﻿208 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  Photograph 
  from 
  Mrs. 
  Martha 
  Toeplitz 
  

  

  A 
  YEAR-OIvD 
  COFFEE-TREE 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  first 
  two 
  years 
  the 
  tree 
  is 
  kept 
  in 
  a 
  nursery, 
  and 
  then 
  

   transplanted 
  to 
  the 
  orchard, 
  where 
  it 
  requires 
  three 
  years 
  to 
  come 
  

   to 
  maturity. 
  Its 
  bearing 
  life 
  is 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  six 
  years, 
  after 
  which 
  

   it 
  ceases 
  to 
  be 
  profitable 
  and 
  is 
  cut 
  down. 
  Costa 
  Rican 
  coffee 
  finds 
  

   its 
  best 
  market 
  in 
  London, 
  while 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  seems 
  partial 
  to 
  

   the 
  Brazilian 
  product, 
  which 
  constitutes 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  

   billion 
  pounds 
  we 
  consume 
  annually. 
  

  

  as 
  the 
  berries 
  are 
  scattered 
  and 
  must 
  be 
  

   picked 
  one 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  by 
  hand 
  and 
  dropped 
  

   in 
  a 
  basket 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  women 
  can 
  gather 
  

   200 
  pounds 
  in 
  a 
  day. 
  

  

  As 
  fast 
  as 
  the 
  berries 
  are 
  picked 
  they 
  

   are 
  hauled 
  by 
  ox-cart 
  to 
  the 
  bencficio, 
  or 
  

   mill, 
  whither 
  we 
  now 
  turn 
  our 
  steps. 
  

  

  "I 
  low 
  many 
  laborers 
  do 
  you 
  employ?" 
  

   we 
  ask. 
  

  

  "During 
  the 
  wet 
  season, 
  or 
  from 
  Janu- 
  

   ary 
  to 
  July, 
  only 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  — 
  just 
  

   enough 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  weeds 
  down; 
  but 
  

  

  during 
  the 
  dry 
  sea- 
  

   son, 
  when 
  coffee 
  is 
  

   ripening 
  every 
  day, 
  we 
  

   have 
  to 
  keep 
  15 
  or 
  20 
  

   pickers 
  constantly 
  on 
  

   hand, 
  besides 
  a 
  dozen 
  

   men 
  to 
  cure 
  the 
  

   beans." 
  

  

  PREPARING 
  COFFEE 
  

   FOR 
  MARKET 
  

  

  The 
  process 
  of 
  pre- 
  

   paring 
  coffee 
  for 
  mar- 
  

   ket 
  is, 
  briefly, 
  as 
  fol- 
  

   lows 
  : 
  

  

  As 
  fast 
  as 
  the 
  ber- 
  

   ries 
  are 
  brought 
  in, 
  

   they 
  are 
  put 
  through 
  

   the 
  pulper, 
  a 
  machine 
  

   something 
  like 
  a 
  corn- 
  

   sheller, 
  run 
  by 
  a 
  water- 
  

   wheel, 
  which 
  tears 
  off 
  

   the 
  outside 
  pulp 
  from 
  

   the 
  beans 
  and 
  sepa- 
  

   rates 
  them. 
  The 
  beans 
  

   are 
  then 
  put 
  into 
  a 
  

   large 
  tank 
  and 
  al- 
  

   lowed 
  to 
  ferment 
  over- 
  

   night 
  in 
  water, 
  after 
  

   which 
  they 
  are 
  thor- 
  

   oughly 
  washed 
  by 
  be- 
  

   ing 
  worked 
  over 
  with 
  

   a 
  large 
  wooden 
  hoe 
  in 
  

   running 
  water 
  and 
  

   trampled 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  

   bare 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  peons. 
  

   During 
  this 
  process 
  

   the 
  dirt 
  all 
  comes 
  to 
  

   the 
  top 
  and 
  is 
  carried 
  

   off 
  by 
  the 
  current. 
  

  

  The 
  beans 
  are 
  then 
  

   spread 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  sun, 
  

   on 
  a 
  cement 
  floor, 
  and 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  dry 
  for 
  a 
  

   week, 
  being 
  turned 
  over 
  every 
  day 
  (see 
  

   illustration, 
  page 
  188). 
  When 
  dry, 
  they 
  

   are 
  put 
  through 
  the 
  huller, 
  which 
  takes 
  

   off 
  a 
  thin, 
  parchment-like 
  inner 
  skin 
  ; 
  they 
  

   are 
  then 
  winnowed, 
  put 
  through 
  a 
  polish- 
  

   ing-machine, 
  sacked, 
  and 
  shipped. 
  

  

  "How 
  much 
  does 
  the 
  plantation 
  yield?" 
  

   "We 
  consider 
  a 
  yield 
  of 
  one 
  pound 
  per 
  

   tree, 
  or 
  1,000 
  pounds 
  to 
  the 
  acre, 
  good, 
  

   although 
  this 
  is 
  often 
  exceeded. 
  As 
  you 
  

   can 
  easily 
  see, 
  the 
  business 
  is 
  profitable. 
  

   The 
  main 
  drawback 
  is 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  time 
  

  

  