348 



CCELOGYNE 



COFFEA 



disk with two fringed ridges and umber-brown mark- 

 ings. Inner surface of column brownish. Java. B.M. 

 4889. Gn. 49, p. 62. 



corrugata, Wight. Pseudobulbs ovate-pointed, in 

 tufts, with Ivs. 3 in. long: racemes 3-6-fld.: fls. white ; 

 sepals and petals nearly equal, oblong and acute; lip 3- 

 lobed, the lateral lobes smaller and blunter than the 

 central one. E. Ind. B.M. 5601. 



Parishii, Hook. f. Like C. pandurata, but racemes 

 not drooping, the pseudobulb 4-angled and narrow, 

 bearing a pair of stout broad Ivs., the fls. about 6, and 

 smaller. A small species. Burma. B.M. 5323. 



Fderstermanni, Reichb. f. Pseudobulbs cylindrical or 

 fusiform, producing 1- or 2-sheathed peduncles from the 

 side: fls. large, snow-white; sepals and petals lanceo- 

 late, the former keeled outside; lip 3-lobed, the middle 

 lobe rounded and minute-pointed, the side lobes rounded, 

 the disk marked with yellowish brown : Ivs 3-4 in. 

 wide and 18 in. long, very short-stalked. E. Ind. 



OAKES AMES. 



COFFfiA (from the Arabian name for the drink, itself 

 conjecturally derived from Caffa, a district in southern 

 Abyssinia). Rubi&cece. A genus of about 20 Old World 

 species, mostly natives of tropical Africa. Shrubs or 

 small trees, usually glabrous, with slender branches : 

 Ivs. elliptical, pointed, glossy, coriaceous, mostly oppo- 

 site, rarely in whorls of 3: fls. creamy white, tuberose- 

 like, delicately fragrant, subsessile, clustered in the 

 axils of the Ivs. The genus is technically distinguished 

 by the short calyx limb : corolla throat villous or gla- 

 brous: style branches 2, linear. The fr. is a berry con- 

 taining 2 horny seeds, which afford the Coffee of com- 

 merce. For Coffee production, two species, C. Arabica 

 and C. Liberica, are now extensively cultivated through- 

 out the tropics, and are occasionally to be found in con- 

 servatories; also in gardens in Florida and California. 



The Coffee of commerce consists of the seeds of these 

 two species of Coffea, C. Arabica and C. Liberica, the 

 cultivation of which is one of the most important agri- 

 cultural industries of the tropics, the annual production 

 reaching 1,500,000,000 pounds, valued at $150,000,000. 

 Of this amount, Brazil lurnishes over 70 per cent. A 

 new Coffee from the Congo is receiving much attention 

 in Europe, C. Maragogipe. It is very vigorous grow- 

 ing- W. M. 



Climate and soil. Although C, Arabica will endure 

 alow temperature, and has, with slight protection, sur- 

 vived the winter in Germany, successful commercial 

 culture requires a rainfall of from 100-150 in. and an 

 equable temperature, having an average minimum of 

 not less than 60. The Liberian species is at home un- 

 der thoroughly tropical conditions, and endures expo- 

 sure to the sun at low elevations, where for C. Arabica 

 shade trees are commonly supplied. Coffee thrives in a 

 great variety of soils, but those containing a large 

 amount of humus are preferable and volcanic deposits 

 are also excellent. The use of fertilizers is increasing, 

 but the requirements of particular localities must be 

 carefully considered. 



Cultivation. The seed germinates in from 4 to 6 

 weeks after ripening, and will endure only partial dry- 

 ing. Seedlings are raised in shaded seed-beds or flower- 

 pots, whence they are transplanted at the beginning of 

 the rainy season, preferably when 2 years old, to their 

 permanent places. The distance between trees is deter- 

 mined by the soil and climatic conditions, varying from 

 6 ft. for C. Arabica, under circumstances unfavorable 

 to the growth of wood, to 15 ft. or more for C. Liberica 

 in fertile ground. For the reception of the seedlings, 

 large holes are dug in order to insure loose soil and avoid 

 injuring or bending the long tap-root. Subsequent cul- 

 ture consists largely in the frequent removal of all 

 weeds, by means of hoes or other implements, which 

 also stir the surface soil. Trees are headed or pruned 

 to a height of from 3-6 ft. in order to keep the berries 

 within easy reach, and after each harvest the old twigs 

 are removed, also the epiphytes and parasites. Spray- 

 ing with fungicides and insecticides is also practiced 

 when necessary. 



Harvest. Production begins, under favorable circum- 



stances, the second or third year from transplanting* 

 but a paying crop can scarcely be expected before the 

 fifth or sixth year. The berries ripen unevenly, requir- 

 ing two or more visits to each tree. The yield is esti- 

 mated in general at 1 pound of dry Coffee per tree, but 

 careful methods increase this to 3 or 4 pounds, while in 

 exceptional cases from 6 to 12 and even 25 pounds have 

 been reported. The life of the Coffee tree has been 

 stated at 20 or 30 years, but with good care production 

 may be maintained for 50 years or more. The berries 

 may be dried as picked and the seeds afterward ex- 

 tracted by machines called "hullers;" or, by means of a 

 "pulper," the outer fleshy material is removed before 

 drying. For the latter process, running water, cisterns, 

 buildings and machinery are necessary. After being 

 "pulped, "the Coffee is fermented in order to further dis- 

 integrate the saccharine matter of the external coat ; 

 it is then dried in the sun or by artificial heat, after 

 which the tough inner integument, the so-called "parch- 

 ment," is removed by other machines and the "beans" 

 are polished, graded and sent to the market. 



In all of the recently acquired tropical territories of 

 the United States, Coffee culture may become an im- 

 portant industry, the excellence of the Porto Rican prod- 

 uct being already well known. From the agricultural 

 standpoint, little has been attempted in the selection of 

 superior seed or the application of scientific methods of 

 propagation. Grafting has recently been accomplished 

 in Java. 



Boo ks. Coffee, Its Culture and Commerce, edited 

 by C. G. Warnford Loch, 264 pages, 1888, contains a 

 compilation of nearly all the literature then existing, 

 but the article in German in Semler's Tropische Agri- 

 kultur contains more recent and original matter. A 

 French work, Culture du Cafeier, by C. Raoul, Paris, 

 1897, is the latest important contribution to the subject. 



O. F. COOK. 

 A. Corolla 5-parted, sometimes 4-parted. 



B. Segments of corolla narrow: Ivs. oblong, 4-5 in. long f 



1% in. wide. 



Arabica, Linn. COMMON or ARABIAN COFFEE. Fig. 

 514. Lvs. 3-6 in. long, rather thin, oblong, nearly three 

 times as long as broad, more or less abruptly contracted 

 near the apex to a point about % in. long: fls. in axillary 

 clusters of 3-5; segments of corolla four times as long 

 as wide: fr. a 2-seeded, deep crimson berry, but the "ber- 

 ries "or beans of commerce are the seeds. The commer- 

 cial varieties of Coffee are based largely on the size, 

 shape, color and flavor of the seeds, and hence the fr. is 

 very variable, but the typical fr. may be considered to 

 be oval and half an inch long. Indigenous in Abyssinia, 

 Mozambique and Angola; supposed 

 to have been introduced in early 

 Mohammedan times from Abys- 

 sinia to Arabia, whence it became 



known to Europeans in the sixteenth century. This 

 species furnished until recently the entire commercial 

 product. B.M. 1303. Gng. 6:55.-As it grows wild in 

 Afr. it is a small tree 10-15 ft. high, with the trunk 9-12 

 in. thick at the base, and with horizontal or even nod- 

 ding branches, which in old age become one-sided. 

 Often cult, under glass in the north for its economic 

 interest, and in S. Calif, it is a good outdoor orna- 

 mental shrub, esteemed for its shining Ivs., fragrant 

 white fls., and red berries. 



