10 THE NATURE AND CULTIVATION OF COFFEE. 



rollers or pounded in wooden mortars similar to those 

 used for removing the husk from rice, and the outer 

 skin being thus removed, the beans are winnowed, 

 garbled, sized, and packed for the market. The coffee 

 prepared in this way is seldom so even in colour and 

 appearance, but the aroma and flavour is better. This 

 method is, however, open to serious disadvantages. 

 Owing to the much greater bulk of the coffee before 

 the pulp is removed, the room for drying would require 

 to be very extensive, and as coffee is very liable to fer- 

 ment in the pulp, it must be laid very thin, and con- 

 st antly a turned ; whilst in event of wet weather and ex- 

 posure to moisture, or the equally dangerous alternative 

 of heaping it up, the whole would ferment and be 

 utterly spoiled. The system at present pursued by 

 all European planters of removing the pulp by means 

 of machinery, which will be hereafter described, as 

 soon as the berries (or as they are called by planters, 

 cherries) are picked, and thus placing the bean beyond 

 the risk of fermentation, appears the best. The 

 quality and colour of the bean is also materially 

 affected by its treatment after the pulp is taken off. 

 It should not be kept too long in the vats for the 

 removal of the mucilage. This is a sweet sticky 

 substance, between the outer rind and the parchment, 

 which rapidly turns acid and loses its mucilaginous 

 quality, and can be easily washed off after twelve 

 hours' soaking in the vats ; if allowed to remain too 

 long on the bean, it will communicate an unpleasant 

 flavour. After being washed and put out on the bar- 

 bacues to dry, it is of importance to keep the coffee 

 constantly turned until it is all surface dry, and the 



