2O2 Coffee Planting. 



the coast, and relying on the night watchmen and 

 others for its safe keeping meanwhile. 



In Ceylon the rain sometimes falls for weeks in 

 the middle of the crop season, and I remember on 

 one occasion having between 3000 and 4000 bushels 

 of wet parchment lying piled up all over the bar- 

 becues, which had accumulated before we could get 

 a day's sunshine. Some of my neighbours had larger 

 quantities still, and those of us who had no appli- 

 ances for artificial drying had an anxious time of 

 it. The only resource was to keep constantly turn- 

 ing over the wet coffee, night and day, to prevent 

 fermentation and germination as far as possible ; 

 but, in spite of all exertions, an alarming proportion 

 of the beans had begun to throw out pedicles, in- 

 dicating the commencement of the germinating 

 process, much in the same way as old potatoes 

 will do in a damp cellar. Of course we all thought 

 the coffee was ruined, but to our surprise and grati- 

 fication it seemed to be thought rather better than 

 usual by the brokers of Mincing Lane, judging by 

 the prices realized. 



In a case of this sort, a store constructed on Mr. 

 Clerihew's principle is calculated to be of great 

 advantage. This is an arrangement by which coffee 

 only partially dried can be kept sweet and fresh, 

 by means of a continuous current of air being made 

 to pass through it in the store. I shall first endea- 



