COFFEE 163 



about 1890, but the yield is now important and 

 growing. 



It is not known when coffee was introduced into the 

 Moro country, but it was surely long ago. The Lanao 

 district is probably the chief source of Moro coffee. Min- 

 danao now exports more coffee than Luzon. In all parts 

 of the Philippines some coffee is raised for local use, but 

 none is exported except from the parts already named. 

 Liberian coffee has been cultivated for several years near 

 San Jose, Batangas, but as yet without much profit. 



CONDITIONS OF GROWTH 



Temperature. Coffee is a tropical plant ; but since it is 

 likewise a mountain plant, it does not need a high tem- 

 perature, and does not thrive where it is very hot. The 

 coffee plant is very healthy, although it does not grow 

 very rapidly, where the temperature is uniform and aver- 

 ages lower than 20 throughout the year. It even endures 

 light frosts. Liberian coffee requires greater heat. It 

 would perhaps thrive at sea level in the Philippines, and 

 in places where Arabian coffee grows, Liberian should 

 not be shaded. 



Moisture. Coffee is naturally a forest plant, and requires 

 a constantly moist air. This can be provided by shading 

 the plants, where the climate is too dry or slightly too 

 warm for them to endure the sunshine. 



We know that the moistness of the climate increases 

 with the altitude. The lowest good coffee country in the 

 Philippines is the highlands of Batangas and Cavite, at 



