686 JAMAICA. 



4. Cotton. — G'Jfip'ium fcminibus major ibus BrafiUanum. 

 Tlii:! fhrub was probably brought into the illand by its antient 

 Indian inhabitants from the South-American continent. It is pro- 

 pagated 



dcferves ;,erLif<i'. Its pvofefTed deligri is to give information to our U'elVIin'.Ia cofFce-pbnters, and 

 fiigy,cll the fiirell means ot enabling ihem to rival the Orientals. I fhail theretors Iclect Cuch parts 

 ot it as may tend, with what has already been mentioned, to improve the culture ot this article in 

 our idatid. 



They, who have been accuftomed to drink coffee frequently, maintain an opinion, that the 

 Afiaiic is fuperiour to the American ; that its odour is ntore retrefliing, its flavour more grateful : 

 t^.ey even pretend a great ditfercnce between what is of foreign grouth in America, and that which 

 is grown \i\ our own illands. It thi^ opinion is not founded on ihe caprice ot tafte, but on certain 

 and common experience ; the fuperioritv ot the Afiatic cutice muft arife chiefly from its being culti. 

 rated in foils bell-appropriated to it ; horn the length ot its voyage to the European markets ; trom 

 the greater age it acquiies, by this means, before it comes into the confumer's hand ; and from its 

 not 'being packed, on board (liip, with goods whole fteams might impregnate and vitiate its llavour, 

 if they weie to be flowed in too near a neighbourhood. The Fiench, and moft other loreigners, 

 cultivate and fliip it with an attention to thefe points ; which in our iflands are generally unheeded, 

 f.ome verv good judges ot this matter have thought, that cott'ee might be brought to as great pcr- 

 Icttion in our colonies, as it is in IMocha, or other Kallein places. \\ hether this be piiilible or not, 

 it is certain!}' worth our trial to j/iit in practice thofe methods which, there is no doubt, will greatly 

 improve it, it not render it equal in value at market to the Afiatic. In order to which end, the 

 following remarks are fubniitted to the confideration of our cofiee-planters in Jamaica ; with fuch 

 additional comments as may fcrve for illuftration. 



i^oil proper for it. 



The part ot Arabia, from whence the Afiatic cofl'ee is brought, is, for the inoft part, extremely 

 fandy, dry, and hot. A light foil, dry and elevated flopes, produce coffee of a fmaller berry, and 

 more delicate flavour ; but that, which grons in a low, fertile, and nioill: foil, is bad, the berry 

 large and flat, and abnoft inlipid. The drier the foil, the fmaller will be the tVuit, and the quality 

 more e:vcel!ent. Regard muil tlieretoie be had to the tranfplanting ot this tree, that it may not be 

 carried trom that foil, where it might have attained great perteiMion, to another, where, though it 

 may grow larger, and more kixuricint, the truit may degenerate in quality ; tor we may lately inter, 

 that a plant, brought trom a dry, ilerile, fandy foil, will aflume, not only a very different a]>pearancc, 

 but its truit will have a very ditfeicnt quality trom that which is the produce of a fertile, moift foil. 

 Plants therefore, removed ti-om the Soutlvfide of our ifland to the Norih-fide, or from a bulky, im- 

 poverifted piece ot ground into a clayey, loamy, or brick-mould foil, or trom places, where it 

 feldom rains, to others where the atmofphere is always cool and moilt, may bear large, fucculcnt 

 berries, but of veiy interior goodnefs. It ought to be planted in a foil as flmilar to its natural one 

 as poflible. There are fome kinds of trees, perhaps the greatell p.irt, whole truit, while the trees 

 are young, is either more infipid, or the tafte ot it lets refined, than at a more advanced age. The 

 6'uit ot young walnut-trees is large ; but it is watery and inflpid : as the tree grows older, the nuts 

 decreafe in {\Li.; but their tafle is more agreeable. A flmilar progrtfs may be obfeived in other 

 fpecies. And it is not improbable, but the coflle-tree may be another inflance of the like proper- 

 ties ; for it is certain, that the Iruit ot old coffee-trees is much finaller; but whether the flavour of 

 it is likewife improved mult be lett to the deciflon ot future experiment. 'J"he remark, however, 

 will be fuflicient to juflily the planter's caution not to cut down an old walk, in ex])ec^ation of ob- 

 tainini"; mun excellent buries trom one to be newly planted in its room. 



It is true, that the trees, plained in rieh foils, yield commonly trom t\ielve to fixieen ounces of coffee 

 ptr ])!ant, and upwards (ll:e p. 68;.) ; and that, in dry foils, they fcarcely turnilh more than trom fix to 

 eight ounces ; ivhich makes an immediate difference ot one halt in the weight, Now, at the European 

 icarkcts, the i;aly llated ditfcience, in the price ot the fmall, well-jircpaied colfee, and that which is 

 larger and ot the wor e kind, ii trom fliiccn to tucniy /tr cent. The planters therctore find it their ad- 

 vantage to plant iheir trees in the richelt foil. Thole only will have the fmall and fli.e beirics, who 

 have no other than bad grounds, and have not a luflicient number of Negrots to improve them. 

 And thus felt-i.iterell prevents many rrom apj>lying thcmfclves to the culture of that kind of cottte 

 «vhi..h is moll lalued in Europe: for the remedying ot which, and exciting a fjiirit of einularion 

 jmong thcin, ilie difference ot price between the various forts of coffee IhoulJ be as confidcrable, as 



it 



