Grading or Classifying 93 



ing the long and short beans from the seconds. 

 The long beans extracted from these can be 

 considered as firsts, and therefore an additional 

 percentage of firsts is obtained. This subsidiary 

 separation is quite reasonable in price, and I 

 would advise planters to adopt it if their crops 

 allow it. 



It is practically impossible to separate from Hand- 

 the bulk of the coffee those beans such as black, Pickin &- 

 or those in any way defective in colour, by any 

 mechanical process. In the large mills in 

 Central America and in this country hand- 

 picking machines are used to separate such 

 defective beans. The machine consists of a 

 travelling band running in the direction of the 

 operator. The coffee is spread on the travelling 

 band by means of a brush fitted at the bottom of 

 the hopper of the machine. The operator works 

 the machine by means of a treadle, similar to 

 that used in sewing machines, and as the band 

 travels towards the operator he picks out the 

 defective beans and deposits them into side 

 shoots, while the good coffee proceeds along 

 and is delivered into a bag. This is also a 

 machine that soon pays for itself. 



The above is the last treatment in the pre- 

 paration of coffee. I have thus given in a few 

 pages the whole process of curing coffee, and I 



