COFFEE COUNTRIES. 25! 



absorbs it. Surrounded by an atmosphere in the 

 same conditions, the Coffee dries rapidly without 

 fermenting. 



" From December to January the wet season 

 sets in, and with the first rainfalls the rivers, which 

 until then had been almost dry, with only here and 

 there a few pools, which served as watering-places 

 for cattle or as a refuge for fish, swell immensely. 

 Plants in a few days, as by a charm, reacquire 

 their verdancy ; the soil is covered with parti- 

 coloured flowers ; alimentary plants grow quickly 

 and produce abundantly." 



" The Coffee of Brazil," says Mr. Thurber, 

 whom we have quoted before, " varies greatly in 

 colour and size. Most of the Rio Coffee received 

 here is a small-sized bean, varying in colour from 

 a light to a dark green, with some of a yellow hue, 

 often denominated Golden Rio. Large quantities 

 are artificially coloured, in order to meet the re- 

 quirements of certain sections where a prejudice 

 exists in favour of some peculiar colour. Various 

 chemicals are used in the process, some of which 

 are rank poison, while others are comparatively 

 harmless. By simply washing in clear cold water 

 it may easily be determined if the bean has been 

 artificially coloured. The flavour of most of the 

 Rio Coffee imported into the United States is, 

 as has been before stated, quite marked and 

 entirely different from that of any other sort. 

 The planters generally forward their Coffee to 



