PEEPAKATION OF COFFEE FOE MAEKET. 13 



It consists of a thin board, about twenty inches by five, with a 

 handle about five feet long. It is worked like a rake, and in the 

 washing and stirring the light coffee and skins are separated from 

 the heavy and good beans, and floated into the tail cistern. Clever 

 coolies soon get very expert at this separating process, retaining 

 only good parchment coffee in the washing cistern, and floating 

 off the light beans and skins. 



" Another kind of cistern is used on some estates that are sub- 

 ject to much wet weather, and it may be referred to here. It is 

 found that parchment coffee, after being washed and before being 

 exposed to the sun, will remain perfectly sound and good if kept 

 in water. A large cistern is therefore made for this purpose, and 

 a stream of water is allowed to flow in, sufficient to keep the cof-. 

 fee covered, and in this way it may be kept for many days, or 

 until good drying weather comes. 



"Parchment coffee should be dried with the least possible 

 delay, and it ought not to be exposed to rain. Large barbecues, 

 or smooth open spaces, are necessary for this purpose, so that it 

 may be thinly spread over a large surface, and so exposed to the 

 sun. The surface of these barbecues has in many cases been 

 formed of small stones plastered over with mortar, and coated 

 with a mixture of tar and resin. But latterly the more economi- 

 cal practice has been only to make the ground smooth and hard, 

 and over the barbecue thus easily formed to lay down coir mat- 

 ting, on which the coffee is spread out. It is a recommendation 

 of this plan that the coir matting can be turned into a temporary 

 covering for the coffee in the event of rain suddenly coming on. 

 A large store is also necessary, so that the coffee may not be stored 

 too deep on one floor. If, from want of space, too much is heaped 

 together, it must be frequently turned over ia order to prevent it 

 from heating." 



In Brazil and Central America the drying is effected in differ- 

 ent ways. By the old process the berries are spread out upon a 

 stone or mortar floor and exposed to the sun until dry, care being 

 taken to rake over the seeds during the day and to protect them 

 from rain or sudden showers. 



A newer method employs steam. Beneath large zinc covered 

 tables, with raised edges, steam pipes are run. Il^egroes are en- 



