ASCENT OF THE GUADELOUPE SOUFRIERE. 335 



during the winter months, to eighty degrees during 

 the hottest days of August. A few miles below, on 

 the sea-shore, it reaches one hundred degrees. 



The coffee-plants are raised from seeds generally 

 sown in beds. When from fifteen to eighteen months 

 old, the plants are transplanted from the nurseries 

 into the fields at a distance of six feet apart each way. 

 The young trees sometimes give a light crop in the 

 third year from setting out, and increase in yield from 

 that time for several years. A coffee-tree is in its full 

 strength and beauty at the age of twenty years, and 

 will last a century. The tree blossoms, generally, 

 every month from February to May- The fruit ripens 

 from August to January, and is picked carefully by 

 hand, there being ripe and green berries on the same 

 branches, and, indeed, often blossoms also. As soon 

 as the berries are all removed, the trees commence 

 blossoming again, and so on for many years. The 

 fruit, or "berry," as it is called, is red, and somewhat 

 resembles a cherry, and is quite sweet. The kernel, 

 which is the coffee, is divided into two parts with their 

 flat sides adhering. 



After having been picked from the trees, the ber- 

 ries are passed through a mill made for the purpose, 

 which divides the red pulpy skins from the kernel. 

 These last, which are the only parts saved, after a 

 slight fermentation of a few hours, in order to remove 

 the mucilaginous coating with which they are cov- 

 ered, are washed freely in cold water and then dried 

 in the sun. They are still covered, after being dried, 

 with a tough, yellowish pellicle, which is removed by 

 placing the coffee in large mortars with ovoidal bot- 

 toms, made of hard wood or iron, and under the 



