It is well known that when the Liberian coffee is ripe the pulp in- 

 vesting the beans is never soft, as in Arabian coffee. It is generally of 

 a tough fibrous character, and offers considerable resistance during 

 the process of pulping. This circumstance has discouraged many people 

 just starting, and, after vainly trying to overcome the difficult \ , they 

 have given up the cultivation .,; Liberian coffee as impracticable. It 

 would appear, however, that if rightly managed there is no special 

 hindrance to be overcome. The first point to be attended to is to pick 

 the cherries when perfectly ripe, and when brought in they should he- 

 passed through a, sample machine, called a '-si/or,' in order to obtain 

 two or three lots of cherries of similar si/.e. Cherries of unequal size 

 cannot be successfully treated. That is well understood by everyone 

 who has had experience with Liberian. or indeed any coffee. When the 

 cherries have been sized thev are then to be passed through the " pulper." 

 There are prepared I'oi treating Liberiao 



There are other and larger machines, combining both a sizer and 

 pulper in one. A machine of this latter kind, made by John Gordon 

 & Co., of London, is described as follows :— 



" The machine is provided with a rotary screen and an elevator ; it is 

 also fitted with a patent adjustable breast, having removable working 

 parts made of steel. 



"The hopper is divide. 1 into two unequal parts, and the coffee berries 

 are delivered, into the larger di\ ision with a constant stream of water, tin- 

 water being absolutely necessary to lloat the coffee over into the 

 machine and to carry oil' the palp and skins. The colfee berries which, 

 owing to difference in sj/e, t n »-. fi, : un pulped are 



smaller division of the 



be breast, \vh 

 thus brought into the ma 



requires care is the breas 

 intelligently regulated, n< 

 good results, always pi 



A smaller machine, capable of being worked by hand, is also made by 



been briefly alluded to. They say that " in order to obtain g 

 " it is imperative that the coffee be ripe, freshly picked, a 

 ** the machine with a constant stream of water." 



Further information on the treatment of Liberian coffee i 

 in the following correspondence : — 



Messrs. John Gordon & Co. to Royal Gardens, Kew. 



Dashwood House. 9, New Lroad Street, K.t' 

 Dear Sir, 6th May 1898. 



We thank you for your favour of yesterday, and shall be ve 

 pleased to forward copies of our catalogue to" the addresses \ 

 have kindly favoured us with. We have supplied pulpers for Lilu-ri 

 coffee to Java, West Coast of Africa, and m...-tl\ to the Malay Pen insu 

 One firm there, Messrs. 11 ill and Rathbone, have had six or sev 

 pulpers ; they have also our peelers and separators. You may kn< 



