COFFEE IN THE PHILIPPINES. 41 



ROBUSTA COFFEE. 



Robusta coffee in Java. When the blight appeared in Java, 

 coffee growing was one of the most important industries in that 

 island, and after the plantations had been destroyed by the 

 disease, the Dutch Government, having failed to control the blight 

 by repressive measures, instituted investigations with a view 

 of discovering a blight-resistant coffee, in the course of which 

 work several species were introduced and tested. Among these 

 were Liberian coffee (Coffea liberica) and robusta coffee, con- 

 sidered by Wildeman to be a variety of Coffea canephora. 



Robusta coffee was discovered in the Belgian Congo, and seeds 

 were sent to Brussels, Belgium, and propagated, where plants 

 were first offered for sale in 1901. Some of these plants found 

 their way to Java. Like most new introductions the robusta 

 coffee was at first looked upon rather askance, but as its greater 

 climatological range as compared with that of Arabian coffee, 

 and its productivity, precocity, and resistance to the coffee blight 

 (Hemileia vastatnx) became apparent, it rapidly gained 

 popularity so rapidly in fact that the Javanese coffee planta- 

 tions today consist almost entirely of robusta coffee. The fact 

 that in 1909 the total crop of robusta coffee was only 183,000 

 kilograms, and that in 1911 9,650,000 kilograms were produced, 

 with an estimated yield of 16,000,000 kilograms for 1912, and 

 that during the period from 1907 to 1911, 24,521,000 robusta 

 coffee plants were planted, is ample proof of its popularity in 

 the Dutch East Indies. 



Introduction into the Philippines. Robusta coffee has not been 

 introduced into the Philippines to any extent. Bearing trees are 

 reported from Basilan, near Zamboanga, and a few plants are 

 also growing at the Lamao experiment station in Bataan. The 

 latter are in good condition with no indication of blight. 



Soil and climate. Robusta grows well from sea level to an 

 altitude of 1,000 meters, doing best at an elevation ranging from 

 450 to 750 meters. 



Less particular than Arabian coffee, the robusta thrives well 

 on both light and heavy soils provided they have the necessary 

 fertility. However, good drainage is essential for a good growth 

 and therefore robusta should not be planted on sticky and very 

 heavy, water-holding soils. Poor and sandy soils should also 

 be avoided. This variety is also somewhat sensitive to drought 

 and should be planted only where the rainfall is fairly evenly 

 distributed, and where the dry season is of comparatively short 

 duration. Generally speaking, where the soil conditions are 



