LSE IR CA I A II VII OALY. 23 
ings of similar growth. In heavy virgin forest, except for the seed of these vines, there 
is very little seed of objectionable growth of other character, so that after the removal 
of the vines, except for sporadic and isolated outbreaks of weeds and grasses, the culti- 
vator has nothing to contend with, and if he is careful in removing this growth before 
seed is formed the end of the first year will find the plantation practically free of weeds. 
The ever-increasing shade of the coffee bushes and of the shade planted for their benefit 
will in future years prevent the rapid increase in the growth of objectionable weeds, so 
that with proper attention during the first two years very little further work is required. 
In many coffee-growing countries definite systems of topping the coffee bushes have been 
adopted, largely with the idea of making easier the gathering of the crop, but in Cuba 
this is found only in isolated instances and among the most progressive growers. In 
those groves where topped bushes are found, the top is nipped out of the bush when it 
reaches a height of about four or five feet, and thereafter all vertical growth from the 
central stem isremoved. ‘The results are that the lateral branches receive the full strength 
of the plant, which broadens out, attaining a breadth considerably greater than is the 
ease with those plants not thus topped, and making all the fruit of the bushes readily 
accessible to the coffee pickers. Thus the necessity of bending the upper branches over 
with frequent breakage and destruction of the tree is avoided. The reader can realize 
readily how great this damage could be in all coffee groves where the service of careless 
pickers is obligatory, due to the relatively small number of laborers obtainable at certain 
times. 
The coffee tree itself, as we have indicated, is more a bush than a tree. Its leaves 
are short, varying from three to four inches in length, are sharp pointed and resemble 
somewhat those of the northern cherry. In well grown specimens, the color is a fine 
brilliant dark green. As the plant grows, lateral branches spring out at short intervals 
from the main stem, and on these also at short intervals appear the leaves, one always 
being found opposite another, and from the junction of these leaves with the branches 
and from these branches, spring the flowers. These are small, whitish in color, five 
petaled and with a rather sweet but distinctly coffee odor. The flowers are followed by 
small, round, green berries, which enlarge as they develop, reaching the size of a small 
cherry, and turning when ripe to a deep, blackish, red color. Inside of each berry is found 
in normal specimens two seeds, flat on one side with the other surface round, these being 
the coffee as known by us all and as dealt in in commerce. Separating the seed itself from 
the pulp of the surrounding berry is a very thin membrane called the parchment, which 
is removed in the process of preparation for marketing. The period of blooming is ordi- 
narily the months of February and March. As is the case, however, with many other 
fruits, a small percentage of trees is always found in the coffee plantations which instead 
of blooming during these months will delay blossoming until June or July. From six to 
seven months are required for the fruit to reach full maturity and ripen. As all the 
blossoms are not formed at one time but usually appear in three separate periods, just so 
the crop reaches full maturity in three distinct intervals, so that the careful grower who 
makes it a point to gather the product fully matured and in its prime will usually go over 
his grove three times, taking at the first and second pickings only those berries which have 
reached full ripeness, the third picking, of course, taking everything that is left im the 
rove. 
; Picking is, of course, all done by hand, men, women and children being employed for 
this purpose. Each picker is provided with a small basket, in which the fruit is placed as 
taken from the trees. The ideal method, of course, would be that in which only the ripe 
berries are picked carefully from the bushes, but in practice it has been found almost 
impossible to prevent the workers from stripping the berries from the branches by grasping 
these in the palm of the hand and running the closed hand along the branch, thus taking 
leaves and berries together. This practice, however, is very injurious to the tree, as it 1s 
found that trees treated thus will not produce again for two years, a full year being re- 
quired to recover from the effects of this treatment, so that every endeavor is put forth by 
plantation managers to have the picking done in the proper way. In the last pick, 
