IMtoI'KKTIKS OF SI>K<'IAI, 



COFFEA 



ARABICA 



Species and Varieties 

 Madras Mail, 



iuce World ; Planting Opinion ; Trop. Agrist. ; Capital ; 

 etc. 



This species was thus first made known to Europe about the time the coffee- Special 

 " disease appeared in Ceylon. Its hardier growth led to tho opinion, to some CultlTatloo, 

 nt realised, that it might withstand the action of tho blight, and on ti.i 

 it dnrnands wore made on the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for plants 

 ds. Fortunately the Director of the Gardens was fully able to witisfy 

 until the question of seed supply was taken up by the trade. The Kew 

 are full of the most interesting and suggestive details regarding the 

 BS or failures attained through the experiments conducted, almost simul- 

 i !y. in all the tropical regions of the globe. But in one respect at least Immunity 

 hnve been disappointing, namely, the plant, though much hardier than the trom Di****** 

 ihinu cotT>(>, hits not proved to possess immunityfrom blight. In factSir Daniel 

 TF is pointed out long ago that in the nursery the seedlings often suffer from Diseased in 



i<-i<i quite as much as do those of <. nrnittm, but he added that the plants, Nursery, 

 properly cared for, soon attain sufficient strength to withstand tho disease. 

 The experience gained in India would seem to support belief that Liberian 

 lee requires quite as fertile and as deep soils as c. ambim. It prefers a warm Warm Moist 



atmosphere and not much less than 100 inches of rain, distributed if Locality, 

 sible throughout the year ; but it is very susceptible to drought. Where sub- 

 to dry heat, therefore, shade-trees must be provided if they do not already Shade-trees, 

 at. In Java Krutiiriini seedlings are first planted, but soon give too much 

 le and are accordingly replaced in about five years' time by Ei-iodenaron 

 llings. 



shallow soil or one with a large admixture of sand and stones is quite un- LOW Land, 

 i, as also are heavy clay soils and waterlogged subsoils. But Liberian 

 ) luxuriates on moisture-retaining soils and on lands that can be, and are 

 ilarly irrigated. It, in fact, prefers low-lying tracts to high ground, and 

 cordingly nourishes better on the plains than on the hills. It is true that on 

 Wynaad and elsewhere it has been successfully grown up to altitudes of 

 )0 feet, but that circumstance does not materially detract from the opinion 

 it it is better suited to the plains of the tropics than c. arnbica. Hence 

 iberian coffee has attained its most extensive production in the West Indies, 

 plon, the Malay Peninsula (Selangor), North Borneo, Sumatra and Java, 

 " in India seems likely to attain its chief production in Sylhet, Assam, Burma 

 the Andaman Islands. Lserne says that it is " little thought of " in Brazil, 

 " it produces little and that irregularly." On the east-coast lands of 



scar it has for some years been fairly extensively cultivated. M. Des- Madagascar. 

 3, Assistant Inspector of Agriculture, says that the plants there grown are 

 fbrids and yield a berry superior to that of African coffee. Being large plants 



custom exists of allowing them plenty of space, say 400 trees to the acre. Four Hundred 

 >re are several distinct races, some that form much larger plants than others Trees to the 

 id accordingly require more space. It is just as important with Liberian as Acrts * 

 th Arabian that the races of the plant should be critically studied. For some 

 ire past numerous hybrids have been cultivated all over the world. In the 

 ith such have appeared wherever Arabian and Liberian coffee were grown 

 le by side. The stock thus obtained is much valued by many planters, being 

 yarded as enjoying immunity from leaf -blight. But it is usually contended that 

 young colonies, Liberian has distinct and superior claims. It yields regularly 

 freely, the fruits do not fall so readily from the bush on their reaching 

 iturity, and it is, when all is said and done, a much hardier plant than Hardier Plant. 

 Arabian coffee. On low ground the harvest is abundant, the fruits are 

 (nearly twice the average size of the Arabian bean), not so delicately 

 ivoured, though of good quality when grown on high altitudes. The berries 



more difficult to clean than are those of the Arabian plant, but with proper to clean - 

 chinory may be completely deprived of even the parchment ; they are 

 ik and oily, though if carefully and slowly dried will fetch a price sufficient 

 reward all the trouble and expense entailed. According to most writers a 

 awback to this coffee lies in the fact that it has never been pushed as a com- 

 ercial commodity on its own merits. The beans seem universally used by 

 middlemen for the purpose of strengthening grades which by themselves would 

 be flavourless. 



(6) C. stenophylla, o. Don; Bot. Mag., 74-5 and t. ; Kew Bull., 1893, 167; Sierra 

 Rept. Bot. Gard. Bangalore, 1893-4, 10-11 ; 1896, 189-91 ; 1898, 27 ; Rept. Roy. Leone 

 Bot. Oard. Trinidad, 1896, 13 ; 1900, 12-3 ; Pharm. Journ., 1897, 17 ; Semler, Coffee. 



Berries difficult 



3G9 



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