182 



The World's Commercial Products 



excelsa) has recently been introduced into the Trinidad Botanic Gardens, and is reported to be 

 of considerable value. 



Cultivation 

 As the methods of the cultivation of coffee and itsjpreparation for market differ to some 

 extent in various parts of the world, it will be best to give first a general account of the processes 

 adopted, and to supplement this afterwards with notes on the industry in the different 

 producing countries. 



Coffee thrives to the best ad- 

 vantage in a hot, moist climate, 

 and on rich, well-drained soil. A 

 high rainfall is usually essential, 

 and anything between 75 and 120 

 inches per annum is desirable, well 

 distributed. It is true that coffee 

 can be grown in dry regions and 

 yield produce of excellent quality, 

 but then the crop is usually very 

 small. In the tropics coffee is 

 pre-eminently a crop for fairly high 

 elevations, and the best results are 

 attained on estates situated above 

 2,000 feet, although it will grow 

 almost down to sea level. Liberian 

 coffee gives good results at lower 

 elevations than Arabian. 



In South America the coffee 

 grown in very dry regions, situated 

 rather high above the level of the 

 sea, is considered the most fragrant ; 

 the fruits are much smaller, how- 

 ever, and the crop less plentiful. 

 In damp regions, above a certain 

 degree of latitude, the plant bears 

 a very rich foliage, at the expense 

 of the fruit. The two things most 

 injurious to its growth are cold, 

 and very hot, dry winds. If the 

 plant is not protected it loses a 

 large part of its foliage on the windy side ; sometimes it is even entirely despoiled of its 

 leaves. To prevent this, trees are planted round the coffee plantations to shelter them from 

 the wind. 



Propagation. Coffee plants are propagated from seeds, for which the largest and finest 

 fruits from selected trees should be chosen. The seeds may be planted directly in the fields 

 in the positions the future trees are to occupy. The method is commonly known as " planting 

 at stake," because a stake is driven in to mark the position of the seeds, three or more being 

 planted together so as to allow of the weaker plants being pulled up later. This method has 

 several advantages as it does away with the expense and risk of transplanting. On the other 

 hand, if the climate is not sufficiently moist, there is always the possibility of drought 

 injuring, or even killing, the young seedlings. If there is any likelihood of this happening 

 the young plants must be raised in nurseries. When this course is advisable the seeds 



JAVA. GRAFTED COFFEE PLANTS 



