6H JAMAICA. 



2. Gathering the berries too foon. Some planters gather them 

 while they are red, and hence find the utmoft difficulty in extricating 

 the hulk. At this time, the berries are much larger, and weigh hea- 

 vier, than thofe which are permitted to ripen perfedly on trees ; for, 

 when they are ripe, the pulp is difcharged, and they are lighter, as 

 well as fmaller, than before. 



3. Some error in the drying of them when gathered, which muft 

 be con flantly attended to; for they cannot be too much expoled to 

 the air in the day-time ; but they mufl be, every evening, removed 

 under cover, and carefully fcreened from dews and rain. Nor (hould 

 they be placed near any fort of liquid or moiflure ; for thefe berries 

 are very apt to imbibe moiflure, and the flavour of any liquid near 

 them ; fo that, even if it is pure water, the berries will be enlarged, 

 and their flavour diminifhed by it. A bottle of rum, being placed on 

 a fhelf, in a clofet in which a canifter of coffee-berries, clofely flopped, 

 was {landing at fome diflance, in a few days had fo impregnated the 

 berries, as to give them a very dlfagreeable tafte. The fame confe- 

 quence happened from a bottle of fpirits of wine. The berries (liould 

 never, therefore, be laid to dry in houfes where fugars are curing, or 

 rum is kept ; nor fent over in (hips freighted with rum, or pimento ; 

 left they acquire the flavour of thefe commodities, which cannot be 

 avoided, if they are flowed in the fame place [I]. 



From what has been faid it appears, that the foil, to be chofen for 

 the cultivation of coffee-trees, (hould be rather dry than moifl, in 

 which they will not grow lb luxuriantly as in wet mountain-foils, nor 

 the produce be lb great ; but as the quality of the produce will be lb 

 much more improved, fo it will certainly turn out more to the plan- 

 ter's advantage. 



I'he next thing neceflary is to permit the berries to remain fo long 

 upon the trees, till their Ikins are (hrlveled, and turned black, and 

 that the berries readily part from the flalk. Their weight, it is true, 

 will be greatly diminilhed ; but the crmmodity will be more than 

 double the value ot that which is gathered Iboner. 



When gathered in the proper Hate, rhey mutt be well dried by cx- 

 pofure to the air, but cnrefully preierved froracxpofure to moillure. 



And, when thoroughly dry, they fliould be packed in Vftry tight 

 calks in preference to bags, and Hiippcd in thofe velfels which have 



[I] lMi;lcr. 



n' 



