BUILDINGS. 31 



monly, they are long platforms about three feet wide, 

 on which, is laid coir matting, which admits the escape 

 of the moisture easily and hastens the drying process. 

 Two or three days' exposure usually suffices to prepare 

 the coffee for transport to the coast, which is variously 

 effected, according to the means at the planter's dis- 

 posal. Generally in Ceylon and India two-wheeled 

 carts or pack bullocks are employed, which carry four 

 to six bushels, in two sacks or gunny-bags, the driver 

 having the coffee measured to him on the estate, and 

 receiving a certain rate per bushel on delivery on the 

 coast. Not only is this mode of carriage most pre- 

 carious, but it is very expensive, the average paid by 

 coffee estates in Ceylon for carriage of a bushel of 

 parchment to the coast being about two shillings. In 

 Southern India sixpence to ninepence is the average, 

 but there many estates have the advantage of water 

 carriage. Before leaving the subject of pulping, it may 

 be remarked that it is always necessary to pulp the 

 berries within twelve hours of their being picked, and 

 that if they are at all dry on one side, as is often the 

 case with the latter part of the crop, they will not pulp 

 clean, but will either be crushed or pass out with un- 

 pulped coffee, and it will frequently be necessary to 

 pass the coffee, as it comes from the pulpers, through 

 sieves, to remove all the tails which come out on the 

 wrong side, as these considerably retard the drying of 

 the coffee and impart a bad colour to it. 



To sum up briefly, it is requisite that the coffee 

 berries should be quite ripe; that they should be 

 pulped soon after being picked ; that they are not cut 

 or pricked in pulping; that the parchment coffee should 



