adapted a large knife 

 with a lever handle : there is also a press-vice attached which 

 pushes out (he roots as fast as they are cut, so that, by means 

 of this mechanical invention, one man can cut in an hour 

 what ten men could scarcely do in the same time by the or- 

 dlnarv methods. 



This machine is ansiogous to the straw-cutter ; it is si- 

 milar in every respect to that which is used for cutting the 

 tobacco to which the name of Virginia is given, and so 

 nmch esteemed by smokers. They proceed afterwards to 

 dry the root : for this purpose it is carried to a kind of kiln, 

 in which there are compartments or cases of mason-work, 

 from 15 to 18 feet long by live broad, covered with large 

 bricks pierced with different holes, and forming an enclosed 

 plane of about 70 degrees. The number of these conipart- 

 ments, as well as the extent of the kiln, is alu-ays propor- 

 tioned to the means of the manufacturer. This kiln is 

 heated with coals by nieans of stoves very badly constructed, 

 and which are intended to distribute the heat into each of 

 the cases : in fact, this dryer (for so the workmen call it) 

 resembles a good deal that made use of by brewers and di- 

 stillers for prcpariuiT their grains for the saccharine tVrnienta- 

 lion : the temperature i> constantly kept up at 4,5 or 50 de- 

 grees of Reaumur, so that the succorv root is dried very 

 speedily and very strongly. All the apertures of lliis kiln 



• This is generally done by women and children, pl.ic,;d in row.^ upon 

 benchci: the- face of each is parallel to tlii* back of the oilier, to ;)revent tliem 

 irjtn jver-str:tioi;)g ilieniselvei, orfrjm spc.ikiii.'^'o c-uch otlitT. 



are 



