LESSON XXXV 



CROPS GROWN FOR BEVERAGES 



Coffee, tea, and cacao are plants that are grown 

 almost exclusively for beverages. While these three 

 beverages are extensively used in the United States, 

 yet with the exception of a small amount of tea grown 

 in some of the southern states, the plants are not grown 

 in this country. 



Coffee is the seed of a tree that in cultivation is 

 kept down to bush size. The coffee trees grow in 

 moist, warm regions 

 that are free from 

 frost, and ia a 

 soil that contains 

 a large amount 

 of organic matter. 

 The trees come 

 into bearing when 

 they are six years 

 old, and continue 

 to bear for thirty 

 or forty years. 



The coffee seeds or " berries " are inclosed in a pulpy 

 fruit, and after they are picked, the first thing usually 



157 



COFFEK BKANS AND BLOSSOMS 



