The Berry. 3 



crimson. When this stage has been reached they 

 are ripe, and ready to be gathered. The external 

 part of the berry, under the skin, is a pulp of 

 mucilaginous, saccharine and somewhat glutinous 

 character, which envelopes and closely adheres 

 to two oval seeds, which, being convex on the one 

 side and flat on the other, lie with the flat sides 

 in contact, face to face. These seeds are com- 

 monly termed Coffee "beans" not from their 

 resembling beans proper, but, as " Chambers's 

 Encyclopaedia " tells us, from the Arabic word 

 burnt. The outer covering of the bean is a car- 

 tilaginous membrane, which, from its faint, straw- 

 like tint and smooth, shiny consistency, has received 

 the name of parchment. Inside the parchment 

 there is another very delicate, semi-transparent 

 skin, which adheres closely to the seed, and is 

 called the "silver-skin." 



There are other descriptions of coffee besides 

 the C. Arabica, of which the C. Mauritiana is one 

 which is said to have, when prepared in the same 

 manner as the former, a bitter, unpleasant taste, 

 and the property of being slightly emetic. Some 

 botanists name only two distinct species, i.e., the 

 C. Arabica and the C. Occidentalis, while others 

 are of opinion that the differences between one 

 kind and another are merely the effects of soil, 

 climate and modes of culture, upon the same species. 

 B 2 



